Haber, Schmidt, and JohnsonAuthor(s): William ProcterSource: The Scientific Monthly, Vol. 62, No. 5 (May, 1946), p. 475Published by: American Association for the Advancement of ScienceStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/18714 .

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COMMENTS AND CRITICISMS Pro-Haber

Dr. Haber 's "Basic English for Science" in the last SCIENTII'IC MONTHLY' is excellent and de- serves wide attention. It should be required reading for every writer who has ever been guilty of propagating scientific gobbledegook.

While the use of " person interested in the earth 's history " is a bit roundabout as an equivalent for "geologist,"I I feel that many of the readers of SM will heartily welcome the thesis put forward by Haber.-IRA M. FREEMAN.

Haber, Schmidt, and Johnson Referring to your statement that you would

like to know what we readers think of Dr. Haber 's article, I want to say that it is of a very high order, and just the sort of article which I should think SCIENTIFIC MONTHLY read- ers would enjoy.

Also, the article by Mr. Schmidt is "excel- lent," and he sets forth what a naturalist is more clearly than any other American writer.

You did not ask me what I thought of put- ting anything by Owen Johnson, B.A., in THE SCIENTIFIC MONTrHLY but I am going to volun- teer the remark that it is "bad medicine," for SM should not be a receptacle for hack writing.-WILLIAM PROC'TER.

Gilding the Lily THE SCIENTIFIC MONTHLY reached an all-tim(

low when its editor stooped to publish an anony mous and libelous letter purloined from a fresh man girl 's fnotebook, even though its content, are app'roved by the author of the paper or "Basic English for Science.' Tom Haber did not take the trouble to verify the alleged quota, tion from our textbook nor the source of the young lady 's statistics. Mr. Haber labors unde] the impression that students in our classes study books rather than plants and plant processes If he had examiined the textbook he would have discovered that the book was written to supple. ment what is learned in the classroom. " Nony. mous " had no need to suffer mental anguisl over the word " primordium " since she had seen primordia and examined their structure before she had any occasion to read the chaptei on leaves. Furthermore, where this word is firsi used it is defined and illustrated. Mr. Haber 's general characterization of science teaching and science texts makes one wonder whether his com- petence as a critic is based on investigation, oi on intuition. To exempDlifv the need for Basic

English where could he have found an author that needs "translating" less than Sir Charles Lyell? This is indeed painting the lily!

If this process of denaturing literature is so important why does not your author apply it to the writings of Shakespeare, Milton, or Carlyle which must be read by junior college students?

I am writing this letter to you because it seems to me that if your selected authors lack judgment as to what is fair, honest, and ac- curate you will have to be held responsible for their statements.-E. N. TRANSEAU.

Conservation of Naturalists I would like to compliment Karl P. Schmidt

on the excellent article "Naturalists for the Foreign Service" in your valued publication THE SCIENTIFIC MONTHLY of March 1946.

I am quite sure that all of the good people who are truly interested in the conservation of the natural beauties and natural resources of various countries, and not those of us that are only interested in the mere exploitation of these places, would and should welcome any means, such as has been suggested by Mr. Schmidt, in the furtherance of that good will, by the aid of our naturalists in their midst.-HENRY B. CHASE, JR.

Scientific Diplomacy The article "Naturalists for the Foreign

Service" by Karl P. Schmidt in your March 1946 issue is a notable one, as it opens the possi- bility of utilizing an unused source for a foreign service personnel. Those of us who have carried on scientific exploration and field work in the Latin-American countries, as well as in other parts of the world, are keenly alive to the facts pointed out by Mr. Schmidt-that the nationals of other countries react in the most favorable manner to intelligent observers.

Naturalists, as a rule, have the special facility of understanding combined with the spirit of inquiry. It might be difficult to obtain a large number of people who are fitted both to handle foreign service problems and to carry on scien- tific activities. But there are some and they could do outstanding work.

In addition to following the suggestion of Mr. Schmidt, it would also be very wise for the Division of Cultural Cooperation of the State Department to explore the use of Scientific Attaches of the various Embassies-something for which there is a great need.-W. STEPHEN THOMAS.

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