Decembee 2, 1910] 



SCIENCE 



799 



The Carnegie Foundation 



FOR THE Advancement of Teaching 



576 Fifth Avenue 



New York 



Office of the President 



November 21, 1910 



Dear Professor Catiell: I am sorry that 

 your letter of November 8 has remained so 

 long unanswered. It came just as I was pre- 

 paring for the annual meeting of my board 

 of trustees, and I have had no opportunity to 

 take up my correspondence until to-day. 



As you can readily understand, the founda- 

 tion does not undertake to say what will be 

 done in the matter of an application for a re- 

 tiring allowance to be made two years hence. 

 The rules state with precision the normal con- 

 ditions under which teachers may expect re- 

 tirement and the executive committee will, of 

 course, be governed by these rules. I under- 

 stand your letter, however, to be an expression 

 of a wish to ascertain what procedure is neces- 

 sary on your part in order to apply for a re- 

 tiring allowance as an exceptional case on the 

 ground of a desire to devote your life to re- 

 search. 



Using your own case as an illustration, the 

 procedure would be as follows : 



You would first take the matter up with 

 your university. If the university approved 

 your request, it would present an application 

 to the foundation on your behaK for a retiring 

 . allowance on the ground of special proved 

 ability for scientific research. The founda- 

 tion would ask that this request be accom- 

 panied by a statement showing your research 

 work for the past ten or fifteen years. It 

 would then submit this statement to a number 

 of recognized scholars in your field of science 

 with two enquiries: (1) 'What is your opin- 

 ion of the value of the research work of Pro- 

 fessor Cattell as indicated in the enclosed 

 papers? (2) Is this work of such a character 

 as, in your judgment, to warrant the confer- 

 ring of a retiring allowance upon Professor 

 Cattell in order that he may give himself un- 

 reservedly to the work of research? The 

 foundation would be in large measure guided 



in its decision by the opinions received from 

 these scholars. 



I ought to add that the foundation would 

 view with grave concern the possibility of 

 your withdrawal from editorial duties. We 

 should find it difficult to get along without the 

 aid of your kindly and encouraging editorial 

 scrutiny. 



Yours very truly, 



Henry S. Pritchett 

 Professor J. McKeen Cattell, 

 Garrison-on-Hudson, 

 New York. 



Gaerison-on-Hudson, N. Y., 



November 23, 1910 

 President Henry S. Pritchett, LL.D., 

 The Carnegie Foundation for the 

 Advancement of Teaching, New 

 Yorh City 

 Sir: Your letter seems to indicate that you 

 do not propose to follow the resolution which, 

 according to President Jordan, the trustees 

 adopted. You do not explain this departure 

 or answer the question which I addressed to 

 the secretary of the trustees and which he re- 

 ferred to you for reply. You doubtless intend 

 to make a statement and an explanation of the 

 policy of the foundation in your forthcoming 

 report. It is extremely desirable that these be 

 such that the foundation may regain the con- 

 fidence and respect of those for whose benefit 

 it was established. 



Your last paragraph is presumably only 

 legitimate irony; but it is open to the unfor- 

 tunate interpretation that beneficiaries of the 

 foundation may not criticize its conduct or 

 the educational schemes it promotes. 

 Eespectfully, 



J. McK. Cattell 



The Carnegie Foundation 



FOR the Advancement of Teaching 



576 Fifth Avenue 



New York 



November 26, 1910 

 Office of the President 



Dear Professor Cattell: President Thwing 



has referred to me your letter of November 8. 



The language given in the first paragraph 



