November 21, 1902.] 



SCIENCE. 



803 



ment scientific bureaus open for raids from 

 politicians and opportunists will make 

 effective use, doubtless, of this latest 

 precedent in their favor. 



But what, it will be asked, is the remedy 

 for such blunders in the administration of 

 government scientific work? Have we 

 nothing better to suggest than destructive 

 criticism? The remedy in the present in- 

 stance is plain. The Bureau of American 

 Ethnology should be put on an indepen- 

 dent footing; that is, it shoi;ld be directly 

 responsible to Congress for the conduct 

 of its work; and the National Museum 

 should speedily go the same way. During 

 the first half century of its existence the 

 Smithsonian Institution rendered the high- 

 est service to American science and to the 

 public weal by assisting in the development 

 of— perhaps one might justly say by origi- 

 nating and developing— the Weather Bu- 

 reau, the Geological Survey and the Fish 

 Commission; and its influence was hardly 

 less potent in promoting the scientific work 

 of the Naval Observatory and the Coast and 

 Geodetic Survey. As soon, however, as 

 the merits of these organizations were rec- 

 ognized by the Government, it was the 

 policy of the Smithsonian Institution to 

 turn to other fields of work ; and the verdict 

 is unanimous that this policy was the wisest 

 one to pursue by 'an establishment for the 

 increase and diffusion of knowledge among 

 men. ' 



The case under consideration raises also 

 the question whether there is any way to 

 improvement in the mode of selecting 

 heads of the bureaus doing scientific work 



for the government. It appears that 

 hitherto, as a rule, far less pains have been 

 taken in choosing such heads than our sci- 

 entific societies take in choosing a president 

 or a secretary to represent them profes- 

 sionally and before the public. Indeed it 

 has frequently happened in the past that 

 men of no scientific standing, or of small 

 professional reputation, have been placed 

 in charge of important scientific work. 

 But scientific men are largely responsible 

 for this, for their silence has often given 

 assent to corrupt practices and to unworthy 

 appointments in the public service. It is 

 a duty of scientific men and of scientific 

 societies to look into these matters, and to 

 see to it that science is not degraded by the 

 pretenders who always stand ready to make 

 a personal use of the prestige won by the 

 industry and the persistence of the emi- 

 nent. It is especially the duty of scientific 

 societies to make their influence felt in all 

 such matters. They may not always be 

 able to give the best advice, but they are 

 much more likely to give good advice than 

 place seekers and appointing officers. The 

 standard for appointment to prominent 

 positions in government scientific work 

 should be higher than that in any other 

 branch of the public service. To obtain 

 this end our societies can do much if they 

 so will. No man of science can now afford 

 to ignore the advice they are able to give 

 on important questions of public moment; 

 and the time ought to arrive presently 

 when their counsel on all such questions 

 will be welcomed and appreciated by so- 

 ciety at large. 



