Evening star., 1924-12-21
YOU AND UNCLE SAM
Series OF Educational articles Telling HotU Federal Govern
ment Is Organized and Functions-W -itten
Expressly for School Children ..
No. 2l-The Greatest Staff of Scientists i'm
All the World
BY WILL p. KENNEDY

We all know In q casual, take-it-
for-granted sort of way that our ma
tional Government protects us in our
inalienable rights to life, liberty and
the pursuit OF happiness by provid-
ing for the national defense, by MAX
Ing laws that govern our social inter-
course. and by keeping us generally
abreast Of the rest of the world.
But we seldom, II ever. stop to real
Ice that our Uncle Sam Is giving us
the best possible care for "a hours a
day. and 365 days In the year, with
the greatest staff OF scientists ever
assembled at any time in all the
worlds history always on guard to
safeguard US in hundreds OF ways
that affect every phase Of our daily
activity.
When we wake up in the mornin G
tho bed we lie on, the clothes that
cover US. the food we eat, the strength
of the house we live In. the fuel we
use in keeping 1t warm, tho very
weather-all matters that we are
vitality conscious about-as we'll as
hundreds of other items that bear
upon our lives without our being
conscious thereof, have been studied
by this stafr OF scientists.
Used for Laboratories.
II has been explained to you that
Uncle Sam has the biggest workshop
In the world. A very large part of
that workshop is given over to labo-
ratories for these scientists. Practi-
cally every one of the 10 great ex-
ecutive departments of Government,
and the two score Of Independent es-
Establishments. has an important group
OF scientists at work.
In the Treasury Department we
have tho Public Health Service, which
protects us against epidemics and
sees that toxins, serums, etc. are all
they should be. Also In the Treasury
Department is the Internal Revenue
Bureau. with q large staff of scientists
engaged in enforcing the narcotic and
prohibition laws.
In the War Department tho ONCE
OF the Surgean General does consider
able scientific research in the field OF
medicine, preventive hygiene, etc
The chief of ordnance has charge OF
important Investigations regarding
explosives. The Chemical Warfare
Service has a tremendous new prob
lem with poison gas. etc. The Air
Service Is constantly pioneering in all
branches OF science. The Coast Ar
tillery had an intricate and varied
scientific task In providing coast
defenses.
Operates Great Observatory.
The Navy Department operates the
highly scientific Naval Observatory.
The photographic Office Is engaged
on deep sea soundinEs and the MAX
ing OF charts and has lately invented
an automatic device for making
soundings. In other scientific ac-
tivities the Navy closely parallels the
work OF the War Department
The Interior Department has it's
Ia Ix,
OF Mines, the Patent Office and the
Geological Survey-though II also has
jurisdiction over st. EltEabeth's Un-
sane) Hospital and Freedmen's Hos.
pitai (coloredl.
The departments OF State, Justice,
Post Office and Labor do less purely
scientific work than other depart
ments, but even there science creeps
into the daily routine.
The Department of Agriculture is
very largely scientific research and ap-
pIication, in, the Weather Bureau, Bu-
reau OF Animal Industry, Bureau Of
Plant Industry. Forest Service, Bureau
OF Chemistry. Bureau of Soils, Bureau
Of Entomology, Biological Survey-all
crowded with expert soientists-and
even the Bureau OF Public Roads is
deeply interested In scientific studies re-
garding the practicability of certain
chemistry.
Experimenting With Fish.
Tho Department Of Commerce has one
Of the greatest scientific bureaus in
existence anywhere-the Bureau of
Standards, besides the scientific work OF
the Coast and Geodetic Survey and the
Bureau Of Fisheries, which Is now much
interested in using some property out OF
the stomach of fish in the cod class TO
prevent ricketts,.
Among the independent establish
merts the most scientific OF all is the
Smithsonian Institution. with its Bureau
Of American Ethnology and it's Astro-
physical Laboratory. The national ad-
yisory committee for aeronautics is an
interdepartmental board, with some OF
the most noted scientists of the country
as consulting and cooperating members.
Tho Shipping Board and Emergency
Fleet Corporation Is doing important
research work on the Diesel engine for