644 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XVI. No. 



however, societies have usually fur- 

 nished appropriations, and in America, 

 other calls permitting, the Carnegie Insti- 

 tution might justly follow their example. 

 On the other hand, the maintenance of lab- 

 oratories appears to me of less immediate 

 value in encouraging research, for there 

 now exist many and well-equipped labora- 

 tories in connection with university work 

 throughout the country, open, too, on gen- 

 erous terms to any qualified investigator. 

 The question of the Woods Hole station is, 

 I think, exceptional, since nowhere else in 

 the United States can marine investigations 

 in all fields be carried on to similar advan- 

 tage. Special experimental stations, how- 

 ever, for statistical and other variational 

 studies are not as immediate a need since 

 most of their work can be carried on in con- 

 nection with the agricultural schools of 

 many states. In this regard the history of 

 foreign universities teaches us that research 

 will flourish in spite of the lack of modern 

 and splendidly equipped buildings. Men 

 and books are at present less prevalent in 

 our country than are tolerable quarters in 

 which to house them. In no event would 

 a Carnegie laboratory, I believe, be war- 

 ranted in supporting classes for instruc- 

 tion as long as worthy investigators are in 

 need of books, research material and means 

 of publication. 



4. Grants and Felloivships. — When the 

 foregoing needs are suitably provided for 

 the creation of fellowships would give very 

 desirable means of stimulating activity in 

 research. And in this matter one endorses 

 heartily the suggestion of Professor Cat- 

 tell in his recent paper in Science. None 

 the less it is still a question whether, money 

 being limited, more productive results 

 would not follow the system employed by 

 various trust funds of granting definite 

 sums to deserving investigators to enable 

 them to complete definite pieces of work. 



Columbia Univeesity. Bashfoed Dean. 



Most startling was President Harper's 

 statement that Mr. Carnegie's gift of ten 

 millions to it had injured Scottish edu- 

 cation. Most disquieting was his view of 

 the Carnegie Institution as a possible peril 

 to science. 



I venture to make public some brief 

 hints of views as to how this great Car- 

 negie Institution can contribute most ef- 

 fectively to the advancement of science. 

 We speak of the endowment of research, 

 but the real object is to bring to pass in 

 the highest degree, to get started and car- 

 ried to fruition, scientific creation, creative 

 scientific achievement. 



The payment for, the reward of, scien- 

 tific productivity after it is over, is only 

 a comparatively worthless parody of this 

 supremely important aim. To have given 

 Lord Rayleigh, already very wealthy, ten 

 thousand dollars for having discovered 

 argon was a pitiful waste of the money, 

 almost painfully puerile. 



Suppose the Fish Commission should 

 spend its appropriation in pampering cer- 

 tain especially agile and powerful fishi 

 What it did was to seek the point of dan- 

 ger, destruction and waste in the life- 

 history, and in safeguarding these, make 

 valuable its energies. 



With the possible scientific creators also 

 the loss is greatest just at the start. 



Of those gifted with scientific genius, 

 many allow that genius to atrophy, the 

 potential never becomes actual; perhaps 

 the scientific career is deliberately rejected 

 in favor of money-making. 



This choice of career is largely, almost 

 instinctively, a matter of attractiveness and 

 safety. 



Such a spectacle as the ejectment of the 

 Cincinnati professors, such a recurring 

 spectacle as one of them passing through 

 the streets and Imown to be unable, though 

 liighly worthy, to regain a foothold in the 



