32t) 



SCIENCE. 



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



lie will be biased by his theories. ' Unfortu- 

 nately in many cases this is so; but just 

 so far as it is true, the man fails of the 

 qualities which make a successful geolo- 

 gist. One's theories undoubtedly control 

 in large measure the selection of the phe- 

 nomena which are to be noted, and the wis- 

 dom of the selection is a certain criterion 

 of the grade of the geologist. But what- 

 £ver the facts selected for record, the state- 

 ment of them should be absolutely un- 

 .biased by the theories. Invariably, good 

 ■practice requires that the statement of facts 

 .and the explanation of these facts shall be 

 sharply separated. Doubtless each geologist 

 who is listening has at different times had 

 different ideas about the same locality, or 

 while away from a locality a new idea has 

 come as to the meaning of the phenomena 

 there observed. Upon returning to the old 

 locality with the new idea, additional ob- 

 servations of value have been made, but 

 all the statements of facts at the previous 

 visits should be found to be absolutely true. 

 In so far as they are untrue, the geologist 

 fails of accuracy, the first fundamental of 

 observation. If the previous observations 

 are found to be largely erroneous, the man 

 who made them has small chance to become 

 a good geologist. The difference between 

 bad observation and good observation is 

 that the former is erroneous; the latter is 

 incom.plete. Unfortunately in many cases 

 not only are the observations recorded by 

 many men absolutely false, but they are so 

 intertwined with the theories of the author 

 that one is unable to discriminate between 

 what is intended to be fact and what is ad- 

 vanced as opinion. It is needless to say 

 that the case of such a man is hopeless ; that 

 there is no possibility that he shall ever 

 become a geologist. I conclude, therefore, 

 that in order to have a standing in the 

 future, even as a descriptive geologist, one 

 must interpret the phenomena which he 

 observes in the terms of the principles of 



astronomy, physics, chemistry, mineralogy, 

 and biology. 



If my statement thus far be true, the out- 

 line of the training of a man hoping to be- 

 come a professional geologist is clear. Such 

 a man should be sent to thorough and 

 long courses in each of the subjects of as- 

 tronomy, physics, chemistry, mineralogy 

 and biology. This means that a large part 

 of the training of a geologist is the study of 

 the sciences upon which geology is founded. 

 If a man who hopes to be a geologist is 

 wholly lacking in a knowledge of any of the 

 basal sciences, this defect he can probably 

 never make good. Even if he so desires, 

 the time cannot be found. Moreover, chem- 

 istry, physics, mineralogy and biology are 

 laboratory sciences and can be satisfactorily 

 handled only in the laboratory. If the fun- 

 damental work in the basal subjects has 

 been done in the college or university, one 

 may keep abreast of their progress during 

 later years; but in order to do this, the ba- 

 sal principles must have become living 

 truths to him while a student. If a per- 

 sonal illustration be allowable, during the 

 past five years, in order to handle the prob- 

 lems of geology before me, I have spent 

 more time in trying to remedy my defective 

 knowledge of physics and chemistry and in 

 comprehending advances in these sciences 

 since I was a college student than I have 

 spent upon ciirrent papers in geology ; and 

 with, I believe, much more profit to my 

 work. If one has a working knowledge of 

 the basal sciences and lacks training in 

 some branch of geology, this defect he may 

 remedy; for he has the foundation upon 

 which to build. But if he lacks knowledge 

 of the primary principles of the basal 

 sciences he is likely to be a cripple for life, 

 although this is not invariably the case. 

 There are conspicuous instances where lack 

 of early training in the basal sciences has 

 been largely remedied by unusual ability 

 and industry, biit this has been most diffi- 



