18 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLI. No. 1044 



and in the Academy's ability to assist in- 

 vestigators. 



[As a body which is rapidly becoming 

 truly representative of the investigators of 

 America, the National Academy is well 

 qualified to act in an advisory capacity to 

 other institutions having funds available 

 for use in research. It frequently happens 

 that trustees of funds thus applicable re- 

 quire such expert advice as the Academy 

 can give. A parallel case is that of the 

 Royal Society, which selects annually the 

 recipients of the Government Grant Fund 

 of £4,000. 



MEDALS AND PRIZES 



In bestowing the Academy's gold medals 

 for investigations in physics, astronomy, 

 astrophysics, oceanography and the study 

 of meteoric bodies, an attempt should be 

 made, not only to recognize and reward 

 successful investigators, but to do this in 

 accordance with the best interests of future 

 research. A few of the numerous medals 

 awarded by academies, such as the Copley 

 Medal of the Royal Society, may be ad- 

 vantageously reserved as a fitting recogni- 

 tion of many years of eminent service to 

 science. But, as Diels^^ has justly re- 

 marked, the majority of medals and prizes 

 will prove of greater value if given to com- 

 paratively young men, who still need sup- 

 port and encouragement. By acquaintance 

 with the circumstances under which such 

 men are working, an award may be made 

 at a moment so favorable as to increase its 

 value many fold. Thus recognition by the 

 Academy may supply the precise argument 

 needed to convince university authorities 

 or others in control of research funds of 

 the importance of providing the means 

 necessary to continue and extend the work 

 of the medallist. The same may be said 



23 ' ' Die Kultur der Gegenwart, ' ' Teil I., Ab- 

 teilung I., zweite Auflage, p. 666. 



of grants from trust funds. ,Cases are 

 known in which a comparatively small 

 grant has favorably influenced a board of 

 trustees in deciding to devote large sums 

 to research. 



This leads to a consideration of the ques- 

 tion of membership in the National Acad- 

 emy. In his valuable discussion of the 

 organization of science, to which reference 

 has already been made. Professor Diels 

 lays great emphasis upon the importance 

 of aiding and encouraging the younger men 

 of science through the award of grants for 

 investigation. That this feeling is general 

 throughout the German academies is shown 

 by the fact that approximately one half of 

 their resources are used for this purpose. 

 Diels also finds cause for congratulation in 

 the fact that the papers of these non-acade- 

 micians, published in the proceedings, 

 often prove to be the most brilliant of Ger- 

 many's contributions to science, and at the 

 same time greatly aid in enlivening the 

 work of the Academies.^* 



Nothing could point more clearly to the 

 best field of usefulness of our own Na- 

 tional Academy. As the future of re- 

 search depends directly upon the younger 

 men, the Academy may properly devote a 

 large share of its efforts to their support 

 and advancement. But moral encourage- 

 ment is no less important than financial 

 aid. The latter may well be given from 

 the trust funds of the Academy, but the 

 former should not be neglected. The 

 Academy does grant medals, but these are 

 available in only a few fields of research.'^^ 

 Fortunately it also possesses a still more 

 powerful resource in its opportunity to be- 



^i Diels, ibid., p. 665. 



25 An attempt should be made to secure medals 

 (or preferably money prizes available for the 

 purchase of books or instruments) for mathe- 

 matics, engineering, chemistry, geology, and the 

 various branches of biology. 



