THE OOLOGIST 



i 



A GOOD THING 



Consolidation of Governmental Sci- 

 ence under The Smithsonian Institu- 

 tion. 



In order that the scientific activities 

 of our Government may be developed 

 to the highest possible efficiency it is 

 now proposed to consolidate and place 

 under the Smithsonian Institution the 

 following Governmental Science ac- 

 tivities. 



1. Geological Survey. 



2. Reclamation Service. 



3. Bureau of Mines. 



4. Patent Office. 



5-16. All scientific bureaus of the 

 Agriculture Department (12 in num- 

 ber) affording these bureaus still 

 greater opportunity to develop and 

 benefit still further the agriculture of 

 our country. 



17. Vital and criminalogical and 

 other abnormal statistics of the Census 

 Office. 



18. Bureau of Standards. 



19. Bureau of Fisheries. 



20. Hygienic Laboratory. 



21. Bureau of Public Health Ser- 

 vice. 



22. Army Medical Museum and Li- 

 brary. 



23. Government Hospital for the 

 insane. 



24. Coast and Geodetic Survey. 



25. Library of Congress (to be 

 called Library of the United States.) 



26-32. Bureaus of the Smithsonian 

 Institution itself (7 in all). 



Including the thirty-two Bureaus 

 above referred to, together with all of 

 the personal and activities intact. 



The purpose and advantages of this 

 plan for the consolidation of govern- 

 ment science under the Smithsonian 

 Institution are summed up as follows: 



1. To develop government science 

 to the highest possible efficiency. 



2. To correct illogical and hap- 

 hazard arrangements of bureaus or de- 

 partments. 



3. To reduce political influence in 

 scientific bureaus to a minimum. 



4. The efficient development of 

 scientific bureaus under a scientific 

 head is much more probable than un- 

 der a political head. 



5. To unite pure and applied sci- 

 ence into a' happy medium, increasing 

 the efficiency of both. 



6. To encourage scientific men in 

 their work, which makes toward 

 efficiency. 



7. To put Government scientific 

 work upon the high university plane. 



8. To avoid duplication of scientific 

 work, appropriations and duplication 

 of library books. It also facilitates 

 their proper distribution. 



9. To advance government medical 

 science, which has been much neglect- 

 ed. 



10. To give permanency of position 

 and independence to experts, making 

 it possible to get the best men of sci- 

 ence to work for the government. 



11. To make very improbable inter- 

 ference or meddling of the head in the 

 work of the many bureaus under him. 



It is to be devoutly hoped that this 

 consummation may be reached and I 

 would not be a bad idea for those 

 favoring this consolidation to so ad- 

 vise their Members of Congress and 

 Senators who represent them. 



R. M. Barnes. 



A LETTER 



Lancaster, Kentucky, 



January 7, 1922. 

 Dea'r Mr. Barnes: 



There is no publication which can 

 possibly merit greater support from 

 some of us (and I am one) than The 

 Oologist. It never grows old. Its con- 

 tributors may advance in years but 

 they speak to you today through the 

 columns of this periodical in the same 

 informal, frank and amateurish way 

 which inspired their writings of years 

 ago. 



No college degrees, or components 



