CORRESPONDING SOCIETIES. 475 



As President of the Section of Geology I have been making a strong 

 appeal for the teaching of geology in technical colleges and univer- 

 sities, and I have appealed in this way because I consider it a science 

 which can be taught with very little apparatus, it leads to a life in the 

 open-air in its practice, and it is an admirable training in the collection 

 of facts, and of fact pure and simple. More than half the real work — in 

 fact the greater part of a scientific man's work — consists in the collection 

 of accurate facts, and geology affords an admirable instance of a science in 

 which there is a host of new facts waiting to be collected. But no science 

 stops here. It has to collect the facts, and then pick out those which 

 are really of use. It is only the exceptional facts which are illuminative, 

 and from which it is possible to draw hypotheses. In geology oiie has 

 the constant opportunity of exercising the faculty of theorising, because 

 in this science, perhaps more than in any other, one requires a constant 

 succession of theories. Then I may point out the enormous economical 

 value of this science to the nation as a whole. The population has 

 increased five times since the industrial development of our ii'on and coal 

 resources commenced. That is entirely due to the development of our 

 mineral resources, which, sad to say, have been and still are being 

 shockingly wasted. The waste in looking for coal, in getting it, and in 

 using it, is appalling. One way of diminishing this will be to stop the 

 waste of exploration, and for this we want better geological education 

 of our engineers and others who have to do with the resources at different 

 stations. Now there are hosts of individuals who have made enormous pro- 

 fits out of this knowledge. In America they are using this knowledge up 

 to the hilt, making use of every observation by the United States Survey 

 and of individuals. These opportunities are being jumped at in every 

 direction — in the search for coal, iron, gas, water, oil, and precious metals ; 

 they know that this work is going to bring them wealth, and they encourage 

 it. Very soon they will put us out of the markets entirely. Let us 

 put some of the profit back again in the business and develop it further. 

 It is the knowledge of these facts which has given certain individuals 

 their profit ; it has given the State profit and brought it into a prominent 

 position in the world. It seems to me that both the individual and the 

 State should give back some of these savings, in the form of encouraging 

 the acquisition of further knowledge of the resources of the country, 

 becau.se the problems that are going to face us in the future are infinitely 

 more difficult than tho.se of the past. If we are to make as much use as 

 possible of the resources remaining a great expenditure will be necessary. 

 Our national re.sources should be carefully guarded against the shocking 

 waste of our previous explorations. The spread of a knowledge of geology 

 is one of the ways in which this can be done, and we want the State to 

 help in the matter. 



The Rev. W. Johnson (Yoi'kshire Philosophical Society), said : It 

 may be of interest to hear some of the difficulties which beset the heaa 

 master of a science school. There is, first, the difficulty with the boy. 

 Unless you can interest boys in .science they are unwilling to take up any 

 scientific subject ; but. if you can convince them that there is a post 

 waiting fur them at the end of their school career, they will give them- 

 selves to the study of science with considerable zeal. But there is a 

 strong opinion that the only subjects which should be taken are those 

 which are necessary to enable them to enter on one particular profession. 

 Wherg a scientific subject coraes in they will work hard, but if you 



