AVGIST 28, 1003.] 



SCIENCE. 



263 



THE SVililfli LABORATORY AS A.Y IXSTRU- 

 MEXT OF BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH.* 

 There are three kiuds of summer biolog- 

 ical stations : 



I. Laboratories devoted to instruction 

 alone. Of such a laboratorj' it may be 

 said that it has no real reason for its ex- 

 istence. Its work can be done better, as a 

 rule, in the existing college and university 

 laboratories. 



II. In the second place, there are some 

 summer laboratories which are devoted to 

 research exclusively. 



III. The third class will include those 

 combining research with in.struction. Here 

 belong our best and most flourishing insti- 

 tutions. The combination is good for both 

 sides, and it is absolutely necessarj' to the 

 instruction if it is to be maintained at a 

 high standard of efficiency. The instruc- 

 tion may be, and in general should be, dif- 

 ferent in method and usually in subject 

 matter from that given in the schools. In 

 biology it is generally the natural history 

 or ecological side which receives special 

 emphasis, and rightly so, since these are 

 subjects which can hardly be pursued un- 

 der other conditions than those by which 

 we are here surrounded. 



I shall speak to-day chiefly of the re- 

 search function of the laboratory. I do 

 so the more cheerfully knowing the excel- 

 lent record which this .station has behind it 

 in the matter of research, and having all 

 confidence that it has a much wider future 

 from this day onward. 



The necessary conditions for research 

 in biology fall into two great groups: 



1. Material conditions— suitable build- 

 ings, apparatus, etc., a rich and diversified 

 fauna and flora conveniently near and an 

 environment sufficiently varied to promote 

 ecological and experimental researches in 



•Address delivered at the opening of the Lake 

 laboratory, Sandusky, 0., July 2, 1903. 



biology. All of these conditions are ob- 

 viously abundantly fulfilled in this labo- 

 ratory; but I shall not attempt to enlarge 

 upon them, as that would be to trespass 

 on a theme better treated by our director 

 himself. 



2. There are, in the second place, cer- 

 tain conditions of successful research which 

 we may term pro\'isionally the subjective 

 conditions. These are really of far greater 

 importance than the material conditions, 

 but more difficult to control. I propose 

 that we consider some aspects of these con- 

 ditions for a few minutes in the hope of 

 gaining thereby a better insight to the 

 real purposes of a lake-side laboratory of 

 natural history and thus securing greater 

 efficiency in our work here. 



It is the investigator's own self— his 

 bodily and mental organization— which is 

 the most important instrument of research 

 with which we have to do. Our problem, 

 then, is nothing other than how best to 

 bring this apparatus up to the highest 

 state of efficiency. This laboratory, whose 

 guests we are to-day, is clearly provided 

 with all the material facilities for a great 

 research center. It will make the most 

 of these opportunities and enlarge these 

 facilities, withoiit doubt. Its stafi: is com- 

 posed of tested and approved research 

 workers. Their efficiency too is doubtless 

 capable of further development. I ask, 

 then, what may we expect from the labo- 

 ratory in this far more difficult, yet vitally 

 important, field of activity— the culture of 

 the investigator himself? 



Before we attempt to formulate our aims, 

 our ideals, of what a laboratory should do 

 for its investigators, we may properly in- 

 quire into the fundamental nature of re- 

 search in general. 



A few weeks ago a young man whom 

 we may call Linton (I hasten to explain 

 that he is not a disciple of mine) came to 



