I02 RANSOME: NATIONAL GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 



It is undoubtedly true that the statistical reports of the United 

 States Geological Survey have greatly improved in accuracy, 

 fullness, and general interest since this plan was adopted. It is 

 also true that some geologists have turned their opportunities 

 as statistical experts to good account both in enlarging their 

 experience and by gathering material that has been worked into 

 geological papers. Nevertheless, the policy has, in my opinion, 

 been a mistake both economically and scientifically. It has 

 insidiously filched the time of highly trained men who have shown 

 originality and capacity for geologic research and has tied these 

 men down to comparatively easy and more or less routine tasks. 

 Some geologists who were once scientifically productive no 

 longer contribute anything to geological literature but are im- 

 mersed in work that men without their special geological train- 

 ing could do as well. To a certain extent the policy is destructive 

 of scientific morale. A young geologist sees that a man who pub- 

 lishes, annually or at shorter periods, reports on the statistics of 

 production of some metal becomes widely known to all inter- 

 ested in that metal and is considered by them as the United 

 States Geological Survey's principal expert on that commodity. 

 This easily won recognition, with all that it implies or seems to 

 imply in the way of promotion and of industrial opportunity, 

 must constitute a real temptation so long as a scientific man is 

 expected to contribute his own enthusiastic devotion to science 

 as part payment of his salary. The incidental geological oppor- 

 tunities offered by statistical work are found chiefly in connec- 

 tion with a few of the minor mineral resources, rather than with 

 such industrially dominant comm.odities as petroleum, iron or 

 copper, and these opportunities for the individual geologist 

 are soon exhausted and are likely to be purchased at a price far 

 out of proportion to their value. The supposition that geological 

 training is essential for good statistical work in mineral products 

 is a fallacy, and no man who shows promise of making real con- 

 tributions to geologic science should be placed in such circum- 

 stances that he is virtually forced to worship an idol whose head 

 may be of gold and precious stones but whose feet are assuredly 

 of clay. I am emphatically of the opinion that the collection 



