ABSTRACT
The corpus of the Smithsonian is made up of an aggregation of bureaus and near bureaus—museums, art galleries, and research offices and departments—that have collected under the protective skirts of the Institution in its long history. Some of them are totally governmental, some quasi-governmental, and some nongovernmental in status. The Smithsonian has always been relatively free of political pressures. Congressmen have found the Institution a poor place for patronage. Even the Smithsonian Secretaryship is not a political plum. The Secretary is chosen and appointed by the Board of Regents, without benefit of the Civil Service Commission's advice, congressional action, or presidential ratification. The contrast between the small and simple Smithsonian organization in Joseph Henry's day and the complex into which it has developed in the twentieth century is not merely a demonstration of Parkinson's Law; it is also an illustration of the growth of American institutions in general. Henry began with a few bare principles and plans.
