530 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. V. No. 118. 



years, and it has not escaped the notice 

 of several thoughtful members of both 

 branches of the national legislature. On 

 Januarys, 1888, the Hon. R. W. Townsend, 

 of Illinois, introduced in the House of Eep- 

 resentatives a bill ' To establish a Depart- 

 ment of Industries and Public Works,' 

 under which should be collected all those 

 bureaus and divisions of scientific work 

 under the control of the general Govern- 

 ment, except such as were essential to the 

 distinctive duties of the several existing 

 executive departments. 



Tlie author of this bill intended to im- 

 prove and strengthen all these centers of 

 investigation by bringing them under one 

 executive head, whose sole business would 

 be to protect their rights, provide for their 

 support and represent them with author- 

 ity before Congress and in the executive 

 councils. 



Unfortunately for the scientific interests 

 involved, Mr. Townsend died before his 

 proposition could be considered in the com- 

 mittee to which it was referred ; and no 

 comprehensive plan of that nature has since 

 been considered by Congress. The general 

 scheme formulated by Mr. Townsend was 

 approved by scientific men throughout the 

 country, as well as by those in the Govern- 

 ment service in Washington, and it has not 

 been abandoned. 



It should be said, however, that it has 

 not received the universal assent of scientific 

 men either here or in other parts of the 

 country. The scientific man is sometimes 

 swayed by the same motives that influence 

 other people. 



If his field of view is limited by the nar- 

 row bounds of his own specialty ; if he feels 

 certain of getting all he wants for his own 

 particular investigation, or that the present 

 chief of his department is generous to him 

 personally ; if he feels that it is more 

 agreeable to rule his small ofiice absolutely 

 while nominally under the control of an 



easy-going but untrained chief, rather than 

 to help forward the whole cause of scien- 

 tific investigation ; or, if he feels that lack 

 of intelligent supervision enables him to ma- 

 nipulate the affairs of his office for his own 

 immediate, personal reputation, aggran- 

 dizement or pecuniary profit ; he is likely to 

 prefer the present system rather than one 

 that aims to so arrange and adjust all the 

 scientific bureaus of the Government in 

 such a way that their mutual relations 

 shall be harmonious, and their several in- 

 terests continually advanced under eco- 

 nomical and thorough methods, but with- 

 out friction or duplication of work. 



It is not the object of this communica- 

 tion to point out the selfishness or incom- 

 petence of individuals or the shortcomings 

 of bureaus or departments, but to call 

 anew the- attention of the members of this- 

 society to their relations to the general 

 Government either as citizens or as scientific- 

 investigators. 



It should never be forgotten that our 

 Government as represented by the Execu- 

 tive, Legislative and Judical powers is sim- 

 ply the agent of the people, not some of the 

 people, but all of the people, and that they 

 are entitled to the best service to be found 

 within the borders of our broad domain. 



To that end it follows that personal 

 claims, clamor of cliques, and the greed and 

 selfishness of those who seek to hold or gain 

 official position, should have little or no 

 weight in the proper organization and con- 

 trol of the scientific work of the Government, 

 where professional merit and adaptibility 

 alone should guide the selection of the per- 

 sonnel, and where practical and theoret- 

 ical results and investigations, in their 

 proper mutual relations, and controlled by 

 wise economy, should be the single aim of 

 the Government. 



It may be exceedingly difficult to fix the 

 time when this desirable consummation 

 shall be affected; but to all scientific work- 



