The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-06
ITS FIRST FIFTY YEARS
VOLUME on HALF CENTURY OF
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION.
Interesting History of the Request
from Smithson. the Foreigner Who
Never Visited the United states.
New York Herald.

|
ence by the publication of a handsome vol
ume edited by George Brown Goode. and
entitled The Smithsonian Institution 1919
1896; the History of Its First Half Cen
tury."
President Mckinley writes a brief preface.
He calls to mind that, in 1896. General Wash
! ington, in his farewell address. used these
words: Promote then as an object of pri-
mary Importance. institutions for the gem
| eral diffusion of knowledge. In proportion
as the structure of a government gives
force to public opinion it is essential that
public opinion should be enlightened" Thir-
| ty years later an Englishman. James Smith
son, as though influenced by these words.
bequeathed the whole of his property 70 the
| United States of America as residuary Legal
tee, in trust. ito found at Washington an
establishment for the increase and diffusion
of knowledge among men,
| A biography of James Smithson reveals
some curious facts which have always been
public property, yet have not been generally
known Professor Langley, who writes the
! biography. necessarily touches upon tnem-
| He reminds us that the impulse which
prompted this Englishman of science 10
| leave his property as he did was limited at
in the following words written by Smith
son HIMSELF
| 1.-The best blood of England flows in my
veins; on my fathers side am Northum-
berland, on my mothers l am related TO
| kings, but this avails me not. My name
| shall live in the memory OF man when
the titles of the Northumberland and the
Perceys are extinct and forgotten
1 The last sentence in tnis paragraph ex-
plains the genesis of The institution which
perpetuates the name he bore in place of the
| title one he was denied But the explana-
| ton needs to be explained. James Smith
| son, who was known in early life as James
Lewis Macie, was the son of Hugh Smith
| son, who eventually crowned n prosperous
4 career by achieving the title of Duke of
| Northumberland. and of Elizabeth Keate
Macie a widow at the time of his birth
| and Percy by blood, who traced her de-
scent directly from Henry VII. The stain
of illegitimacy poisoned his entire career
He distinguished himself by his achieve
ments in chemistry and other allied
| sciences, both as an undergraduate at OK
ford and in his subsequent career. HIS pub
! Iished papers represent only fragment Of
what he really accomplished for two hum
dred manuscripts forwarded to the
| United States with his effects, and besides
these thousands of detached notes and men,
oranda. Unhappily. with the exception of
one small volume. nothing remains of all
| these, the whole of the originals having
| been destroyed in the disastrous fire at the
| institution in 1865, just one hundred years
| after the date of his birth. But it is KNOWN
| that they were connected not only with
science. but with history, the arts, Ian
| guages rural pursuits, gardening, the con-
| struction of buildings and similar topics
Smithson died in Genoa, Italy Che had
| spent most of the later years of his life in
| Paris) on June q, 1929. By his will made
year previous, ne had constituted the
| United States as his resduary legatee Ito
| found at Washington under the name of
| the Smithsonian Institution, an establish
ment for the increase and diffusion OF
knowledge among men,. The motives
! which actuated him to choose the United
| States rather than any other country must
remain in doubt, for he had never been in
/ the new world, and so far as known he had
no correspondents there.
But probably no man ever made more
remunerative investment in the direction in
| which he would best like to see a return.
| For we now know that his bequest, when
accepted by the United States government,
/ formed the initial step in the creation of an
| institution whose position has been al
| together exceptional, for it is likely to re-
main without successor, as without prece-
| dent, in perpetuating the fame of private
| individual, whose wishes have been adopted
| and carried into effect by great nation.
Smithson'S nephew, Henry James Hunger
| ford the immediate legatee, who was to en-
4 joy the income during his life, died unmar-
| ried and without heirs in 1895. There was no
! one now to contest the claim of the United
| States except Hungerford'5 mother, Nine.
| De la Batut, who declared herself to be sat
|
! payable during her lifetime.
| The proposed gift of Smithson was first
| publicly announced by President Jackson in
| a message to Congress-, dated Dec T. 1885.
| There was considerable opposition In the
| Senate by the antagonists of Capitalization,
| who maintained that Congress had no power
| to accept the gift and that 1T would be
beneath the dignity of the Nation to re-
! ceive benefits from a foreigner: In the
| House the championship of John Quincy
| Adams overcame all scruples and reacted
| upon the Senate so that a bill was passed to
| nth nd la he
/ and prosecute the claim of the United States
| to the Smithson legacy. Richard Rush. OF
was sent to London as the attorney for the
| Nation. In less than two years he obtained a
| favorable decision But it took eight years
| more befoRa a definite plan of organization
! was determined on. On3Aug. TO- 1916, after
numerous plans had been discussed and laid
| aside by successive Congresses, the bill TO
| incorporate the Smithsonian Institution on
| the lines now generally familiar received
| the approval of Congress and the President.
/ A board of regents was appointed at once,
under the general supervision of the Presi-
dent and Vice President Of the United States
| and the Cabinet officers.
| The executive officer of the board of re-
| gents is the secretary of the institution VINO
| is elected by them. He makes all the APP
pointments on the stan, the members 2I
| which are technically his assistants lie
| is the legal custodian OF All us property anu
| ex officio its librarian and keeper or It's
museum. Since the organization OF the board
! of regents. fifty years ago, the names OF ~
| persons have appeared upon its roll. Among
| these are a large number of the most distin-
| guished citizens of the United Statesmen
| eminent in stat. smanship, in governmental
| administration, in science, in literature and
| in arts Each one of them has contributed
| his share to the prosperity of the Institution
| by his counsel and good judgment.
| Reviewing the history of fifty years,
| says the editor, "one cannot fail to be
! impressed with the belief that Congress
| acted with great wisdom in determining
| the character of the corporation 10 Whicn
| it intrusted the affairs of the institution.
| 1t was at first proposed that The directors
| of the institution should be citizens, Sc
| lected like those of private institutions,
| without reference to official connection with
| the government during their time of service
| The plan finally adopted brought the lnsti-
| tuition Into much closer relationship with
| the government, securing for 1t the admins
| trative supervision of body of men the
| majority of whom have always been
| thoroughly representative members Of the
! executive and legislative branches of the
| government-men In the prime of their vigor
| and trained in the highest administrative
1 responsibilities
! He adds that, notwithstanding the fears
/ expressed fifty years ago, the institution
| has never fallen under the influence of
political interference. Pulls have never
| created. No breath of suspicion has ever
| furnished the reputation of officer or
| employee. Three secretaries successfully
| have held that Office during the past half
/ century These are Joseph Henry, Spencer
| Fullerton Baird and the present incumbent,
| Samuel Pierpont Langley Each is COM
/ mernorated in biography which does full
| Justice to his contributions to the cause
| Of science. The great work done by the in