Page:Science vol. 5.djvu/65

 ■urOART 16, 1886.}

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��Uw moat importunt funeiion which ihe director at •nchui ItutituLion hasto perform, lies ia the selection of tbe pruper men, — the speclallats irlio have a genius for research. From the very nnture of the work per- formed, the plnn of operaliona to a Ini^ exteat must le up from the individuals who aredoing the work, Lily to a limited extent originate with the Out of the multitude of plans and ideas im suggested bj a corps of specialists engaged lu original research, the superintendent or director se- lects such as he thinks wise, and is successful in his work to Iha degree in which he has a comprehensive knowledge of the subject. If the above considerations are correct, the second Idiog principle tor controlling scientific work of government Is as follows: The xetieral hureauti reaearch should be l^t free to prosecute mteh research in all tU JetaiU, wilhout dictation from tuperior OHthorll!/ in reaped to the methoitii of researcfi to be Hseil.

I beg to call the attention of the commission to certain statements of the committee of the National acaderaj of sciences, whlcb constitute a part of the reeonl uf the proceedings of this commission. These statements ar« as follows: —

Tour committee states only the general sentiment

and wish of men of science when it says that its

m«mben lielleve the time is near when the country

will demand the Institution of a branch of the execu-

goverument devoted e.>peciBlly to the direction

control of all the purely scientific work of the

LTnmeiit. In this duj the pursuit of science itself

. isibly to all men of education, directly connected 'Ub the promotion of the general welfare. . . . The members o( your committ«e are conscious that pla- cing these bureaus under one departirient would not necessarily result iu the proper co-ordination of their work, because the head of such department would probably find it Impracticable to enter itito the consid- «rallon of all details necessary to that purpose. It appears to us that the evils already poiuled out re- qolre, in any case, the organization of a permanent commission to prescribe a general policy for each of these bureaos. The fouctions of this commission would he, —

1°. To examine, improve, and approve the plans of work proposed bj the several bureaus, and to revise tbeir esiimatea in accordance with such plan. The performance of this duty would require consultation with their chiefs, generally and separately, respecting the character of their work; and they should be mem- ben of the commission.

S°. To approve in detail the methods o( espendi-

■e of the appropriations.

t". To recommend such measures as they deem Esaary to the efficiency of the bureaus under their ^rviaion. It should, however, be understood that commission Is not chained with purely adminis- trative responsibility.

It prescribes what shall be done, and recommends any measures necessary to secure that object, but doei not concern itself with administrative details.

��will be seen from this extract that the learned .ber* of the national academy constituting

committee, fully recognize the Importance of a

led administration of the scientific bureaus. The

B further expresses the opinion that a

��department of science is desirable; but, fearing that such a department cannot be organized at the present time, a commlaaion is recommended, to be composed of asecretaryof oneof thedeparlmentsof the govern- ment, (he president of the National academy of sci- ences, the directors or superintendents of the scientific bureaus, a professor of raatbemalics from the naval observatory, an officer of the engineer corps, and two citizens of the United States, eminent as sclenttSc men, to be appointed by the president.

Sympathizing fully with the general tenor of the recommendations of the academy, I wish to present certain reasons for objecting to the const lluti on of Ihe board of commissioners as recommended by that com- mittee. The objection to such a board is twofold. In the first jilace. It would be composed of incongruoui elements. A board composed of civil and military offi- cers would, it is believetl, be inharmoniout, from the fact that military and civil metho<lsof administration are entirely diverse, and proceed upon diametrically opposed theories. The military officer plans and com- mands : the civil officer hearx, weighs, and decides.

In the second place, the board, as thus recom- mended, would be impracticable in its relations to the departments under which the several scientific bureaus are placed. Officers eutiordinate to the secretary of wur, and officers subordinate to olber secretaries, tmjether with officers having no other con- nection with the government but as members of this board, would have the practical control of the work, so far as it could properly be controlled; and the secretaries themselves would simply be channels through which Instructions to the bureau officers would be transmitted.

This, H Is feared, would be Irksome to executive officers composing the cabinet of the president. It is a matter of record in the proceedings of this com- mission, that Professor Newcomb o( the navy depart- ment, and Gen. Comatock of the army, withdrew from the committee of the national academy at the rertuest of their superior officers, the secretaries of those departments. It Is presumable that this action was taken because the military secretaries did not desire to have their subordinates deliberate upon questions of policy affecting the conduct of the sec- retaries themselves ; and this was entirely natural and proper, from a military stand-point, where superior officers plAi and command, and inferior officers obey and execute. In a civil department of the govern- ment it would have been entirely in the course of things, and in no respect a violation of official pro- prieties, for subordinate officers to present plans, even of general policy, to their superiors.

Having thus briefly commented upon the plan uf the academy cunimitlee, I beg permission to suggest a plan which would not involve the same difficulties. There Is, In the organization of the general govern- ment, an existing body of officers competent to co- ordinate the scientific work, with an organisation peculiarly fitted to supervise the general plans, and yet leave the ofi^cers of the several scientific bureaus free to carry on the details of operations by scientific methods, as they are developed from time to time. I

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