324 



SCIENCE. 



[N.S. Vol. XVI. No. 400. 



science. This is what is meant by a work- 

 ing knowledge of the sciences basal to 

 geology. 



It is not supposed that any one man 

 has a comprehensive knowledge of all the 

 basal sciences, or even a working knowledge 

 of their principles; but such Imowledge he 

 must have of two or more of them if he 

 hopes to advance the principles of geology. 

 He will be able to handle those branches 

 of his subject with which he deals in pro- 

 portion as he has a working knowledge of 

 the basal sciences upon which his special 

 branch is based, and will probably correlate 

 this branch with the other branches of the 

 great subject of geology in proportion as 

 his working knowledge of the basal sciences 

 is extensive. 



For instance, to advance geological pa- 

 leontology one must have a working 

 knowledge of the principles of biology and 

 of stratigraphy. To advance any of the 

 lines of physical geology, one must have a 

 working knowledge of the principles of 

 physics, and especially of elementary 

 mechanics. To advance physiography one 

 must have a working knowledge of physics 

 and chemistry. To advance knowledge of 

 the early history of the earth, one must 

 have not only a working knowledge of 

 physics and chemistry, but of astronomy. 

 To advance petrology, one must have a 

 working knowledge of physics, chemistry 

 and mineralogy. To advance the theory of 

 ore deposition or metamorphism, one must 

 know not only the principles of physical 

 geology, with all that implies, but he must 

 have a working knowledge of chemistry, 

 physics, mineralogy and petrology. It is 

 unnecessary to add that a geologist must be 

 able to read some of the modern languages, 

 and be able to express himself clearly and 

 logically in one language. 



Considering the breadth and thorough- 

 ness of the necessary preliminary training 

 for the successful pursuit of geology, one 



might anticipate that geology would suffer 

 but little from pseudo-scientists. But this 

 anticipation is based upon the idea that no 

 one attempts geological work, and especial- 

 ly to write geological papers, until he is 

 prepared to do so. All sciences have their 

 cranks. Many a little town has its philoso- 

 pher who believes that all of the principles 

 of astronomy, of physics, of chemistry, 

 which have been discovered by the great 

 men of the past are absolutely erroneous, 

 and who makes a new start upon the con- 

 struction of the world, building out of his 

 brain strange vagaries which have no rela- 

 tion to the facts of the universe. While 

 there are temptations to pseudo-scientific 

 work in all sciences, the temptation is no- 

 where so great as in geology. The planets, 

 sun and stars are far off; the elements are 

 elusive ; to do anything with force one must 

 have at least seen the inside of a physical 

 laboratory; the manner of the transforma- 

 tions of living forms is not obvious, or 

 even apparently so, and therefore few write 

 about the constitution of plants and 

 animals who have not closely studied them. 

 But one is born upon the earth; he lives 

 upon the earth ; he sees the surrounding 

 hills and valleys. The dullest sees some- 

 thing of the transformations going on. 

 Many naturally become interested in the 

 phenomena of the earth, and without 

 preparation think that they are able to make 

 important contributions to the subject of 

 geology. Thus not only in every city, but 

 in many villages, is a geologist of local 

 repute who has ready explanations for the 

 order of the world. 



Geology starts as an easy observational 

 study, and gradually becomes more and 

 more complex until it taxes the master 

 mind to the utmost. This easy start leads 

 to the multitude of local geologists, but 

 geology suffers comparatively little from 

 them. The real injury which the science 

 receives is from some of those who call 



