Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-08-24
A CENTER OF LEARNING.
Scientists and Scientific Publications
In Washington.
THE DIFFERENT PUBLICATIONS OF THE GOVERN
MENT-KNowLEDGE DIFFUsED FROM EVERY
DEPARTMENT-THE SCIENTIFIC FIELD-MoRE
SCIENTISTS HERE THAN IN ANY OTHER CITY.


DEPARrMEST-THE SCIENTIFIC FIELD-MoRE
SCIENTISTS HERE THAN IN ANY OTHER CITY.
Here in Washington are hundreds of men
working away. like the alchemsts of old, in
silence, absorbed in their tasks, piling up
knowledge for the world of which but few
people take any reckoning. They work on and
the public knows nothing Of what they are
doing. There Is an immense store house of
information here on all subjects, to which the
researches of the country are constantly adding
People sometimes speak of Washington as the
center of politics, OF science. of art and of
literature, without knowing just what the
phrase means. 1t Is not an art or a literary
center, though the chances are that it will be
In time. or course 1T Is the great place of
politics; it's the national capital But it is the
national seat OF learning also. At the great
universities elsewhere youths are taught what
their elders know; at Washington new knowl-
edge is collected and distributed to the whole
country-here the teachers are learning. From
here the country is informed on all subjects
from geology and archaeology to political
economy, agriculture, the state of the weather
and the time of day. Every year many
books are published in Washington, giving new
discoveries and new information on hundreds
of different subjects.
IN THE SCIENTIFIC FIELD
some five or six hundred active workers in the
various branches of science are always at
work. and volume after volume of new matter
is added to the nations literature each year.
New observations and new discoveries are con-
stantly being made. The volumes are sent to
few Libraries and the rest are piled away. ac-
cesslble to those who ask for them, but their
existence so generally unknown that they are
scarcely sought. In this mass of knowledge there
Is much that might interest the general public if
they knew of its existence, but 1t is distributed
among the scientists only, because others do
not know Of it and do not seek.it Prof g.
Brown Goode and his corps of workers are col
Letting and printing many things on many SUBJ
jects of more or less interest.
THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
prints an immense amount of matter relating
to all that interests agriculturists, and much
that interests brokers, shippers and railroads.
These publications are quite widely distrib-
uted. They tell of the crops of wheat rye,
corn and oats, potatoes and fruit, and Of the
birds and the bugs that prey upon them.
The weather bureau publishes all that it
knows about the weather, and gives some in
formation about climates.
The geological survey works out and pub
fishes to the world the mineral mysteries Of the
country.
The Treasury department issues valuable
works on finance.
fishes all the latest information as to inven-
tions, makes maps OF the country, and does
lots of other things.
THE NAVY DEPARTMENT PUBLISHING HOUSE
issues works on navigation, ship building and
ordnance; tells the story of the tides and of the
stars, and furnishes an awful lot of personal
gossip. The earth, the skies and the seas are
searched, and their secrets, far as discov-
cred, given to the public in reports, charts,
maps, monographs, almanacs and what not.
The census office publishes information as to
how many there are of US, what we are all do
ing, and other personal mention.
THE NATIONAL MUSEUM.
There are a great many things beside that
are written about in washington-always some
thing new given to the world for the first time
from here. That which emenates from the
museum Is marvellous in extent and variety
Every work from there tells all there is to tell
about the subject dealt with. The writings are
on nearly every material object Of human in
| terest. They tell of the various animals, fishes
and birds; Of the habits and industries Of men
in all ages; the story of steam, of art, Of pot
terry, OF minerals and Of gems. There are
twenty-five different departments of science in
the museum In which men are working and
writing on these and many other subjects.
There is the department of comparative
anatomy, OF mammals, OF birds, Of reptiles, of
fish, OF mollusks, of insects, Of marine inver-
tebrates, OF plants, Of fossil vertebrates, of
sill invertebrates, of cenozoic fossil inverte-
brates, OF fossil plants, Of geology and petrol
ogy, of mineralogy, Of metallurgy, Of prehis-
toric archaeology, Of ethnology, Of American
aboriginal pottery, Of oriental antiquities, Of
various branches are worked upon and written
about by men best qualified to do so.
SCIENTISTS IN WASHINGTON.
Prof. Goode made some time ago q calcula-
| ton and comparison to show the proportion Of
scientific workers to the population. He dis
| covered the astonishing fact that thera are
| more scientists in Washington to the popula-
| ton than In any other city in the country. II
| il ahead of Boston and Cambridge. For the
| whole country there 10 one scientist TO eyery
10 900 inhabitants. In Washington every Eve
hundredth man is o scientist. That is 35O bet
ter than Cambridge, 600 better than New
Haven, $500 better than New Orleans, %, 500
better than Jersey City, and $500 better than
New York.