Slichter—Recent Criticism of American 8 cholarship. 13 
velopment. And in this aspect there is much encouragement. 
The American scholar is now wide awake, both to his actual 
position in the world and to the vast opportunities before him. 
His ambition is kindled and he is beginning to insist upon op¬ 
portunity for work and for proper recognition for what is at¬ 
tained. 
It is the hope of every American that the new Carnegie 
Institution will have a marked influence upon the advance of 
science in this country. This munificent foundation was of¬ 
fered to America at a most opportune time. The whole range 
of American scholarship had just entered upon a season of 
promising growth. Ho stimulus of greater power to vitalize 
science can be imagined than the fortunate creation of this new 
corporation for the fostering of research. It is amazing to 
note, however, the lack of perspective, the inadequacy of ideals 
among American scientists which have been disclosed by the 
founding of this institution. The numerous discussions con¬ 
cerning the proper use of the Carnegie gift which have taken 
up so much space in the weekly issues of “Science” during 
the past autumn make one ashamed of the poverty of ambi¬ 
tion and smallness of scientific scope which many of the 
scientific men of this country have displayed. If the advisory 
committees of the Carnegie Institution do not act on higher 
ideals than those presented by a majority of the suggestions 
printed in Science, then all the new establishment can hope to 
accomplish is to add to American science more of the same 
material that is being abundantly accumulated at the present 
time. 
The Carnegie Institution should take its chief warning from 
the unfortunate history of the Smithsonian Institution, which 
at one time promised so much for American science. This 
institution instead of becoming the one place in the United 
States where the highest science could always find a home, has 
become very largely a routine institution. It spends its money 
for salaries and administration in true American fashion and 
has a minimum to show for its more than fifty years of ex¬ 
istence. At the present time about four-fifths of its income 
goes for salaries and expense of administration. The Ameri- 
