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March 11, 1924.

Mr. W. de C. Ravenel,
Administrative Assistant, 
Smithsonian Institution.

Dear Mr. Ravenel:-

In transmitting herewith Dr. W. L. Schmitt's letter of March 10 in reply to your notification of March 5 asking that, in view of the fact that he was requesting the Bacon Scholarship from July 1, 1925 or 1926, he resubmit it when he is actually ready to undertake it, I beg to make the following observations:

1. The subcommittee's recommendation, which Dr. Schmitt finds "amazing" was [[underline]]not[[/underline]] unfavorable to Dr. Schmitt's application.

2. Dr. Schmitt, is furthermore in error in supposing that the scholarship was available as early as 1919 when it was mentioned in my annual report. This, of course is a misunderstanding. It was not available until the announcement was made in "Science" July 20, 1923.

3. Dr. Schmitt, by calling attention to my remarks in the Annual Report for 1919, pp. 73-74, in which I spoke of the necessity of field study for members of the Museum staff, makes it appear that my reference to the Bacon scholarship primarily referred to the need of the staff. If he will carefully read the statement on p. 74, he will see that as "a step in the right direction", it alludes in the first place to the hope that "it will eventually help remedy the unsymmetrical development of the Museum collections". "On the other hand" need of field work for the staff would be better taken care of [[underline]]"if numerous smaller amounts were available each year for travel"[[/underline]]. I have never believed, and do not now believe, that the Bacon Scholarship could be used primarily for the benefit of the staff, as with the undermanned condition of the Department I cannot see how [[underline]]any[[/underline]] employee can be spared from [[underline]]any[[/underline]] division for two years at a stretch, when the mere curatorial duties alone cannot properly be taken care of, as things are now. The Bacon traveling scholarship is for the [[underline]]study[[/underline]] of some country outside the United States, and properly interpreted I believe is not intended [[underline]]primarily[[/underline]] for the benefit of the [[underline]]personnel[[/underline]] of the Institution, but for the faunistic science as represented by the Institution. [[underline]]If the two aims can be combined, good and well[[/underline]].

4. Dr. Schmitt seems to be under the misapprehension that by filing of his application at an early date he has established a right to preferment. Furthermore, he seems to think that the fact that no other application had been filed wouuld [[underline]]ipso facto[[/underline]] entitle him to the scholarship. Finally, it would almost seem as if he believed that by filing his application one or two years in advance, he could block the award to some one in the interval until he could get ready. The subcommittee, of course, was anxious that the money available should be utilized at once if possible, and therefore recommended