Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1909-12-07
SMITHSON'S REQUEST
Origin of the Famous SmithsO-
nian Institution.
The CONTROL OF ITS FUNDS.
Unele Sans Treasury Holds It's Mon
ey, Which Can Be Used Only on APP
preparation by Consress-lts Peerl-
lar Relation to the Government.

Although the name of the Smithso-
MAN institution is common house
hold word in America and millions
of persons have visited the great build
ings in Washington where are stored
the contributions Of science which
have been gathered under its auspices,
few understand the real relation of the
institution to the national government.
Most persons believe that it is q part
of the government.
The Smithsonian institution, says the
Washington Times, occupies a peculiar
relation to this government. 1t is a
part of it. and yet it is not a part. It's
moneys are in the United States treas
ury and can be used only on appro-
priation by congress- and yet this
money does not belong to the govern
mont 1t is to the government only
a the money of a ward is to a guard
fan.
James Smithson, who contributed
the bulk of the fund in the hands of
the institution, was an Englishman.
the son Of a peer of the realm. He
was a man who could trace his ances-
try back to royal blood. He never Wis
tied in America and was never known
to have any particular Partially for
America until he wrote his will in
1896 He died at Genoa in 1929, and
when they opened his will this is what
they read
81 bequeathed the whole of my prop
erty to the United States of America
to found at Washington, under the
name of the Smithsonian institution,
an establishment for the increase and
diffusion of knowledge among men,"
This property amounted to about
100000, which was in that day q
princely fortune. Six years after his
death the United States legation at
London was informed that there was
about 100000 in the possession Of the
adjutant general of the British court
of chancery awaiting claimant.
Immediately there arose in America
all kinds of opposition to the accept
ance of the money. John c. Calhoun
and William G. Preston urged with
all the fire Of their eoquence that it
was beneath the dignity Of this gov
eminent to accept such a gift. But
John Quincy Adams and others pre-
vailed. and Richard Rush was sent to
England to prosecute the claim of this
government.
He was successful, and on Sept. l.
1885, the money was delivered at the
mint in Philadelphia in the shape of
1O496O gold sovereigns, which were
minted into SJ0S31S4G in American
money
This sum by careful management
and by additions from other charitably
inclined persons has now become about
$1,O00,OO0. which the government keeps
and pays interest upon for the main
tenance of the institution.
For the first eight years the money
lay in the treasury while plans were
being formulated for the permanent |
establishment described by Smithson |
in his will. Thousands of letters were |
received. and there were schemes
enough proposed to bankrupt several |
governments. Congressman debated |
over this fund repeatedly and hun |
dreds of pages of the Congressional
Globe were given up to it,
The institution has been worked out |
on such broad lines as to be one of |
the greatest forces in scientific re- |
search in the world
The board of regents is composed of !
the vice president of the United States, !
the chief justice of the United States, |
three United States senators, three !
representatives and six citizens of the |
United States at large.
The National museum, the weather
bureau, the geological park at Wash
ington. the fisheries bureau and the
astrophysical observatory have been
developed by the institution.
The objects of Institution, as
described b. ~-nrst secretary, Joseph
Henry, hive been adhered to through
the years of its existence. They are
to increase knowledge by original in
vestigaH rs and study either in sci |
ence or feratuee and to difSe knowl-
edge } 4 c\ly Through Thea, United
States but yea lwhere. especially by
PRONE ing aih interchange of thought |
among those prominent in learning in
all nations, No restriction is made
In favor of any one branch of lnow-
edge.
The leading features of the plan of
Professor Henry were, in his own
words:
ITO assist men Of science in making
original researches, to publish them in
q series OF volumes and to give copy
Of theSl to every first class library in
the world"
Books. laboratory accommodations
and apparatus have been supplied TO
thousands of investigators throughout
the United States.
Unprineipled Wretch.