The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-02-13
SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF
GOVERNMENT URGED
Chancellor Brown Plead, fo,
National University TO
Standardize Methods
COMMISSION A MAKESlllFT
Regulation Of Corporations. No
Says, Should Re Duty
Of Experts.

Chancellor Elmer Ellsworth Bfu.,r ~.
New York University. who was Unite,
States Commissioner OF Education f,o,
1906 to 1911, In an article in ,he curreni
number OF Science declares that IT,, srisr
tifc problems OF government should b.
left TO a national university. tn. tarlt
currency, labor, all economic problem.
should be Investigated and studied h,
this institution instead Of by special com
missions appointed necessarily for /. hr,.
term.
The chancellor at the outset or his sr,l
Gle speaks OF the difficulties he sxp.I.
enced In obtaining adequate recognize,
from Congress for the work of his bur...
Appropriations were far from sd.qua,,
and usually for some specific purros.
Secretary OF the Interior Ethan Allen
Hitchcock. ne said. increased the d!r.
culties of tho position by his attitude
Even when President Roosevelt offered
him the position, said the chancellor, HI,
talk OF the duties touched on hardly any
other phase Of tho work than The prot.c.
ton and props gation OF the f.inds,-
herds OF Alaska.
There Is one side OF your whole ma
tional life and national government which
Is neither economic nor puliti,sl, Ig'
scientific, and must be scientifically dis
cerned," says the writer. The problem
of national university 's the problem
OF the organization of this scientific sife
In some OF the States II has been rscog
nized and organized In State universities
In our Federal system It has been recus
nized fragmentarily. and as result var
Gus special commissions and scientific
bureaus have come into existence
what is lacking Is unitary orsani1a
ton. And that military Organization 4,
requisite In order that every piece Il
scientific work done for the Government
may have back Of II the whole force o.
established scientific method, stahudIds
and processes, Of scientific atmosphere
and tn. ethics of science, which IS reai.
ICED only where many scientific depart
ments work together long and ContiLG.
ously.
"A special tariff commission ar any
other sudden and temporary scientific
commission is a makeshft A. the b,s'
IL will be found at length that what =
needed IN place of these is a continuous
| and many sided study of wages, industrial
conditions and cost Of production ne
world over, carried on under Cond turS
| favorable to scientific progress ara '
close connection with countless other N.
quries with which these are Inter""Ntn
1--WE shall md. indeed. that a sl,eutIus
branch of government. complete III ats
with It's own traditions and lls own
methods. Is as essential to tho health % q
modern nation 80 is a Judicial hrdIot
complete and sufficient in itself, and We
| its own juridical forms and procedure
This would mean. the chancellor writes
the separation of those existing "ii''a "'
! tho Government which are chiefly l".
Nestgationsl IN their character f'' "
those which are administrative. Ano'r
these might be the Library Of CorF-'s'
the permanent organization Of tn. 60 H' =
office. the Geological survey, tn" l'u'- q
| OF Standards. the Naval obs-rvat'tr s''
possibly the more strictly scientific u'' ~
of the Department Of AgriCultur..
| Speaking further Of the scop" ~ ~
| national university the chancellor wri's
| THE Investigation OF a network e..
problems Of labor. the costs 80 product 10
customs duties, commercial relations ~
! the regulation Of corporations viii 70" "''
| OF the earliest undertakings "A,'N t
| national university may be EXPECTED -
place upon q scientific basis Its s'ut"'
| I'M this field will of necessity extend ''"
| decades and even generations. bu' W..
few years there should bs Assembled : i
made available for use a greater h"nH "'
dieested Information on these suH''"'
! than any Congress or Administrator y
this country or any Parliament or " '''''
| abroad has ever had. on which Z" ''S'
| its industrial legislation