Makch 23, 1917] 



SCIENCE 



285 



the great work that needs to be done. Such an 

 institution should open its doors freely to the 

 few who are sufficiently advanced to profit by 

 its help, but it should not be hampered by any 

 question of degrees or credits, remaining free 

 to do for the advanced student what it feels 

 will be of service in establishing the highest 

 standards of research and scholarship. 



An institute devoted to this work, by what- 

 ever name designated, would need to be suffi- 

 ciently endowed to be independent of fees or 

 of large financial returns from its publications. 

 It might be established independently, with a 

 building of its own in any city with abundant 

 library and museum facilities, or it might be 

 endowed to work as part of some institution 

 already organized, such as a large imiversity 

 or a museum of science. 



Such an institute should have among its 

 activities the following: 



1. To offer to qualified students the best 

 equipment for work and the advice, assistance 

 and encouragement of a small corps of experts 

 in the history of science. 



2. To afford to universities, libraries and 

 scholars the opportunity to acquire at cost 

 photographs of important manuscripts, docu- 

 ments and objects, thus making it possible to 

 study leisurely at home many original sources 

 that at present can only be examined abroad 

 and at a considerable expenditure of time and 

 money. To this end there should be secured 

 the best available technicians, with the best 

 types of apparatus, working both in foreign 

 libraries and in the laboratory of the institute. 



3. To offer to scientists interested in his- 

 tory, to historians interested in science, and 

 to cultivated philosophers a meeting place 

 worthy of their respect; a clearing-house 

 where all matters of comraon interest to them 

 would be centralized, examined and eventually 

 made known to the world. 



4. To begin collections of prints, instru- 

 ments and all other early material bearing on 

 the history of pure and applied science. This 

 activity could in course of time expand into 

 a department of enormous importance, as is 

 clear to any one who has visited the Conserva- 

 toire des Arts et Metiers in Paris, the Science 



Museum in Kensington, or the Deutsches Mu- 

 semn in Munich, foundations with which we 

 have nothing to compare in this country. 



5. To publish two journals, one of a popular 

 nature and the other of the highest scientific 

 character. The former should set forth in an 

 interesting manner the latest discoveries in 

 the history of familiar science, appealing to 

 the eye through the best style of illustration 

 and to the intellect through popular but accu- 

 rate and scholarly statements. It should also 

 give much attention to the history of civiliza- 

 tion in all its highest features, and should 

 thus do for history, though in a more scholarly 

 way, what has already been so successfully 

 done for geography. The scientific journal 

 might be a series of editions of important 

 scientific manuscripts or a journal of the type 

 of Isis which should record the world's work 

 on the subject. In such a journal great atten- 

 tion should be given to bibliography, not 

 merely external but also internal and critical. 

 For this purpose the institute should carry on, 

 in its own field, the coordination of the most 

 thorough bibliographical work, mobilizing the 

 best critical talent available. 



Such an institute woTold not rival any de- 

 partment in our universities. It can and 

 should set a higher standard of scholarship by 

 reason of its independence, and it should be 

 looked upon as a valuable aid by every uni- 

 versity in this country and abroad, and as a 

 source of supply of material which no uni- 

 versity or library can furnish. 



The institute would need to begin its work 

 with a small stail of experts; with a small 

 number of well-trained technicians, including 

 photographers and process workers; with 

 bibliographical and clerical assistants; with a 

 well-chosen library; and with the best facilities 

 for scientific bibliographical work. It would, 

 of course, be necessary to do part of the work 

 abroad, since it would be too expensive to 

 assemble in any one place all the scholars 

 whose cooperation would be essential to the 

 best success. This is especially the case with 

 respect to the Oriental civilizations, in con- 

 nection with which a great amount of pioneer 

 work remains to be done. 



