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SCIENCE 



[Vol. V., No. 115. 



the law and the custom are quite strict upon this 

 point. Occasionally a bold man will evade or break 

 through diplomatic etiquette; but, as a rule, those 

 members of the academy who happen also to be 

 members of the executive are greatly hampered in 

 any efforts to improve the relations between gov- 

 ernment and science. We therefore believe, that, 

 before congress can obtain the free, untrammelled 

 judgment of some of the best members of the 

 national academy, it must relieve them individual- 

 ly and collectively from the operation of this objec- 

 tionable law, and confer upon academicians liberty 

 of speech on matters pertaining to the scientific pol- 

 icy of our national legislature . This great privilege , 

 granted because of their recognized experience and 

 the impossibility of otherwise obtaining the advice 

 of the very men whom congress needs and has ac- 

 cepted as advisers, should be made a duty, and 

 may possibly eventually bring with it a further 

 condition; i.e., the membership of the academy, 

 which is at present wholly a matter of election by 

 its own members, might be in some way ratified by 



the senate so that congress may feel that its advis- 

 ory academy is wholly in sympathy with itself. 

 We conclude, then, by expressing the belief, that 

 without a single abrupt immediate change in the 

 relations of the scientific bureaus and offices of 

 government, without any immediate revolution in 

 the executive departments, without taking from 

 any of the present chiefs his right and liberty to 

 conduct the work committed him to the best of 

 his knowledge and ability, but by three or four 

 simple steps, we may quietly secure for the legisla- 

 tive branch of government such enlightenment and 

 conservative advice as will eventually and rapidly 

 lead to an improved and economical execution of 

 the works now in hand; will insure satisfactory re- 

 lations between science and the government; will 

 assure the stimulation of scientific education and 

 work, and the strengthening of the hands of such 

 as honestly desire to promote the welfare of the 

 people, rather than the creation of an aristocracy 

 of government officers, or the execution of some 

 petty personal scheme. X. 



