i;8 THE NEW WORLD OF SCIENCE 



earth science at the service of the Allies in order to hasten the 

 day of victory. And the fact loses none of its significance 

 when we add that not one of these men was satisfied that full 

 advantage was being taken of the possibilities of his science 

 as an aid in war. 



It is not the purpose of the present writer to criticize the 

 shortcomings of our own or any other government in utilizing 

 earth science in the military program. It is rather my purpose 

 to regard the brighter side of the shield, and to show by a brief 

 review of pertinent facts that geography and geology did at 

 least play an important role in the common task of wresting 

 victory from the enemy. In accomplishing this purpose I can- 

 not pretend to describe, nor even mention, all the channels 

 through which the geographer and geologist made their impor- 

 tant contributions. I must content myself with a very imper- 

 fect account of some aspects only of the work done in these two 

 sciences, aspects which happened to fall under my personal 

 observation. Fortunately, that of itself is sufficient to demon- 

 strate the great possibilities of these sciences as military ad- 

 juncts, should their full strength ever be mobilized in the 

 country's service. Let me begin at random with a short state- 

 ment of some of the first efforts of our British colleagues. 



Early in the war Dr. H. N. Dickson, Professor of Geography 

 at University College, Reading, appreciating the importance of 

 geography in connection with military operations, sought to 

 establish a geographical bureau in connection with one of the 

 departments of the British Government. At that time the 

 War Office was so crowded with work that he turned to the 

 Admiralty where there was less confusion, and under its aus- 

 pices established a geographical bureau manned by a staff of 

 men and women who were for the most part volunteers serving 

 without pay. At the beginning his staff was housed in the 

 rooms of the Royal Geographical Society, but it soon increased 

 to such a size that special quarters were necessary, and these 

 were secured by utilizing Hertford House in Manchester 

 Square, an art gallery containing the Wallace Collections. The 



