President's Address. 31 



The United States Geological Survey and the state experiment 

 stations, after years of trial, have decided to publish two distinct 

 series of bulletins and monographs, one for specialists, and the 

 other for those interested in the economic work of the survey and 

 the experiment stations in the several states. 



While the United States Geological Survey has not as yet seen 

 fit to issue manuals and keys for the ready determination of fossils, 

 minerals, and rocks, the Smithsonian Institution has published in 

 its reports several exceedingly valuable papers containing keys to 

 species which have been very helpful to naturalists. Some of the 

 monographs issued by our Kansas University have served excel- 

 lently the same purpose. 



Our own volume of proceedings is perhaps too small to admit of 

 sharp classification of the papers on the basis of their scientific or 

 economic value ; but the lists of species and similar bald enumera- 

 tions of data might be published separately, in pamphlet form, for 

 the use of specialists. 



Your speaker is confident, ladies and gentlemen of the Academy, 

 that we shall receive larger favors from our state legislature when 

 we in our explorations and reports pay more attention to the eco- 

 nomic and educational interests of the people of Kansas. 



It is a generally accepted truth that naturalists love their work, 

 love its exact methods, love its honest conclusions; that they love 

 their work more than they do their own comfort, more than they 

 do money, and even more than life itself ; and that they are seldom 

 guilty of seeking wealth dishonestly. But, from the nature of their 

 inherited subconscious tendencies, naturalists are not altruists. 

 They may love the collections of another, but not the collector. 



It is said of one of our most eminent paleontologists that it was 

 never safe to leave him alone with the fossils of another unless 

 they were in drawers and the drawers were locked. 



It is certainly right to love our collections, to love our science 

 work ; but it is also certain that we need to specialize in the direc- 

 tion of economic value and educational value more than ever be- 

 fore, both because it is right, and because the people, the legislatures 

 and the men of wealth properly refuse money for scientific surveys 

 and scientific institutions unless the work promises to be of direct 

 as well as indirect value to the people at large. The sudden end- 

 ing of many natural-history surveys at the hands of state legisla- 

 tures and the difficulty of getting appropriations for most scientific 

 purposes should convince the most inveterate collectors that they 



