Evening star., 1925-12-06

wv children's children advan-
tages and utilities CORE
spondingly greater than
have come to us in our day through
the steamboat, the telegraph. the air
plane, the E-rav and the radio?
Would you like to pass out of this
life feeling that you had aided ac-
cordins to Your means, in increasing
The Sum-total of human knowledge,
bequeathinE to the future Il richer
heritage than that which made your
life fuller and broader than that of
Your grandparents?
Then You are just the sort of per-
son the Smithsonian Institution seeks
10 interest a Nationwide appeal. to
those who can afford TO help. Tor S10,-
100000 increase in the institutions S
endowment fund.
knowledge which is the Golden
Fleece" sought by the Smithsonian
Institution--iS a very abstract term.
but behind il is 4 whole World of
romance and adventure, achievement,
heartacheS and hc1rtthrobs, the
thrill of exploration and the breath
taking of discovery, and through il
all the tingling consciousness of en-
larcinC. enlightenins and enlivening
he lives Of all humankind. T. is to
such immeasurahie hClpfulnesS that
he Smithsonian nov invites Co-opera-
llOl OF those OF large VISION ana large
means who can give.
The flying machine grew directly
out Of the fundamental scientific in
ycstisations in aerodynamics of DR.. s.
=. Langley. secretary OF the Smith
Sonan lnstitIifio When meteorology
was in its iuiapcy and the bases of
weather forecastiu were principally
The neuralgia pains in the bones of
old people. the Smithsonian, under the
guidance of its first secretary, Joseph
Henry. organized volunteer weather
observers throughout the country,
supplied them where necessary with
Instruments. and Conscripted the tele
graph to collect data from them daily.
so was born the United States Weather
bureau.
The United States Fish Commission
Sprans from the pioneering activities
iii the study of food fishes by the
-econd secretary of the Smithsonian,
spencer /. Baird.
When military expeditions and rail
road surveys began opening up the
West. the Smithsonian organized the
scientific StaffS OF these enterprises
into biologists. botanisIs. biologists
,and ethnologists. Thus ii was the
smithsonian. primarily. that made
This continents resources available to
science and to scientific Development,
tive state for posterity. one feature
of this Smithsonia n-initiated service
graduated into a Government bureau
as the United States Geological Sur
vey. others into the National Museum
and the Bureau OF American Eth
nology.
:: x =
IT was on the strength OF achieve
ments such &S these tilat Secretary
"f Commerce Herbert Hoover said las
week
The Smithsonian institution has
heen peculiarly the architect uf scien-
,ific investigation in our country.
Much Of the work in progress today
has been inspired from this great
pioneer of all American rasearch.'
1t is in order TO be able 10 carry on
the tradition OF such achie evements as
these that the Institution now turns
10 the American people for an increase
of SIC, ,000 900 in its endowment. Ii has
on hand n program for fundamental
scientific investigation and publica-
tion, the promise Of which is no less
inspiring than are the fruitful accom-
piishmentS of the past.
AS the Smithsonian il years past
did yeoman service in giving The flying
machine and scientific weather bu-
reaus and II thousand other ines
Unable boons to the world. it would
now do yeolnan service In revealing
the secrets of the life Of the sea, in
order that its wealth may be made in
creaSingIy available - man. and in
discovering the influence Of the sun
on climate, in order that man may
1oretell weeks and months ahead
whether there win be drought or flood.
heat or cold. But its private income
,of s65, 900 a. year, which SO years ago
was ample for researches of broad
scope, is no longer adequate. To main
tain its record OF achievement it must
have Increased funds
The high cost of living has hit the
Smithsonian Institution hard. as it has
the rest Of us individually. Since it's
foundation by act of Congress. in 1916.
The initial endowment of the institu-
ton has only doubled. It's annual in
come of S65, 900 has been for Years in
adequate to maintain it's countless and
widely varied Investigations. and pub
lIcatlon or the results of those inyesti-
cations. Since the war. particularly.
rising costs have forced stoppage of
curtailment of some very important
work.
fhe proposed program of the Smith
Sofhan Institution, the execution of
Which IS dependent on the securing
or additional endowment, is no new
departure Ii 3 a program in strict
obedience TO the principles of opera
tlon laid down by Secretary Joseph
Henry 80 years ago. Henry deduced
his principle from the purpose of the
institutions founder. ito increase and
diif'se knowledge among men" The
ftrst OF the principles restricts the
Smithsonian to research in pure
science, TO the investigation of prob
lens of scientific promise irrespective
OF present economic value. Plenty OF
agencies exist to take care Of prob
lens the solution of which is fairly
certain to yield a financial return.
Such, for example, are the scientific
bureaus OF the executive departments
of the Government. Their work must
necessarily have a more or less direct
economic bearing, for Congress is not
justified in spending the peoples
money in Investigations of which the
results are not immediately applicable
10 the peoples needs. There are, in
addition, the laboratories of the great
industrial corporations, constantly
working on the application of known
facts. There are probably 10000
workers in this field as compared with
5000 in pure science.
And yet the former are helpless
without the latter. The Lands of the
economic entomologist, for instance.
the man who makes war on the cot
ton-destroying boil weevil. are tied
until the research entomologist has
described thoroughly the Doll weevil
and studied it in its native habitat.
Work in pIIre research is like the