July 4, 1913] 



SCIENCE 



The same holds with other departments 

 or their adjuncts. "What we need in Amer- 

 ican university ideals to-day is clearly and 

 definitely to substitute the idea of institu- 

 tional preeminence secured by specializa- 

 tion for that of a uniform grade of medi- 

 ocrity imposed by the attempt at all-round 

 equipment and attainment. And what- 

 ever we say as to the abstract principle, we 

 shall at once see, if we compare our univer- 

 sity curricula and analyze the situation, 

 that this is what we are more and more 

 clearly tending toward in our institutional 

 developments. Specialization is an essential 

 corollary of scientific progress. This is a 

 universal law and applies as well to institu- 

 tions as to men. This being so, it follows 

 that just in proportion as we recognize in- 

 stitutional specialization we must have in- 

 stitutional correlation and cooperation as 

 an avowed and approved policy. 



Let us consider what this may signify for 

 the two lines of endeavor in phytopathol- 

 ogy, viz., research and graduate training. 



Research.— In so far as phytopatholog- 

 ical or similar research is supported by 

 public funds and aims to meet economic 

 needs, as is the ease with most of the re- 

 search work in plant pathology, the argu- 

 ments for correlation, and indeed for co- 

 operation, are becoming increasingly perti- 

 nent and convincing. There can be no 

 doubt that this is the only attitude morally 

 or scientifically justifiable. But of course 

 this is not a thing to be secured by official 

 fiat or rule. Indeed, no definite modes of 

 procedure may safely be formulated. 

 Such correlation or cooperation to be prop- 

 erly helpful must, to a large degree, be a 

 matter of individual initiative and personal 

 relation and the details must in general be 

 left to individual workers and developed to 

 meet the exigencies of special cases as they 

 arise. The fundamentally important thing, 

 however, in order to pave the way for this, 



is the general recognition of the propriety 

 of such a course and the impropriety of any 

 other. 



This implies the idea that state or nation- 

 ally supported investigations should be so 

 correlated as either to avoid duplication or 

 to make the duplication of the highest sci- 

 entific value. Every one experienced in 

 any degree in such work recognizes the 

 value of duplicated and repeated investi- 

 gations. These advantages must not be 

 sacrificed. On the other hand, every one 

 recognizes also the prevalence of the waste- 

 ful type of work which has no such worthy 

 aim or scientific justification. The details 

 of accomplishing this, at least in a large 

 degree, of eliminating the bad while saving 

 the good, wiU, I am sure, present no in- 

 superable difficulties if once the right prin- 

 ciple is generally recognized. 



Let us clearly define the ideal that the 

 facilities of any publicly supported institu- 

 tion are maintained primarily for the pub- 

 lic good. It follows at once that the cour- 

 tesies of such experimental grounds, li- 

 braries, herbaria and laboratories are to be 

 extended to men from other institutions 

 with the utmost freedom compatible with 

 non-interference with local work. If this 

 is recognized by directors of laboratories 

 and other administrative officers, and the 

 ideal of correlation and cooperation as op- 

 posed to competition is commended, espe- 

 cially to our younger men, the balance may 

 safely be left to the individuals concerned. 



Graduate Training. — The other field in 

 which there is the need of closer interrela- 

 tions, and in some degree of correlations, 

 includes our graduate schools. If the 

 points already made are all well estab- 

 lished, then it follows that we should in 

 each of our graduate schools aim avowedly 

 at preeminence in certain lines, rather than 

 a uniform degree of excellence in all lines. 

 If this is true then it follows again that any 



