The Minneapolis journal., 1902-08-26
THE "GIF1ED men"
They Make Themselves Known to
the Trustees of the Carnegie
Institute.
An Important Meeting of the Ex-
ecutive Committee Will Be
Held in October.

rro,n The journal bureau, Room, 80. Post
Washington, Aug. 26-The executive
committee of the board of trustees of the
Carnegie institute will hold it's first meet
ing since spring about the beginning of
October. DR.. Gilman, it's president, will
return from Europe before that time. 1t
is expected to be very important ses-
sion, as each member of the committee
has been employing as much of his sum-
mer as possible in drafting sketch Of
MS own specific ideas Of what the insti-
tute ought to be and do.
Meanwhile, work of useful though not
very exciting sort has been carried on at
the temporary headquarters in this city all
summer. This building is a large, airy
corner house at the junction of K and
Fifteenth streets, adjoining the depart
sment of justice on one side and on the
other vis-a-vis with the home of Repre-
sentative Hit Of Illinois. Here the car
riers deposit a big package of mail every
day, which is read, annotated and filed
for future refernce, or answered if the
subject is one which admits of it. The
letters received may be roughly divided
into three classes. First come those
from inventors who believe that they have
discovered or devised something of real
benefit to the world, and wish aid in per-
fect1ng or patenting it. They assume.
probably. that their cases fall under the
general provision mentioned among the
purposes of the trust, in the deed of gift
from Mr.. Carnegie-''to promote original
research
1t has been questioned however, by
some of the most experienced trustees,
whether the large rewards which flow In
from any discovery that can be utilized,
industrally or otherwise, nowadays, do
not furnish incentive enough to the in
ventive genius Of the country without ex
traneous aid to the inventors. Capital
stands in waiting for new channels Of
employment all the time, so that it is
doubtful whether many persons whose
new ideas are thoroughly practical-and
timely-suffer for lack of support.
A second class who write to the institute
are persons seeking fellowships and schol-
arships They apply under the fourth.
fifth and sixth purposes of the truth-"to
increase facilities for higher education
''to co operate with and increase the eff
cheney of the institutions Of higher learn
ing in the United States," and "to aid
specially qualified students in utilizing the
facilities for research and study in the
government departments at Washington. .
Many of the applicants are men who have
graduated from great universities with
honor, and left a distinct impression be
hind them. Just now, however, there
seems to be some doubt whether the most
effective way of carrying out these provi-
sions will be to furnish separate help tc
individuals, or to lend aid to the 1nstl-
tutions which have been training them
so that they and others can go on there
amid their familiar surroundings, With
! work already begun.
The third class consists of authors o1
theses and monographs who have made
discoveries of great scientific value which
they lack facilities for presenting to the
world. They come under the second pur'
| pose of the trust-"to insure prompt pub
| lication and distribution Of the results o.
| scientific Investigations The trustee:
| have at their command, Of course some
| of the best of scientific advisers, and the
| proposed publication of these applicants
will have to undergo very careful anC
| methodical scrutiny.
Perhaps a fourth group might be added
| to the others, but it is SO heterogeneou:
| in character as hardly to be designated a!
| a class. 1t consists of the persons of al
sorts and with every conceivable aim ant
| ideal, who feel that they are the geniuse!
| aimed at in the third purpose Of the trus
Ito discover the specially gifted maj
and enable him to pursue as life wort
| that for which he seems specially de
| signed.''
There appears, however, to lurk in thu
| minds of a good many persons IN tnl
practical age a doubt whether the com
| ing man. who enthusiastically discover:
himself is the coming man for whom
| the scientific world is looking.
| 1.-The October meeting of the executive
| committee" said a prominent scientist to
! day. will have a popular tnterst quite
| beyond the bounds of a mere educat1ona
program. First, it will bring to practi
cal test the organizing capacity of Ameri
can scientific man. Second, it will shov
what, In the opinion of this representa-
tive body of scholars and workers, are tn
great scientific problems before our gen
| Grafton to solve"