OCTOBEB 3, 1902.] 



SCIENCE. 



527 



(4) Its support of the men selected to 

 undertake researches should be generous, 

 and abundant time should be allowed. 



(5) The researches most demanded in 

 biology at the present time are complete 

 investigations of the embryology, structure 

 and function of a few forms from the 

 oviun to old age and death. 



Simon Henry Gage. 

 Labokatoky of Histology and Embryology, 

 CoENELL University. 



The fundamental principles which 

 ought to control the Carnegie Institution 

 can hardly be better stated than Dr. Cat- 

 tell puts the matter in the last paragraph 

 but one of his article. It should cooperate 

 with, not interfere with, men and institu- 

 tions already engaged in scientific work. 

 And I take it that such is the intention 

 both of Mr. Carnegie and of the trustees. 

 The practical question of how this can be 

 done is doubtless the chief problem that 

 confronts the trustees at the outset. 



It is my opinion that a modus operandi 

 will be found in judicious attempts to meet 

 specific cases. Good as Dr. Cattell's pre- 

 sentation of the whole matter is, nothing 

 he says would appeal to me so forcibly, if 

 I were a trustee, as what he says about 

 work that could be advantageously under- 

 taken in psychology and in the support of 

 scientific publications. For the same rea- 

 son I should expect from the active work- 

 ers in every branch of science in the coun- 

 try suggestions regarding their own work 

 and how it could be most effectively ad- 

 vanced. It goes without saying that many 

 requests for help must be denied by the 

 trustees. The perpetual-motion man is 

 bound to turn up, and he will have to be 

 turned down. But between the perpetual- 

 motion enthusiast and the scientific man 

 of established reputation there are many 

 little known but competent workers whose 

 requests for help should receive careful 



consideration by committees of special- 

 ists. 



Cooperation will mean different things, 

 according to circumstances. Dr. Cattell's 

 scheme of having the Institution appro- 

 priate five or ten thousand dollars for this 

 and that bit of work, on condition that an 

 equal sum be raised, reminds one of the es- 

 tate that might have been bought with a 

 pair of boots— if only the boots had been 

 forthcoming. I want very much to un- 

 dertake a certain piece of geologic work 

 that would require about $10,000, but if 

 the Carnegie Institution offered to give 

 $5,000 for the work on condition that I 

 raised the other $5,000, I should get no 

 help. And there are very few men en- 

 gaged in university work who could meet 

 such conditions; as a rule university pro- 

 fessors are but little in touch with the busi- 

 ness world that furnishes the money for 

 investigations of this kind. 



Dr. Cattell's suggestion regarding the 

 teacher's sabbatical year seems worthy of 

 attention. The sabbatical year is a great 

 blessing to education and to science, but 

 in many cases with which I am acquainted 

 professors are unable to avail themselves 

 of their leave of absence, because half of 

 their salaries will not support their fami- 

 lies and allow them to utilize their vaca- 

 tions in scientific work either at home or 

 abroad. If the Institution could utilize 

 these sabbatical years and pay the men 

 enough to make up the deficiency in their 

 salaries, it would effectively utilize this class 

 of men and would at the same time carry 

 out Dr. Cattell's second principle by im- 

 proving the condition ' of men of sci- 

 ence. 



My suggestions would, therefore, be as 

 follows : 



I. The Institution should try to help 

 wherever help is needed and can be advan- 

 tageously used. 



