Page:Science vol. 5.djvu/356

 7. UuL'eau at miut and motiej.

6. Burenu of educatjou (iucliiding pedagogy,

library, museum}. 9. Bureau of public works and improvements,

10. Bureau of pnlcnt-oflice.

11. Bureau of climate and weather.

We shall thus have eleveu bureaiia instead of tite present numerous offices, and shall have succeeded in brfnging tiigether, in cbser relation, a number of branches of public work. We may thus hy so much succeed in simplifying the working machine- 17 of the govemiueKt, and possibly secure ft alight economy and improved results; but we are still far from attaining that single Bcienti6c bureau, and thereby that recognition of science, which we are told is the general desire In this country, as also in others, and have by uo means assured the general harmonious co-operation of tliese eleven bureaus in so far as that may be nece.ssary. Thei'e is, in fact, no one of these bureaus whose operation is not more or less intimately associated with those of some otlicrs; and the ideul consolidation, when pushed lo the extreme, would require the union of all these in one general department of science, ed- ucation, and public works, — a slight comhination, such as in these eleven offices still leaves unsatisfied the need of a higher general supervisioo.

Thus far we have only been considering the poli- cy of the executive branch of the govei'nment as a business organization for the most economical ad- ministration of the laws originating in the legisla- tive branch. If, however, we should consider what [xilicy the legislative branch should adopt for the best welfare of the country, we should undoubtedly decide that it should give the greatest possible stim- ulus, first, to lioth the ordinary and the highest education of the people; second, to the execution of national works of public utility (especially tak- ing into its own hands the conduct of any work of general importance, whenever that is neglected by private enterprise, or whenever it is monopolized by a few to the disadvantage of the mails of the people or of the governiuent itself); third, to sci- ence and research as the means of developing the resources of nature and of the nation. Acting on these principles, other nations have, on the one hand, made a limited education compulsory, and, on the other, have provided the means for such education ; they have demande^ the highest attain- meiits and the best work in each department of knowledge, and have provided universities and sci- entific schools where men can receive the necessary Irnining; they have furnished most accurate topo-

��IVOL. v.. Bo. 116.

graphic charts in order to facilitate the construction of roods, canals, and other internal improvements; Uiey have displayed the greatest activity in labors relating to the public health, the development of sgricuiture, manufactures, and commerce, the pre- diction of storms and weather, protection against spurious coin and measures, adulteration, etc. In fact, most such otiior nations have exercised a more minute oversight over affairs, individually as well as collectively, than has been considered consistent with the liberty of the citizens in a republican gov- ernment. It is perhaps not practicable for this nation, as yet, to go so far towards centralization as others have done; and yet we must look to our national legislature for some protection against the evils that arise from disconnected, and often dis- cordant, individual actions. It must stimulate every one's work, and yet secure harmonious action on tlie part of those who are emulating each other both in public and private life. For instance; wo have had, at one time, three or four topographical surveys, six or eight chemicsl laboratories, four or five meteorological bureaus, all in the government service, often working on the same or allied prob- blems; while in civil life several other institutions can be found going over the same or similar ground. Id this emulation and duplication lies the assurance that each will do his work to the best of his ability. The country, and the cause of knowledge, both profit by an occasional duplication of work: the whole progress of science consists in repeating the work of others in the light of newer discoveries or better knowledge, only it is necessary to know when such duplication is needed.

As the first and vital step towards a permanent improvement in the wliole round of governmental work, we would not advise the diminution of gov- ernment officials engaged in the above eighty-seven offices; we would not curtail the scope of the work carried on in each of those offices; we would not re-arrange them under some new classification, since even the best that can be thought of now is stiff, formal, and artificial, cannot foresee the progress of science, and will have to be changed a few years hence: we approve, rather, of the great diversity of work increasing every year, and carried on by the government for the benefit of the nation ; the more work and workers, the greater stimulus given to the intellectual and material progress. Let each hure.-ku do its work according to its own needs, whether these be military, ethnological, economic, statistic, topographic, or what not; but let there be somewhere an intelligent supervision of the whole field.

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