Januaby 2C, 1906.] 



SCIENCE. 



129 



judgments are often found in conflict with 

 what appears to be for the best interest of 

 the worl? from the institution's point of 

 view. Thus some lack of obviously desir- 

 able uniformity in paper, presswork and 

 binding has resulted. Certain of these 

 defects have been unavoidable, owing to the 

 fact that some publications had been in- 

 trusted M'holly to grantees or authors. It 

 is hoped, however, that arrangements will 

 soon be perfected whereby the desired uni- 

 formity and excellence in paper and press- 

 Avork of the publications of the institution 

 may be secured. 



A list of the twenty volumes published 

 by the institution during the year will be 

 found on page 42 of the 'Year Book.' 

 They aggregate 2,339 octavo pages and 

 1,450 quarto pages, making a total of 3,789 

 pages. 



SUGGESTIONS CONCERNING PENDING PROB- 

 LEMS OF THE INSTITUTION. 



Large Versus Small Projects. 



Rationally considered, the development of 

 a novel institution, like the Carnegie Insti- 

 tution of "Washington, can not be expected 

 to proceed without encountering difficulties 

 and dangers. That the mere establishment 

 of such an institution is no easy matter is 

 witnessed by the fact that the Congress of 

 the United States debated the question of 

 founding the Smithsonian Institution for a 

 decade before attaining a definite plan of 

 procedure. Although the Carnegie Insti- 

 tution of Washington has been free in large 

 measure from difficulties in the way of 

 initial organization, it has nevertheless met 

 with other difficulties of a somewhat 

 ominous character. Among these is that 

 of the relative merits of large and small 

 projects and hence large and small grants. 



In the absence of experience it might well 

 appear doubtful whether the income of the 

 institution may be best used in promoting 

 a small number of large projects not likely 



to be undertaken by other agencies, or 

 whether the income may be best used in 

 promoting a large number of small projects 

 for which the ways and means are already 

 in part available. Strong a priori argu- 

 ments may be adduced in support of each 

 of these extreme methods of administration 

 of the income, and the executive committee 

 has no doubt acted wisely in taking a mean 

 course, testing thus simultaneously, by 

 actual experience, the merits of both 

 methods. 



AVhile careful observation and study of 

 these methods during one year only may 

 not justify the recommendation of any 

 radical departure from the course hitherto 

 followed, it seems essential to indicate cer- 

 tain grave objections to the policy of award- 

 ing numerous small grants. These objec- 

 tions are: 



1. The excessive amount of time and 

 energy required in the consideration of ap- 

 plications for and in the administration of 

 small grants. Thus far the institution has 

 formally considered about 1,200 applica- 

 tions for such grants and has made awards 

 to about 300 applicants; but the amount 

 of attention given to the consideration of 

 formal applications represents only a part 

 of the time and labor consumed by the im- 

 portunities incident to, if not inherent in 

 the policy in question. Many of the evils 

 of the 'spoils system' already confront us. 

 Some applicants file claims; many are im- 

 patient for speedy action; and may, as in 

 the case of academic degrees, speak in the 

 possessive case with respect to grants long 

 before they are awarded. 



2. The returns from small grants do not 

 seem to justify the outlay, especially since 

 it is applied in many cases to work which 

 would go on as well without aid from the 

 institution. Probably a more deliberate 

 and searching investigation of the applicant 

 than has hitherto been practicable would 

 insure better results. It is certain, at any 



