Februaey 27, 1920] 



SCIENCE 



203 



It does not appear to liave been thouglit at 

 that time that geologists were the only men 

 who cotild satisfactorily do statistical work 

 or that it was necessary to impose this task 

 on them. Subsequently, however, the work 

 was apportioned among the geologists. The 

 reasons for this step appear to have been first, 

 that the results of having the statistical re- 

 ports prepared under contract by specialists 

 who were not on the regular staff of the 

 organization had proved unsatisfactory; sec- 

 ond, that by apportioning the work among 

 the geologists already on the staff not only 

 would the apparent cost in money be less 

 than under the former arrangement, but it 

 would, in a book-keeping sense, be very much 

 cheaper than taking on new men for this 

 particular work; finally, it was argued that 

 geologists could apply their knowledge of the 

 field relations of ore deposits to improve the 

 character of statistical reports and would 

 themselves benefit by additional opportunities 

 to visit and examine many deposits that they 

 might not otherwise see. 



It is undoubtedly true that the statistical 

 reports of the United States Geological Sur- 

 vey have greatly improved in accuracy, full- 

 ness, and general interest since this plan was 

 adopted. It is also true that some geologists 

 have turned their opportunities as statistical 

 experts to good account both in enlarging their 

 experience and by gathering material that has 

 been worked into geological papers. liTever- 

 theless, the policy has, in my opinion, been a 

 mistake both economically and scientifically. 

 It has insidiously filched the time of highly 

 trained men who have shown originality and 

 capacity for geologic research and has tied 

 these men down to comparatively easy and 

 more or less routine tasks. Some geologists 

 who were once scientifically productive no 

 longer contribute anything to geological lit- 

 erature but are immersed in work that men 

 without their special geological training could 

 do as well. To a certain extent the policy is 

 destructive of scientific morale. A young 

 geologist sees that a man who publishes an- 

 nually or at shorter periods reports on the 

 statistics of production of some metal be- 



comes widely known to all interested in that 

 metal and is considered by them as the United 

 States Geological Survey's principal expert 

 on that commodity. This easily won recog- 

 nition, with all that it implies or seems to 

 imply in the way of promotion and of in- 

 dustrial opportunity must constitute a real 

 temptation so long as a scientific man is ex- 

 pected to contribute his own enthusiastic 

 devotion to science as part payment of his 

 salary. The incidental geological opportuni- 

 ties offered by statistical work are found 

 chiefly in connection with a few of the minor 

 mineral resources, rather than with such in- 

 dustrially dominant commodities as petroleum, 

 iron or copper, and these opportunities for 

 the individual geologist are soon exhausted 

 and are likely to be purchased at a price far 

 out of proportion to their value. The sup- 

 position that geological training is essential 

 for good statistical work in mineral products 

 is a fallacy, and no man who shows promise 

 of making real contributions to geologic sci- 

 ence should be placed in such circumstances 

 that he is virtually forced to worship an idol 

 whose head may be of gold and precious 

 stones but whose feet are assuredly of clay. 

 I am emphatically of the opinion that the 

 collection of mineral statistics is not logically 

 a function of a national geological survey. If, 

 however, such a survey is committed to this 

 task by law, by the lack of any other organi- 

 zation to do the work, or by well considered 

 reasons of policy, then it is even more certain 

 that the duty should not devolve upon geol- 

 ogists at the expense of their own science, but 

 should be cared for by a special staff. Some 

 cooperation between the statistical staff and 

 the geologic staff may be advisable but the 

 extent of this cooperation should be deter- 

 mined by those fully alive to the necessity of 

 safeguarding geology against encroachments 

 by statistical work. 



Water Resources. — Studies concerned with 

 the occurrence of underground water are of 

 course as much geological as those concerned 

 with the occurrence of petroleum. Investiga- 

 tions of surface waters, however, including 

 stream gaging and the study of water-power 



