The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-04-29
Temple makes
D. c. SCIENCE
CENTER
But Dedication Recalls Trag-
edy Of Government for I'm
derpaying Its savants
By WILLIAM HARD.


National Research Council.
The glory is in the beauty and
efficiency of the building which
from now forward will be one Of
the great centers of the scientific
Journeyings Of the United States
and which accurately will give to
Washington high position among
the scientific capitals Of the
world.
In the midst Of political investi-
cations which have brought the
politics of the United States to a
low level Of international estima-
ton, there is suddenly in this
city the dedication of building
which symbolizes the fact that for
scientific investigation on behalf
OF pure knowledge and on behalf
Ct practical human welfare, the
United States is beginning to as
sumo an admittedly lofty position
among the nations of the inter-
national family.
Monument and House.
Dedicated with a speech by Presi.
dent Coolidge, this building is both
q monument to science, in the sense
in which the obelisk and the
Grecian temple in Potomac Park
are monuments to George Wash
1ngton and Abraham Lincoln, and
It is also? in the words of the dis
tingu1shed scientist, Vernon Kel.
logg, National House of Science"
for all the scientists of Washing.
ton and Of the whole country.
The city of Washington has been
accused of being only a political
capital. It has been accused of hav.
ing nothing in it but politicians.
Virtually alone among the capitals
OF the world, it has been charged
with having nothing important in
1t, impressively or spectacularly Of
the sciences and of the arts.
In so far as this charge may
have merit in it, it has begun to
be increasingly dispelled by the
scientific building now here dedi-
Gated and by the organization which
will be for that building it's owner
and manager.
Millions for Research.
The National Research Council
in possession and in operating
charge of the building, has spent
some $1,500,000 upon it; and, out of
a gift of 100000 from the Car
negie Corporation, it accordingly
still has left some $3,5OO,OOO for the
promotion of scientific research
throughout the country.
Additionally it has in gifts some
y 100000 TO be spent on research
fellowships." These fellowships will
be granted to young men who al
ready have gained their doctors de-
grees in universities. They will al
ready have proved themselves to be
trained specialists. The National
Research Council, through these
fefowships, will enable these young
men to continue their researches for
the benefit Of American knowledge
and of American industry without
being obliged to plunge at once into
commercial considerations regarding
their careers.
Thus accordingly, in the accom-
modations which it offers to the
interest of the scientists of America
and in the promotions which it will
inquiry in America, the Washing
ton National Research Council be.
comes a glory to America; and it
more than fulfills the words which
Vernon Kellogg, who is now its
permanent secretary, spoke when
he said:
Tragedy in Salaries.
"The councils new building will
increase very materially the de-
velopment of Washington as a ma
tional focus Of modern science in
America"
The accompanying tragedy is to
be found today in the 1000 govern
mentally employed scientists Of
Washington who at beggerly salaries
are contributing Unreasonable sums
every year to the Industrial
prosperity Of this country.
These scientists work for some
twenty bureaus of the United States
Government and they are men of
perfectly solid and arrived scientific
{ training and their average salary in,
Tor Instance, the Department Of Com
merce, is today, according to a state
lnent made to this writer by Secre-
tary Of Commerce Hoover, some
$500 year.
N1Es I1OOV0F T0ldIeu 10 LnIS writer
the story of DR.. S. w. Stratton. He
was professor Of physics in the Uni
versity of Chicago. He came to
take charge of the National Bureau
Of Standards in the Department Of
Commerce in Washington in the
year 1901.
Compelled to go Elsewhere.
He built the Bureau Of Standards
uD to be the enormously useful and
enormously famous institution which
it now is both from the standpoint
of interest in science as science and
from the standpoint of interest in
science as means to industrial de-
velopment and to industrial increas-
ing profits. At the end Of that time he |
was earning from the United States
Government an annual income of |
$4,000.
Also he was approaching the time |
when under the customs Of Wash |
ington he would be retired for old |
age and would spend that old age
with nothing on which to support It. |
\ At that point an outside institu- |
ton offered DR.. Stratton $4,000 a |
year and Mr.. Hoover felt obliged In !
human justice to him to encourage
him to take it.
In every year in the scientific |
work coming under Mr.. Hoover's !
charge the turnover of scientists |
who leave the employ Of the Gov. |
eminent to take other employ il
some 40 per cent of all the sci. |
entists employed in the Commerce |
Department.
sl9H Service to the Public.
In the presence or the magnifi- |