National Productivity in ScienceSource: The Scientific Monthly, Vol. 3, No. 1 (Jul., 1916), pp. 99-102Published by: American Association for the Advancement of ScienceStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/6191 .

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THE PROGRESS OF SCIENCE 99

search in the mechanic arts and engi- neering, and the sciences, such as physics and chemistry, on which they are based. The agricultural interests have always had great influence on leg- islation and in this case they have led the way. It is to be hoped that re- search in the engineering sciences will now be equally encouraged by the pas- sage of the Newlands bill, which ap- propriates $15,000 to each state and territory for conducting investigations in engineering and publishing the re- sults.

Some scientific men may believe that more could be accomplished by the es- tablishment of one great research lab- oratory or by granting the money only to institutions already distinguished for their contributions to science. There is, however, much to be said for initiating investigation in fifty widely scattered centers where work is already being done in agricultural science. It brings the value of research to the attention of the students of the college and the people of the state, and each station has the possibility of great development. In any case the passage of the bill as it stands is the most feasible method at present to extend research and will forward rather than interfere with other methods.

RESOLUTIONS OF THE COMMIT- TEE OF ONE HUNDRED

THE Committee of One Hundred on Scientific Research of the Americaii As- sociation for the Advancement of Sci- ence has given consideration to the New- lands bill and has passed the resolu- tions which follow:

WHEREAS the applications of science have made democracy possible by so de- creasing the labor required from each that equal opportunity can be given to all;

WHEREAS in a democracy scientific re- search, which is for the general benefit and can not usually be sold to individ- uals, must be supported by the public;

WHEREAS a combination of national and state support and control is desir- able in education and in research and its value has been fully proved by the

land grant colleges of agriculture and the mechanic arts, established in the states and territories by the Congress in 1862;

WHEREPAS there is in connection with each of those colleges an agricultural experiment station to which the na- tional government appropriates an- nually $30,000 for agricultural research, the results of which have been of untold value to agriculture and to the nation;

WHEREAS experiment stations for the mechanic arts and engineering, includ- ing in their scope research in physics, chemistry and other sciences, would be of equal value to the nation and would repay manyfold their cost, and

WHEREAS at the present time atten- tion is directed to the need of prepara- tion for every emergency, and this can best be accomplished by the advance- ment of science and the ability of our people to meet new conditions as they arise;

Resolved that the Committee of One Hundred on Scientific Research of the American Association for the Advance- ment of Science earnestly recommends the passage of the Senate Bill intro- duced by Mr. Newlands to establish ex- periment stations in engineering and in the other branches of the mechanic arts in connection with the colleges estab- lished by the Congress in the several states and territories, with an annual appropriation to each of $15,000 for conducting investigations and experi- ments and printing and distributing the results; and further

Resolved that the committee urges each of the ten thousand members of the American Association for the Ad- vancement of Science to use all proper efforts to bring the importance of the measure before members of the con- gress and to the attention of the public.

NATIONAL PRODUCTIVITY IN SCIENCE

As claimed in the preamble to the resolutions of the Committee of One Hundred, science can only flourish in a democracy if it is supported by the peo- ple. A democratic system is favorable to mechanical inventions for there are large numbers who have a common school education, who see the need and have the opportunity to devise improve- ments in their tools. In the cotton gin and the harvester, the sewing machine and the typewriter, the telegraph and Uhe telephone, in the development of the

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0oo THE SCIENTIFIC M11ONTHLY

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steaml oat and the railway, the anutoino bile and the aeroplane, Aim-erica hkam done miiore than its share. But as thi imaehinery of civilization becomes mon comflpliecated, we can 110 longer depen(- oIn isolated inivenition, but must under take investigations requirinig lon-g pre liminary trainiinog aand complex adjust nelnts. To a eertain extent the nieed iP met by the in-dustrial laboratories which by aid of the p1ateilt offiee Ino0n conduct elaborate in-vestigationis. Buti the ideal solutioni of the problem is ta pa,y miien for the value of their serviees or to eaiiploy ieii to do the work for which they are most competent, aml this can best be accomplished if thi people, as a whole, will make the in- vestmiieint aind reap the profits. In II( better way can- this be donie than by thi suippoit of the scientific bureaus of the

gov7ernment and the establishment of experimeat stations in each state.

An- aristroeratie social systel has in the past beeni inuore fav7orcable thlani a democracy to the production of miei of exceptional perforimanee in secieine.e, A selected class, possessing iniherited a,bil- itvr and inlherited wealth, c,an supply a few m-r-ieIn far surpassing in ability the av7erage man and ca giv7e thelll oppor- tuiinity and appreciation. BuLt we may hope that as soonI as the value of re- search ii pure and applied science, aiid, it imtiay be added, of plioduetioli in let- ters aind the fine arts, are widely uiilder- stood, a demoeracy imay hlav7e a wider field from which to seleet im-eni of spe- ei-al ability and will prov7ide adequate opportiiiiity aiid rewar ds.

It would be interesting if we had a comi-parative study of the productivity

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TIIHE PROGREYSS OF kSCIEN(CE

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of differenit n-iations in scienice, which Would determinie how it has clhanged in quiiality, quanitity an-cd directioni from period to period, anid how far it has depended oni natural ability aind how far oia social iinstitutionls. There is soiiie basis to assumie that the sat-aller Europeani niation-s, Switzerlan-id, Hol- laund an(rnd the Scanluiavian counltries, have (lonie rem-iarkably well, that France has falleni behind Great Britain anid Germllaniy, that Great Britain has had the greatest nLumber of inaen of excep- tioiial perform'lanlee, tJhat Germelnnany has produced the largest number of coI- lpetenit in-tvestigators anid the best or- -anization for researeh.

There are here -reproduced plhoto- graphs of four plaques which have beeii unveiled in Westminister Abbey, represenitiing Darwin, Wallace, Hooker

and Lister. They7 are fit representatives of the great miieni wvlho gave distiiictioi

to Great Britain in the Victoriani era. Of those miieni onily I-looker lheld a sciea- tifie, positioni, anid he too is typical of the aristocratie, systeimi, for he inherited not only lyis ability, bitt also hiis wealth, his title anid the directorship of the Kew Botanical Gar denis front- his f ather. Darwin is partieularly notable as a representative of aristoeratic anid individualistic, genlins. He came fr'omIl a fam--ily linle manifesting great ability and havinig amiiple wealtlh; lie married a wvife fr omii a simiiilar linle anid traits- mitted to hiis children -both ability anid wealth. lHe filled nio positioni but d(id hiis work whlile livinog as a country genltlemanul.

It is doubtful whether again we slhall look on- illeti like tlhese. Tin Germanyl

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102 TER SCIENATIFTC MIONTHT-TLY

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also there have been distinguished lead- ers, but, on the whole, the contribution of that country to science has come from the large -number of individuals engaged in scientific research at the universities. In the past . the United States has not produced scientific lead- ers comparable *to English. scientific me-n of the nineteenth century or num- bers of able investigators equal to those of Germany. But it may be that we have been gradually assumixng a position in which we are contributing to the adva-ncement of science on' terms of .equality with these nations. If *the scie-nce with which the' writer of this -note is coneerned may be taken, as an example, it may be claimed that we pro- *duced in William James the greatest contemporary psychologist, and we ap- pear to have more compete-nt workers in psychology than any other nation. "Who's Who in Science" an English publication,. selects for biographical

sketches. psychologists as* follows firom the different nations: United - States, 95; Germany, 37; Great Britain., 3.0; .Austria-Hungary;

- 13; France, 12;

Italy, 12; Switzerland, 10; Russia, Hol- land and Norway, each 6.

In so far as the apparent superior- ity of America in psychology is due to the fact that it -is a new science, the promise for the future in other directions [is but emphasized. We are providing opportunity. for research work in all the sciences, and we may be confident that the ability exists and only needs the chance to exhibit itself. The war will so cripple the- resources in men and- mo-ney of the great natio-ns of Europe that peculiar respo-nsibility is thrown upon' us'. We may also hope that. the less'on of the war to us will be that the best. preparation for the future is the development of our educational and scientific institutions.

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