RANSOME: NATIONAL, GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 99 



necessity that maintenance of such standards should be ac- 

 companied by a patronizing or superciHous attitude toward the 

 work of the amateur. Rather, let the professional geologist 

 cultivate sympathy, tolerance, and generosity toward all who 

 are earnestly seeking for the truth ; let him help by encouragement 

 instead of deterring by disdain. There is no better evidence of a 

 wide interest in geology than the existence of numerous amateur 

 workers and it is decidedly to the advantage of the professional 

 geologist and to the science to encourage in every way possible 

 the efforts of such workers and to increase their number. 



KINDS OF WORK TO BE UNDERTAKEN BY A NATIONAL GEOLOGICAL 



SURVEY 



There has been considerable difference of opinion as to the 

 kinds of work that should be undertaken by a national geological 

 survey. Shall its field be confined to what may be included 

 under geology or shall it embrace other activities, such as topo- 

 graphic mapping, hydrography and hydraulic engineering, 

 mining engineering, the classification of public lands, the collec- 

 tion and publication of statistics of mineral production, and the 

 mechanical arts of publication such as printing and engraving. 

 These various lines of activity may be divided into two main 

 classes — those that are more or less contributory to or subordinate 

 to the publication of geologic results, and those that have little 

 if any connection with geology. 



The speaker is one of those who believe that a geological sur- 

 vey should be essentially what its name implies — that it should 

 confine its activity to the science of geology. This opinion is 

 held, however, in full realization of the fact that here as else- 

 where some compromise may be necessary. This may be dic- 

 tated by law or may be determined by policy. 



The organic law of the U. S. Geological Survey, for example, 

 includes among the duties of the organization "the classification 

 of the public lands." There may be some difference of opinion 

 as to what the framers of the law meant by this provision, but 

 it is at least a reasonable conclusion that they intended the sort 

 of classification adopted by the General Land Office. If so, the 



