Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1909-12-18
SMITHSON'S REQUEST
Origin of the Famous Smithso-
Man Institution.
THE CONTROL OF ITS FUNDS.

Uncle Sans Treasury Holds its Mon
sy. Which Can Be Used Only on APP
preparation by consress--its Pseui-
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 1t is a part
Of the government.
The Smithsonian institution. says the
Washington Times, occupies peculiar
relation to this government. Ii is a
part OF II. and yet II is not part. Its
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
ment. II is to the government only
as the money OF ward Is to a guard.
ian.
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
1926. he died at Genoa In 1929. and
when they opened his will this Is what
they read:
II 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
$6OO.OOO, which was In that day a
princely fortune. Six years after his
London was informed that there was
about $500O00 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 G. Calhoun
and William q. Preston urged with
all the fire of their eloquence that 1t
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.
1898. the money was delivered at the
mint In Philadelphia in the shape of
1o4.96O gold sovereigns, which were
minted into $5OS.31S.46 in American
money.
This sum by careful management
and by additions from other charitabfy
inclined persons has now become about
$1.000.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 we're
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 1t.
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 senator's. 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 the institution. as
described by Its first secretary. Joseph
Henry. have been adhered to through
the years of its existence. They are
to increase knowledge by original in
vestigations and study either In sci
ence or literature and to diffuse knowl-
edge not only through the United
States. but every where. especially by
promoting an Interchange of thought |
among those prominent In learning In
ah uatiohS. NO reStrictlon Is maze
in favor of any one branch of knowi- |
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 |
a series of volumes and to give copy |
of them to every first class library In
the world
Books. laboratory accommodations |
and apparatus have been supplied to
thousands of investigators throughout
the United States.
Unprinciplsd Wretch.
You simply cannot trust auvbodvi"