Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 70.djvu/291

Rh small grants made up to the present. time for minor researches and for research assistantships." There are given in the report the names of forty individuals and institutions which have received minor grants and of six research assistants, and they appear to be of about the same standing and largely the same individuals as those who have received grants in previous years. It is not easy to decide which grants the president refers to in his report, as it might be supposed that every one of them would yield direct returns. The grantees include many of our most eminent men of science, such as Professors S. Newcomb, W. W. Campbell, L. Boss, A. A. Noyes, T. W. Richards, T. C. Chamberlin, R. S. Chittenden, E. L. Mark and E. B. Wilson, and it is inconceivable that money entrusted to them would not be spent to advantage. It is, however, possible that equally good results would have been obtained if twenty of the grants had been distributed by lot among members of the National Academy of Sciences and the other twenty among the fellows of the American Association, and this would have obviated the suspicion of favoritism and indirect influence which is almost inevitable when such largesses depend mainly on the decision of a single individual.

The president recommends that in general minor grants shall be given only to eminent investigators who shall for the time become research associates and advisers of the institution. That the institution needs a board of scientific men is obvious. Its trustees, as is usual in America, consist mainly of prominent men of affairs, most of whom are too busy to give attention to the control of the institution, even if they were competent to do so. The secretary, originally an eminent resident man of science, is now a business man of New York City. The by-laws speak of special advisers and advisory committees, but if such exist they are not mentioned in the annual report. The only possible reference in the by-laws to the scientific men who should be the institution is a clause to the effect that the president 'shall have power to remove and appoint subordinate employees.' If the trustees could fulfil their proper function in the care of the property, and the president could be a constitutional executive officer, and there were a legislative board consisting of scientific men, elected by the scientific bodies of the country, a great advance in organization would be effected. Perhaps we may hope that the advisers nominated by the president may ultimately become a board of this character.

The larger projects of the institution last year were: botanical research, D. T. MacDougal, director; economics and sociology, Carroll D. Wright, director; experimental evolution, Charles B. Davenport, director; historical research, J. F. Jameson, director; horticulture, Luther Burbank; marine biology, A. G. Mayer, director; meridian astrometry, Lewis Boss, director; nutrition, F. G. Benedict, R. H. Chittenden, L. B. Mendel and T. B. Osborne; solar physics, George E. Hale, director; terrestrial magnetism, L. A. Bauer, director; work in geophysics, F. D. Adams, G. F. Becker, A. L. Day. For these departments the sum of $552,000 was appropriated, the largest grants being: Solar Observatory, $150,000; geophysical research, $115,500, and terrestrial magnetism, $54,000. Appended to the president's report are extremely interesting accounts of the research work accomplished under the large projects and minor grants. Illustrations showing the site of the solar observatory and the laboratories for experimental and marine biology are here reproduced.

has announced his intention to give, not later than April 1, securities valued at about