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SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. LI. No. 1313 



only perfunctory regard and that tlie real 

 allegiance is directed elsewhere. 



What may be called the chief secondary 

 function of a national geological survey is 

 believed to be popular education in geology 

 both for the benefit of the people and as pro- 

 viding the most enduring basis for the suj)- 

 port of such an organization by a democracy. 

 Such education should be conducted through 

 every possible channel and in close coopera- 

 tion with all of the educational institutions 

 of the country. One of its objects should be 

 the revival and encouragement of amateur 

 geological observation and study. In this 

 connection I heartily approve the present 

 trend in the policy of the American Associa- 

 tion for the Advancement of Science and 

 believe that this great organization will ful- 

 fill its purpose and advance science much more 

 effectively than in the past if it will leave 

 to the various special scientific societies the 

 holding of meetings devoted to the presenta- 

 tion of scientific papers, and devote itself to 

 the popularization of science and to the en- 

 couragement of cooperation between different 

 branches of science. 



Personnel. — Finally a few words may be said 

 concerning the relation between the personnel 

 of a geological survey and the results ob- 

 tained by the organization. If such a survey 

 is to attract to its service men of first-rate 

 ability and to hold these men after their 

 development and experience has made them of 

 the highest value, certain inducements must 

 be offered. Salary is unfortunately the first 

 of these that comes to mind imder conditions 

 that continually force the scientific men in 

 government service to recognize painfully how 

 inadequate at present is the stipend upon 

 which he had existed before the war. It is 

 all very well to insist that the scientific man 

 does not work for money and should not 

 trouble his thoughts with such an unworthy 

 consideration. ISTevertheless if he is to do the 

 best of which he is capable he must be lifted 

 above the grind of poverty, be able to give his 

 children those educational advantages that he 

 can so well appreciate, have opportunity for 

 mental cultivation and feel his social position 



to be such that he can mingle without humili- 

 ation with his intellectual peers. If it is 

 destructive to the scientific spirit to set up 

 material gain as an object it may be equally 

 blighting to scientific achievement to force 

 the attention continually downward to the 

 problem of meager existence. The normal 

 scientific man usually has other human beings 

 dependent upon him and the traditional spirit 

 of self-sacrifice and the indifference to mate- 

 rial reward that are commonly attributed to 

 the true investigator may, when these mem- 

 bers of his family are considered, come very 

 close to selfishness. 



However, salary, important as it is, is by 

 no means the only determinant. If it is 

 reasonably adequate most men who are ani- 

 mated by the spirit of science will find addi- 

 tional reward in their work itself if this is 

 felt to be worthy of their best efforts. A man 

 of first rate scientific ability, however, will 

 not enter an organization in which con- 

 secutive application to a problem is thwarted, 

 in which he is expected to turn to this or that 

 comparatively unimportant task as political 

 expediency may dictate or in which the gen- 

 eral atmosphere is unfavorable to the initia- 

 tion and prosecution of research problems of 

 any magnitude. If a man of the type in mind 

 finds himself in such an uncongenial environ- 

 ment he is likely to go elsewhere. The final 

 effect upon the organization will be that its 

 scientific staff will be mediocre or worse and 

 it wiU become chiefly a statistical and engi- 

 neering bureau from which leadership in 

 geology will have departed. 



If, on the other hand, a young geologist 

 can feel that every possible opportunity and 

 encouragement will be given to him in ad- 

 vancing the science of geology; that results 

 on the whole will he considered more im- 

 portant than adherence to a schedule; that 

 imagination and originality will be more 

 highly valued than routine efficiency or mere 

 executive capacity; that he will not be 

 diverted to tasks for which, important as 

 they may be, his training and inclination do 

 not particularly fit him; that those directing 

 the organization are interested in his develop- 



