1885.] Editors’ Tabie. 583 
EDITORS’ TABLE. 
EDITORS: A. S. PACKARD AND E. D. COPE. 
The relations of the National Academy of Sciences to 
the Government deserve the attention of the scientific men of the 
country. There are two views of the nature and functions of 
this body. One of these is, that it is the advısor of the Govern- 
ment in such matters as come within its scope. As it is most 
likely to be called upon for opinions in questions of applied sci- 
ence, it follows that a considerable number of its members should 
represent that kind of ability, rather than advanced positions in 
original research in pure science. The other view is, that the 
academy is a body which includes a definite number of men who 
lead the progress of pure science in the country, irrespective of 
utility to the Government, and that as such, its membership con- 
stitutes an order of merit which is the highest within reach of 
the American scientist. From this standpoint its relations to the 
Government flow simply from the character of its membership, 
and not from any especial modification of its organization. 
There is no reason why the two propositions above stated may 
not both be realized in the academy. This is doubtless the opin- 
ion of the large majority of its members, and indeed represents 
the actual state of affairs in that body. It is, nevertheless, easily 
seen that however combined, the two ideas are themselves dis- 
tinct, and that care will always have to be exercised to preserve a 
just equilibrium between them. The fact that a large proportion 
of its members are in the employ of Government bureaus can 
excite no adverse criticism, and is indeed a necessary consequence 
of the large number of experts required for the Government ser- 
vice. But the academy must be protected against possible con- 
sequences of this fact. 
In the interval between the annual meetings of 1884 and 1885, 
two members of a committee appointed to investigate a question 
affecting one of the bureaus of which they themselves are em- 
ployees, were requested to resign from the committee by the chief 
of the bureau in question. This was in obedience to the rule 
that a department of the Government cannot be criticised by its 
subordinates. It requires no argument to show that if this rule 
be carried out with reference to the Academy of Sciences its use- 
fulness as an independent body is at an end. There is also 
