A BRIGHTER GALAXY

The honor conferred on Professor Shapley of the Harvard Observatory by The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is peculiarly gratifying to all those interested in the maintenance of Harvard's prestige in the scientific fields as well as among the humanities. To be sure, the recent spasm of building and improvement around the University has resulted in excellent new laboratories and other facilities for scientific work. But what is still more necessary to the growth and development of science at Harvard is the building up of a personnel of those men whose activities in research and teaching place them among the leaders of their field. It is not an overstatement to say that the real value of Professor Shapley's achievements in astronomy marks him as that very desirable type of young scientist. However, by no means all the departments of science in the University are graced with men of his caliber, and the dull routine of uninspired teaching and petty research to be found there will produce neither first rate scientists nor significant achievements.