Omaha daily bee., 1902-10-13
FIGHT FOR POWELL'S PLACE
Prst. NcGes Most Liksly Successor to Late
Chief # Bureau Of EthAOlOgy.
is AMPLY QUALIFIED FOR THE PLACE
Grand Army Visitors from the West
DO Much TO Advertise that Sec
tiOn with People of
the East.
rrom a stan Correspondent

(From a STAN Correspondent
WASHINGTON. D. c.. Oct. 12.-tSpe-
eisl.)-There lie considerable speculation
over the succession to the late Major J.
w. Powell. head Of the Department OF
Ethnology Of the Smithsonian institution.
The appointment rests largely with the
secretary Of the Smithsonian, s. z. Lang
ley. The assistant in charge Of the De-
partment OF Ethnology. W. J. MCGEE, is
spoken OF in the most praiseworthy terms
as the next head Of that very important
bureau. 1t is learned. however. that Mr..
Langley ts not particularly friendly to MIR.
MCGEE and hat he may have another name
to suggest as Major Powell's successor.
AS q matter of fact. however, Prof. Nc
Gee Is one OF the worlds broadcast scien
fists. A geologist and an an~thropologist.
his studies have extended into nearly all
the unwritten fields of natural history.
His versatility has often astounded his as
B~ociRtes and co-laborers in q branch Of the
governments educational work which has
earned for him the highest esteem. His
education has been derived practically
from original research and outdoor field
work and not from compilation and So
called hot house" work. His publications
number several hundred titles. Prof. Nc
Gee has been an earnest friend of the news
paper men OF the capital. He has furnished
material for hundreds Of articles for the
specialist doing newspaper work in Wash
ington and a wealth Of information for
the student. No one of these was ever
turned way empty handle no matter what
press OF business occupied Mr.. McGee's
busy days. For years he has practically
run the Bureau OF Ethnology, Prof.
PoweIl's continuing illness making II nee
essary that some more active and ener-
getic brain be at the head Of the depart
ment.
born In lows
w. J. MCGEE. who. by the way, has no
christian name, was born in Dubuque
county, Iowa, in 1853. His father, a native
Of Ireland OF Scotch descent, was a pioneer
lead miner Of Mineral Point. Wis. his
mother, Martha Anderson, being a Ken
tuckian by birth and tracing her Ameri-
can ancestry from both Ireland and Eng
and. Both families were among the early
settlers OF Virginia. Kentucky, Indiana and
Iowa. Prof. McGee was himself a grAdu-
ate Of the pioneer school Of the farm and
blacksmith shop. Later he studied Latin,
mathematics and law n became a land
surveyor. In the early seventies he en-
gagged in a manufacturing enterprise at
Farley. Ia. inventing and patenting sew
erai mechanical devices, chiefly improve
ments in agricultural machinery. About
this time he became interested in geology
and from 1s77-sl he made the most ex-
tenBive survey IN northeastern Iowa ever
made At private cost. covering II 900 square
miles. His work since that time is Q
subject OF enthusiastic praise from the
savants Of the world. In 1895 be explored
Tiburon island, the home Of the ssyag
Seri Indians. never before trodden by
white men and among these and ~neighbor-
ing tribes OF Sonora (Mexico) he traced
the early stages OF agriculture. the domes-
tication Of animals, marriage and c%iyiliza-
ton. In 1888 Prof. MCGEE was married tC
Anita. daughter Of Simon Newcomb, the
astronomer. Mrs. MCGEE having distin-
guished herself during the spanish-Ameri.
can war as the head Of the nurses branch
OF the war department and was Surgeon.
General Sternberg's right hand during thsi
dramatic period OF the nations history
The Department Of Ethnology has broughi
much credit from the scientific men o.
the world TO the great institution OF learn.
ing. the Smithsonian. Of which II Is a part