738 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XVI. No. 410. 



the man already at work who sees the open- 

 ing and makes the step. He is the man to 

 be helped. It is a waste of money to em- 

 ploy new men untried in work. No 

 amount of money will produce scientific 

 discovery. But when the maoi is known 

 money may help him. Such men are 

 known and are now at work in every labo- 

 ratory in the country. Some are the heads 

 of the laboratory. These men can employ 

 others to do work of a tiresome necessary 

 kind to help their own work. Others are 

 younger workers with bright ideas which 

 may be worked out under the direction of 

 the head of the laboratory. I believe that 

 every scientist to-day knows of two or more 

 men whom he could select to do good work 

 and who need help. I know two in my 

 department who could do far more than 

 they are doing if I could give each $2,500 

 a year and thus relieve them of some 

 drudgery of teaching. I would not have 

 them give up teaching. It is the best 

 stimulus to work. Let each head of a 

 laboratory or head of a department in our 

 universities have permission to present the 

 claims of workers known to them, whose 

 quality of work is good, and who need 

 assistance, to the board of managers of 

 the Carnegie fund. Let that board decide 

 the relative value and need of the claims 

 presented and place the money where it 

 will do most good. In this manner re- 

 search can be aided directly, without any 

 machinery. 



The publication of the results of re- 

 search is much hampered in this country 

 by the expense of illustration. There are 

 plenty of magazines in each department 

 ready to publish work, if the cost can be 

 met. Let the board of managers have the 

 power to make appropriations to individ- 

 uals to cover the cost of publication, after 

 the particular work in question receives 

 the approval of some recognized authority, 

 e. g., the head of the laboratory where the 



work is done. No new printing-office is 

 needed. Let present facilities, open to all 

 and ample, but expensive, be utilized. 



It seems to me a waste of funds to 

 put up a building for the use of scientific 

 associations. They can hire halls, as 

 they have always done, and thus meet, 

 as they should, in different localities at 

 difi:'erent times. 



Nor do I think the worthy members of 

 such associations need or would accept free 

 tickets to such meetings. 



It seems to me, therefore, that the board 

 of managers of the Carnegie fund should 

 apply the fund to aid men now working in 

 science along the regular lines which have 

 hitherto been found practicable, and to 

 utilize facilities which have been found 

 ample in the past. 



M. Allen Starr. 



I HAVE not given the organization of the 

 Carnegie Institution sufficient thought to 

 warrant me in offering advice as to the 

 best manner in which the fund can be used, 

 and I do not like to go into the discussion 

 of so important a matter with less prepara- 

 tion than would have been necessary if the 

 directors had asked my help ; so I am sure 

 you will understand why I do not feel like 

 complying with your request for an article 

 for Science. The results of the steps taken 

 at the start are likely to be so far-reaching, 

 and the possibility of adequate considera- 

 tion is so untrammeled, that I hardly tliink 

 that the trustees will commit themselves 

 until they are sure that they have formed 

 a right opinion — except that they may 

 take some isolated step, like the acquisition 

 of the Wood's Hole laboratory, that may 

 subsequently embarrass them as a prece- 

 dent, without, however, committing them 

 if, in their own judgment, it is not in line 

 with their final policy when this is crystal- 

 lized. 



I have read the proof slips of your 



