192 



SCIENCE 



[N. 8. Vol. XLIII. No. 1102 



the various properties of the different ele- 

 ments. We want to understand the nature 

 of positive and negative charges of electri- 

 city. "We want to know the nature of elec- 

 tric and magnetic fields and the relation 

 between the two. "We want to know a great 

 deal more about the mechanism of radiation. 



"We must find a way of obtaining power 

 from coal more economically. The direct 

 energy of the sun should be employed and 

 stored for use at night and in winter. The 

 energy of the tides and of the wind must 

 be economically utilized. These and a 

 thousand other problems are waiting for 

 solution. 



The ultimate aim of science, as I see it, 

 is to solve the mysteries of nature not only 

 for the purpose of broadening our vision 

 of the external world and for making its 

 forces serve our physical needs, but also in 

 so doing to help guide us to a fuller under- 

 standing of our relation to the universe and 

 of the miracle of our existence. May we 

 not ultimately learn something definite 

 about the relation of mind and matter 1 



"We must place no limits to the possibil- 

 ities of science. Speculation and the im- 

 agery of what may lie beyond the present 

 boundaries of knowledge are an incentive 

 to greater effort, and are of real value when 

 given their proper place. 



I have called attention to the importance 

 ^ of instruments in scientific progress. I 

 have emphasized the importance of perfect- 

 ing the instruments, not only with regard 

 to greater precision but also with regard to 

 convenience in operation, so as to enable 

 new ideas to be subjected to experiment 

 with the least possible effort. 



The vastness of our field and the inter- 

 dependence of the different branches make it 

 impossible for any one individual or a small 

 group of individuals to be familiar with all 

 ,the known processes and instruments for 

 accomplishing definite ends. Our investi- 

 gations often lead to the determination of 



some quantity we are not accustomed to 

 measure, and we wish to know at once what 

 is the most practical apparatus to employ. 

 Much time is often wasted in devising an 

 instrument that has already been developed, 

 and inefficient devices are often finally em- 

 ployed unnecessarily. "Wlien we consider the 

 large number of investigators concerned and 

 the importance of the work, this is a serious 

 matter. "We may obtain help from the 

 catalogs of manufacturers, we may write to 

 some one who is more familiar with such 

 measurements, we may search in various 

 scientific books and magazines, technical 

 handbooks, and reports of the bureaus of 

 standards. Such procedure, however, is 

 wasteful and uncertain, and as has already 

 been stated, often leads to the employment 

 of inferior and more cumbersome methods 

 than is necessary. It is like searching for 

 the meaning of a word from its use in 

 literature, in place of using a dictionary, 

 or like searching for physical constants in 

 the original publications, in place of using 

 compiled tables. It is like these, except 

 that it is much worse. Most instruments 

 and methods are described under the titles 

 of the investigations in which they were 

 first employed, which, in addition, are often 

 published in inaccessible journals. 



"We need what we may call an encyclo- 

 pedia of instruments and methods of re- 

 search. This should include materials, 

 methods and processes, as well as individual 

 instruments employed in research in all the 

 sciences. Progress in the development of 

 apparatus is so rapid that it would be nec- 

 essary to issue a yearly supplement and 

 probably to publish a revised edition every 

 few years. This could be done by some 

 bureau or organization with the cooperation 

 of all scientific men. In the simplest form 

 it could give the apparatus and the differ- 

 ent methods for accomplishing each defi- 

 nite purpose, a short statement concern- 

 ing each instrument, with references to 



