SCIENCE. 



FRIDAY, MAY 15, 1885. 



COMMENT AND CRITICISM. 



It may not be amiss to remind a corre- 

 spondent in to-day's issue that the arguments 

 which he uses to show the peculiar fitness 

 of Col. Coleman for the position of commis- 

 sioner of agriculture, would, with very slight 

 changes, show him to be qualified to act as 

 director of the geological survey, or super- 

 intendent of the census, or, in fact, for airy 

 executive position. The work of the depart- 

 ment of agriculture is largely scientific work ; 

 and, as we had occasion to point out in the 

 remarks to which our correspondent takes 

 exception, the proper and effective direction 

 of such work requires something more than 

 ordinary executive and business ability. ' - The 

 ability to distinguish and recommend what is 

 best, to discover and make use of the ability 

 of specialists," implies a thorough knowledge 

 of what has already been done, and of the 

 distinguishing qualities of the ' best,' an ac- 

 quaintance with specialists, and a capabilhry of 

 judging of the merit of their work, such as 

 only a ' technical expert ' can possess. A man 

 who, without special scientific attainments, 

 undertakes to direct the work of scientific 

 specialists, must inevitably stand much in the 

 same position as the typical fine lady who is 

 the slave of her domestics. He may irritate 

 and hinder by ill-judged interference, or he 

 may leave matters to take their own course, as 

 has usually been done ; but an}* broad, well- 

 planned policy is practically out of the ques- 

 tion. 



A further important consideration is that 

 there is a large and increasing number of 

 agricultural colleges and experiment- stations 

 devoted more or less exclusively to scientific 

 investigations for the benefit of agriculture. 

 The United-States department of agriculture 



No. 119.-1885. 



should be the natural centre and regulator 

 of this work, giving it a general unity, and 

 preventing unnecessary duplication of experi- 

 ments. Moreover, it is proposed to add to 

 these, in the several states, so-called ' national 

 experiment-stations,' in the conduct of which 

 the commissioner of agriculture shall have at 

 least an advisory power. It may be set down 

 as certain, however, that the men who are 

 conducting this experimental work, many of 

 them eminent in their profession, will pay 

 small heed to the advice of any commissioner 

 whom they cannot respect as at least their 

 equal in scientific attainments. We do not 

 wish to be regarded as unfriendly to Col. 

 Coleman. Judged by the previous histoiy and 

 present standing of the department, the ap- 

 pointment is an excellent one. What we 

 desire to see is anew system, and only secon- 

 darily, and as a result of that, a new man. 



Dr. Adolf Dronke, director of the real- 

 gymnasium at Trier, has lately published an 

 elaborate paper on the place of geography as 

 a science and in the school. While certain 

 parts of it seem to us somewhat visionary, — 

 such as the formation of an international 

 academy of geography, the establishment of 

 professorships of geography in all universities, 

 and the adoption of an initial meridian in 20° 

 west longitude, — the greater share contains 

 suggestions that are at least valuable and prac- 

 tical, even if not altogether novel. Certainly 

 there is much need of improvement in geo- 

 graphic instruction, as we have already point- 

 ed out. There is so general an agreement on 

 this subject, that what we need now is not so 

 much a discussion of what changes to make, 

 as how to get the ruoney for making them. 

 Good maps and models, illustrations and 

 specimens, as well as expensively taught and 

 far-travelled teachers, are the first needs, but 

 where do we find school committees read}* to 

 supply them ? 



