THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 225 
themselves the public expression of views on religious 
subjects calculated to excite antagonism from people 
more given to the formulation than to the practice of 
religion. 
The Board of Regents, and especially Robert Dale 
Owen, were strongly prepossessed with the idea of erecting, 
and did erect, a monumental building, in many respects 
unfitted for the purposes of the Institution. In this way 
the income of the fund was for some years largely diverted 
from scientific uses. 
What remained was scanty for the plans of the 
Secretary, who had to exercise the most unbounded 
patience. Economy was the order of the day in all he 
or his subordinates undertook. To be sure, money went 
further in those days, but its elasticity was stretched by 
him to the utmost. He foresaw that the support of a 
vast library or of a great museum was beyond the possi- 
bilities of the Smithsonian income and did his best to 
restrain them within due limits. He became expert in 
unloading the burden of expensive projects on other 
supporters. His rule in regard to publications was that 
the Institution should publish nothing that other agencies 
would undertake; but a paper of importance to Science 
which no one would print at their own risk on account 
of its small appeal to readers; that would be seriously 
considered and printed if found worthy. In the matter 
of the museum prescribed by Congress in the charter, 
his feeling was that as soon as the scientific data were 
extracted from a collection it should be distributed among 
other museums so far as possible. This not only relieved 
the Smithsonian of the storage and expenses of preserva- 
tion, but allayed any envious feelings on the part of those 
conducting other museums. 
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