Septembek 27, 1912] 



SCIENCE 



401 



has been appointed instructor in chemistry in 

 the University of Montana, in place of Mr. J. 

 W. Hill, who has resigned. 



Dr. Madison Bentley, assistant professor 

 of psychology in Cornell University, has been 

 called to the chair of psychology in the Uni- 

 versity of niinois. Dr. H. P. Weld, of Clark 

 University, becomes assistant professor of 

 psychology at Cornell. 



Dr. W. F. Book, of the University of Mon- 

 tana, has accepted an appointment as pro- 

 fessor of education in the University of 

 Indiana. 



The department of physics of the Univer- 

 sity of Illinois has added two new assistants 

 to its teaching staff for the present year, 

 Mr. W. H. Bair, for some time a teacher of 

 science in the high schools of Illinois, and 

 Mr. Earle H. Warner, assistant for several 

 years in the department of physics of the 

 University of Denver. Both men are to serve 

 as half time assistants. 



Dr. Alvin E. Peebles, formerly professor 

 of the theory and practise of medicine in the 

 University of Colorado, has been appointed 

 head of the department of preventive and ex- 

 perimental medicine, which has been estab- 

 lished by the regents. 



Dr. Thomas Clachar Brown, a graduate of 

 Amherst, who received his doctorate from 

 Columbia in 1909 and who has since filled the 

 positions of assistant professor of geology at 

 Middlebury College and assistant professor of 

 geology at the School of Mines, Pennsylvania 

 State College, has been appointed associate in 

 geology at Bryn Mawr College. 



Miss Mary D. MacKenzie, professor of biol- 

 ogy at Western College, Oxford, Ohio, has 

 been appointed head of the biology depart- 

 ment of the Margaret Morrison School for 

 Women of the Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh. 



Professor J. Lorrain Smith, F.E.S., pro- 

 fessor of pathology and pathological anatomy 

 in the University of Manchester, has been 

 appointed to the chair of pathology in the 

 University of Edinburgh, in succession to 

 Professor W. S. Greenfield. 



Dr. J. Stille, of the Technical Institute at 

 Hanover, has been appointed professor of geol- 

 ogy and paleontology at the University of 

 Leipzig. 



DISCUSSION AND COBBESPONDENCE 



THE POLICY OP THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 



To THE Editor of Science: In his paper on 

 " A National University," printed in the issue 

 of Science of August 16, President Van Hise 

 takes occasion to comment on the neglect of 

 science by the scientific bureaus. He states 

 that the United States Geological Survey 

 " is almost exclusively a department of prac- 

 tical geology " and " is not contributing in 

 any large way to the advancement of science." 



President Van Hise seems to be comparing 

 the Geological Survey in the first decade or so 

 following its organization with the larger serv- 

 ice of to-day. As I am in part responsible 

 for the Survey's present policy, I may perhaps 

 be permitted to pres&nt this matter in its other 

 phases. The question whether his statement 

 is justified is not easily debatable, for the 

 premises on which any argument should rest 

 are not of a kind readily agreed upon. In 

 fact. President Van Hise and other geologists 

 might disagree as to what constitutes " ad- 

 vancement of science," and as to what is 

 " practical geology." This unavoidable con- 

 fusion of definition prevents any adequate 

 comparison of past and present contributions 

 or even of an earlier and the present person- 

 nel. 



With this inherent difiiculty in discussing 

 generalities, it becomes especially a matter of 

 regret that President Van Hise contented 

 himself with reiteration of the charge, with- 

 out definition of his terms or mention of any 

 supporting facts. The question therefore re- 

 solves itself into a consideration of the de- 

 gree of truth or justice in President Van 

 Hise's two dicta : the Survey is " almost ex- 

 clusively a department of practical geology," 

 and " it is not contributing in any large way 

 to the advancement of science." These de- 

 serve to be considered separately, because I 

 can not admit that the one is a corollary of 

 the other. 



