646 



SCIENCE. 



LN. S. Vol. XVI. No. 408. 



Sylvester held that the two functions 

 s..ould never be divorced. 



I believe it is largely on this point that 

 President Harper thinks the Carnegie In- 

 stitution a peril. 



But the great scientific work of our gov- 

 ernment has been dissociated from teach- 

 ing, and on the other hand some of our 

 well-known institutions of learning are 

 dragging far behind the times. 



For example, it seems to me that a 

 school of science which requires Latin 

 could not properly be given a general 

 subsidy. 



Mathematics, that general instrument 

 and servant of all the sciences, would be 

 chiefly helped just now by translating the 

 results of the experts into form compre- 

 hensibile to all men of science. 



The mass of mathematics published in 

 analytic and symbolic form, in hiero- 

 gl3'phics, is disheartening, is almost stupe- 

 fying, while the great results, though cap- 

 able of elegant, interesting and easy pre- 

 sentation, remain unknown even to men 

 of science. 



For example, of geometry Hilbert says: 

 'The most si;ggestive and notable achieve- 

 ment of the last century in this field is the 

 discovery of non-Euclidean geometry.' 



Then shoiild not every man of science 

 know what it is and what it has settled? 

 George Bruce Halsted. 



Austin, Texas. 



In answer to a request of the editor of 

 Science we would suggest that a primary 

 and natural function of the Carnegie In- 

 stitution would be 'to lend a helping hand' 

 to investigators already at work in our 

 colleges, imiversities and scientific socie- 

 ties. This need for aid in research is 

 more pressing than the foundation of 

 numerous scholarships for unfledged or im- 

 mature students, except for the few who 



have already shown a remarkable capacity 

 for original work. 



The president and trustees of the Car- 

 negie Institution, so far as they have yet 

 gone, have acted wisely in appointing com- 

 mittees of scientific men to consider the 

 claims for aid already received, and this 

 seems to be the primary and most impor- 

 tant as well as natural course to pursue. 



The tendency in this country, not only 

 in national and state governments, but 

 also in municipal governments, as also per- 

 haps in the management of our public 

 libraries, is towards a marked dispropor- 

 tion between the cost of maintenance, and 

 the amount, in the ease of libraries, for 

 example, devoted to the purchase of books. 



It is to be hoped that at present at least 

 the income of the Carnegie Institution will 

 not in very large part be devoted to build- 

 ings and laboratories to be erected in 

 Washington, but be given directly to the 

 promotion of researches in physical and 

 natural science now being planned or car- 

 ried on by officers of existing institutions, 

 by members of scientific societies and other 

 investigators. 



We would venture to suggest, as doubt- 

 less others have, that a fair proportion of 

 the income should be expended in appro- 

 priations or grants, such as are made by 

 the British and the French Associations for 

 the Advancement of Science on such a con- 

 siderable scale, and in a smaller way b.y the 

 National Academy of Sciences of the 

 United States and by the American Asso- 

 ciation for the Advancement of Science, 

 through funds given or bequeathed by the 

 friends of science for the furtherance of 

 scientific investigations. 



This has been effected by committees, 

 who have and are gratuitously doing their 

 work with care, faithfulness and discrim- 

 ination. 



The applications for aid in research re- 

 ceived bv the trustees of these funds from 



