88 RANSOME: NATIONAL GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 



extent their duties. Such legal authorization, however, is as a 

 rule so general as to leave room for considerable latitude in its 

 interpretation. I propose first to discuss the functions of a 

 national geologic survey without reference to legal prescription 

 or definition and afterwards to consider the extent to which 

 some of the actual conditions interfere with the realization of these 

 ideals. 



USEFULNESS IN SCIENCE 



It has been the fashion in some quarters of late to emphasize 

 usefulness as the chief criterion by which to judge the value 

 of scientific research under government auspices. It has been 

 intimated that this or that scientific bureau of the government 

 must do "useful" work if it is to justify its existence and its 

 expenditure of public funds. The statement is usually made 

 with an air of finality, as if a troublesome question had been 

 once for all disposed of and the path of the future made plain. 

 As a matter of fact, howev^er, when it is said that science must be 

 useful in order to receive government support we have really 

 made very little advance. Probably the most idealistic scien- 

 tific man will admit that ultimate usefulness is the justification 

 for scientific research, although that end may not enter into his 

 thoughts when he undertakes any particular investigation with 

 the hope of increasing human knowledge. Men will differ very 

 widely, however, as to what is meant by usefulness in science. 

 It is well known to all scientific men, although not yet as widely 

 recognized by others as it should be, that the utility of research 

 is not generally predictable. For example, the investigations 

 on electricity for hundreds of years preceding the middle of the 

 nineteenth century had, so far as could be seen, no practical 

 bearing. The experiments of Volta, of Galvani, and even those 

 of our own Franklin, outside of his invention of the lightning rod, 

 were not conducted with any thought of utility and were prob- 

 ably looked upon by the people of the time as diversions of the 

 learned, not likely to have much effect upon human life and 

 progress. How erroneous such a view was it is unnecessary to 

 point out to a generation accustomed to daily use of the trolley 



