270 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 193 8 



barrow loads of pebbles were taken out and fresh dirt that had been 

 dumped on the hillside behind wheeled in. The rotted schist seemed 

 to have the consistency of lead. Only by persistent effort was the soil 

 lightened and made ready for cultivation. 



The practice of insulating houses and office buildings has given rise 

 to a relatively new industry. Some of the more widely used insulating 

 materials are of mineral origin, and locating suitable supplies of them 

 requires geologic investigation. 



The question of keeping a cellar dry during a wet season, especially 

 where frost and melting snow are involved, is dependent on recognition 

 of the geologic conditions in the immediately underlying or surround- 

 ing ground. A ledge protruding into the cellar, or a water-bearing 

 layer in the surrounding ground, if not properly sealed off, may lead 

 water into the house and flood the cellar. 



The location of cities, villages, individual dwellings, and farms 

 without regard to existing geologic conditions, or perhaps in spite of 

 them, has led to many disasters on both a small and large scale. This 

 involves the whole question of disasters owing to earthquakes, floods, 

 hurricanes, volcanoes, and other geologic agencies. Sometimes the 

 advantages offered by such locations are great and the manifestations 

 of adverse geologic conditions infrequent. Nevertheless, sooner or 

 later they appear and those caught unprepared suffer. Special forms 

 of insurance against disaster are available in some parts of the country. 

 If the cost of protective measures is great, most people prefer to take 

 their chances, but if under these conditions care is taken to select favor- 

 able ground and attention is given to protective types of building con- 

 struction, the danger of disaster in individual cases, at least, may be 

 largely obviated. However, anyone who elects to live in such places, 

 should realize that potentially disaster-producing agencies are part of 

 his natural environment and if he fails to take these into account he 

 does so at his peril. 



GEOLOGY IN EDUCATION 



The field of education is broad, embracing all those facts, influences, 

 and processes by which the student is made aware of the experience of 

 the past and is prepared to go forward on his own initiative in the busi- 

 ness of life and in extending the bounds of knowledge. Naturally 

 many subjects enter into any well-rounded educational program. 

 Some of them, notably geology, quicken observation, broaden under- 

 standing, stimulate the love of beauty, and cultivate the mind. 



One of the greatest contributions of geology to education is the 

 concept of the length of geologic time. This and the astronomical 

 concept of distance in space are among the greatest contributions of 

 science to human knowledge. They serve to put in perspective all 

 happenings on the earth and throughout the universe. The later 



