Evening star., 1926-11-14
Smithsonian Develops Broad PROGRAM of Scientific nqu

far as possible with the Bureau OF
Animal Husbandry in the Department
of Agriculture and with the research
department of the famous College OF
Medicine of Johns Hopkins Univer.
sity, both of which find IN, the park
q rich field for their studies. The
animals are not used for vivisection,
Of course, nor are they in any man.
ner injured or hurt. In fact. the
studies prove MS beneficial to them as
they are expected to prove 20 man
kind.
4 n exact knowledge Of the kind os
plants with which we deal is es-
sential, of course. Their correct de-
termination, however. is by no means
an easy matter. First. there are soro
100000 different kinds of Towering
plants alone. many seemingly Gitfer-
| ing only slightly from others of quite
different attributes. And second, IL
various groups we have as yet no
very clear idea as to what characters
separate the various kinds.
With the National Herbarium under
its administration, the Smithsonian
Institution is in position singularly
favorable for the prosecution of de-
tailed, extensive and continuous work
in systematic botany, working In co.
operation with other institutions.
Such work would very greatly aid and
supplement. it is held, the work Of
the Department of Agriculture and OF
numerous State and private agencies.
without In any way competing with
them.
Less is known of the plant life a.
northern South America than of 81
most any other section of the Western
Hemisphere. Before plants yielding
drugs, gums. fruits. fibers. dyes and
| oils can efficiently be made available
| to the world, they must he discovered.
named and described. In an on.
| pansion of work already begun, the
| Smithsonian, in cooperation with four
! other institutions. plans as part uf
| it's botanical program to study the
! plants of Colombia, Ecuador and
! Venezuela
| From its inception, the Smithsonian
| Institution has been interested in ex-
ploration. A time has now been
! reached, however, when fruitful and
| efficient exploration can only be un'
| dertaken after adequate study ani
preparation and with as many dif.
| ferent lines of scientific work as pos
| sible served in each endeavOr. W.
have n pretty good idea of the gen
| eral features of the world EXplora-
! ton in things. rather than in fea-
! lures. is the need.
! The Smithsonian Institution plans.
! from time to time, as occasion may
arise or as opportunities may offer,
| to send out expeditions TO those
regions as vet but little known,
especially in Central and South Amer
| lea, each with a personnel competent
| to carry on at the same time many
different though correlated lines OF
H. IL an
that these expeditions will often he
undertaken in cooperation with other
institutions.
SO the Smithsonian Institution
looms III it's larger sense--an organ
ization dedicated to the spread of
knowledge and the perpetuation of
progress: not q Government bureau.
subject to the influences of politics,
bus the fnco nraVnbi7 Tift II Il scholar
who lived in Il previous century,
whose ideals still control its destiny.
but were founded on such u far-Se"-
ing principle that they have never
once brought that institution they
have created into disrepute or ques-
| tiOn.
| DR.. Clark summed up The future In
a single paragraph. when he said in
a. paper on the institutions:
1.-The Smithsonian is consecrated To
| a. definite program of research In
! pure science and publication of the
results thereof. So it has been for
! 50 years. So 1t is now. In carrying
out its program. 1t will perform
fundamental service to the American
people and to the American Govern
ment. Only by the performance of
such service will it continue worthy
Of the traditions of achievement
which have made il the Smithsonian
Institution