The Foreign Service Journal, September 1922 (American Consular Bulletin)
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AMERICAN THE PYRAMIDS OF GHIZEH 35 CENTS A COPY The <LAmerican Consular Association OFFICERS WILBUR J. CARR Director of the Consular Service Honorary President HERBERT C. HENGSTLER. .. .Chief of the Consular Bureau Honorary Vice President Consul General CHARLES C. EBERHARDT President Consul General STUART J. FULLER Vice President Consul DONALD D. SHEPARD Secretary-Treasurer Consul TRACY LAY Chairman COMMITTEES EXECUTIVE Consul General NATHANIEL B. STEWART Chairman Consul General DEWITT C. POOLE Consul General ROGER C. TREDWELL Consul General NELSON T. JOHNSON Consul TRACY LAY RECEPTION Consul General ROGER C. TREDWELL Chairman Consul FREDERICK SIMPICH Consul EDWIN L. NEVILLE Consul FRANK C. LEE BULLETIN STAFF Consul FREDERICK SIMPICH Editor Consul ADDISON E. SOUTHARD Business Manager Consul HAMILTON C. CLAIBORNE Treasurer The American Consular Association is an unofficial and voluntary association embracing most of the members of the Consular Service of the United States. It was formed for the purpose of fostering esprit de corps among the members of the Consular Service, to strengthen Service spirit, and. to establish a center around which might be grouped the united efforts of its members for the improve¬ ment of the Service. RANSDELL INCORPORATED. PRINTERS, WASHINGTON CONSUL1 LLETIN PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE AMERICAN CONSULAR ASSOCIATION VOL. IV, No. 9 WASHINGTON, D. C. SEPTEMBER, 1922 The Smithsonian and Consuls By Charles D. Walcott, Secretary THOSE who are engaged in the pursuit of “He is not known to have had a single corre¬ knowledge and, indeed, the public at large, spondent in America, and in none of his papers is are year by year coming to a fuller realiza¬ found any reference to it or to its distinguished tion of what the Smithsonian Institution may men. It has been alleged that he was more mean in assisting them in research work, in giving friendly to monarchial than to republican institu¬ them the latest and most authoritative information tions, but there appears to be no foundation for over a vast range of subjects, and in giving them this opinion. It is more probable that, living at a advice upon all scientific matters and encourage¬ time when all Europe was convulsed with war, ment in carrying out investigations. when the energies of nations, and thoughts of The Smithsonian Institution was founded by rulers, and the lives of millions were devoted to James Smithson, a natural son of Hugh Smithson, efforts for conquest or to perpetuate despotism, the first Duke of Northumberland. He was born he turned to the free American Republic, where in France in 1765, and in his early years was he could discern the germs of rising grandeur, the known as James Lewis Made or as M. de Mecies. elements of enduring prosperity, and the aspira¬ He assumed his father’s family name of Smithson tions of coming generations. He undoubtedly felt about 1800. Smithson was graduated from Ox¬ that in the United States there would be wider ford, and, devoting himself to research, soon be¬ scope for the promotion of knowledge, and that came one of the foremost chemists and mineral¬ in this new country there would always be free ogists of his time. So highly was his work thought and indefinite progress. By selecting the esteemed by his contemporaries that he was chosen nation itself as the depository of his trust he paid a Fellow of the Royal Society when only 22 years the highest compliment to its intelligence and in¬ of age. tegrity, and testified his confidence in republican In 1826, three years before his death, he drew institutions and his faith in their perpetuity.” up a will bequeathing his entire estate to the In regard to the language used to express United States of America, “to found at Washing¬ Smithson’s purpose, the writer above quoted says: ton, under the name of the Smithsonian Institu¬ “The ‘Society for the Diffusion of Useful tion, an establishment for the increase and diffu¬ Knowledge’ was established in April, 1825, and at sion of knowledge among men.” once entered upon a career alike brilliant and suc¬ It is not definitely known what motive actuated cessful. ‘Its publications,’ says the Edinburgh Smithson in leaving his fortune to America. In Review (Vol. xlvi, 1827, p. 243), ‘undoubtedly this connection, one who had devoted many years form by far the most important of the contribu¬ to a study of Smithson’s life wrote, over forty tions from men of science and letters to the in¬ years since: struction and improvement of mankind.’ Its ef- [255] AMERICAN £ONSttLAIl RUIXEXIjNT forts were to be extended until knowledge had mens illustrating the various phases of “natural become as plentiful and as universally diffused as history,” the biological (including the zoological the air we breathe. and botanical), the geological and the anthro¬ “It cannot be doubted that Mr. Smithson be¬ pological. came impressed with the prevailing and new spirit In the second place it is an institution for re¬ of his age, and, recognizing as a man of science, search. New collections from little known places the inestimable value of knowledge and the impor¬ are being constantly received. These are studied tance of its universal diffusion, wrote the words and the new and interesting things are described of his will bequeathing his whole fortune ‘for the so that others may have the benefit of the infor¬ increase and diffusion of knowledge among men.’ ” mation, the described material being carefully After lengthy debates in Congress as to the preserved so that the original descriptions may at manner in which the bequest of Smithson was to any time be verified. More detailed study often be given effect, the Institution was finally estab¬ shows or suggests that there has been some mis¬ lished by the Act of August 10, 1846. take or misinterpretation in the original or cur¬ That the Smithsonian Institution has been thor¬ rently accepted description of some animal, plant, oughly appreciated as a practical asset by the primitive weapon, mineral, or other object, or that American public, acting through their representa¬ its affinities with other similar objects are not tives in Congress, is amply proved by the enor¬ quite those originally assumed. The National mous extension of its activities since the passage Museum aims to include a sufficient representation of the original act of incorporation in 1846. It of all these things so that all such doubts may be now forms the administrative center from which set at rest by an examination of its collections. are directed a number of otherwise separate estab¬ The third function of the Museum is educa¬ lishments or branches most of which are sup¬ tional. This is accomplished by the development ported not from the income of the Smithson and of two types of collections, the general exhibition other funds, but through direct appropriations series, which are carefully and attractively in¬ from Congress. stalled to give the average, intelligent, casual visitor a broad view of the fundamentals of all How THE INSTITUTION HAS GROWN branches of natural history and the activities of These several branches are (1) the United civilized man by means of specimens, models, and States National Museum, the repository, accord¬ photographs; and the special study collections ar¬ ing to laws passed by Congress, of all specimens ranged to meet the needs of the specialists and presented to the Government or acquired as the technical inquirer. result of the expenditure of Government funds, and which at present are housed in three build¬ AN ORIGINAL SOURCE OF INFORMATION ings ; one devoted to biology, geology and anthro¬ Too few people realize the true value of the pology, and the others to the industrial arts and special educational work done by the National history; (2) the International Exchanges, by Museum, for the reason that before the results of which the interchange of scientific literature is this work reach them they have ordinarily passed facilitated; (3) the Bureau of American Ethnol¬ through many hands. One feature of this is the ogy, devoted to the study of the American In¬ description of special collections sent in from little dians; (4) the National Zoological Park, known known regions. Such work appeals only to a to everyone who visits Washington; (5) the As- relatively small group of advanced students in trophysical Observatory; (6) the International limited fields. And yet the discoveries resulting Catalogue of Scientific Literature by means of from the study of such collections have frequently which scientific workers are kept informed of proved to be of the greatest scientific interest. A what their colleagues are doing elsewhere, and more important feature is the preparation of (7) the National Gallery of Art. monographs on important groups including all the To the Consular Service the two branches of information known upon the subject treated, such especial interest are the National Museum and the as Jordan and Evermann’s Fishes of North and Zoological Park. Middle America, Ridgway’s Birds of North and Middle America, etc. These important contribu¬ THE NATIONAL MUSEUM tions to science are based upon the specimens con¬ The functions of the National Museum are tained in the Museum as a museum of record, and three in number. First of all it is a museum of every statement made in them may be checked up record, and as such its object is to amass the great¬ by a reexamination of the collection. est possible representation of all sorts of speci- From fundamental works such as these, which [256] y C AMERICAN rONSULAR WXMTW ffifr make available the scattered information pre¬ ing factor in our educational system, especially in sented in almost innumerable short articles, and an our colleges and higher schools. enormous number of new facts gained by an in¬ But the work of the National Museum is tensive study of museum material, the text books greatly hampered and its educational value there¬ used in our schools and colleges are compiled and by lessened through the paucity or absence of ma¬ from time to time revised and corrected, and in terial from large and important areas.