few years just past, and in various parts of the world, making my 

 lecture a sort of spelling book and dictionary of our future reports ; 

 but not letting go my hold on my audience until, as in duty bound, 

 I had said a few words in regard to the advantages to be derived 

 from a thorough prosecution of the work on which we had then fully 

 entered. 



Once more the State Geologist appeared in this place and ad 

 dressed the Legislature, by request, on the question of the establish 

 ment of a State University in California, giving some of the results 

 acquired by many years' experience as a pupil, resident graduate or 

 professor in several institutions of learning of the highest rank, on 

 both sides of the Atlantic, including Yale and Harvard Colleges, the 

 School of Mines in Paris and the Universities of Giessen and Berlin. 

 On both these last occasions I endeavored to set forth in as clear 

 a light as possible the relations of the survey to the cause of higher 

 education in this State and on the Pacific Coast in general a sub 

 ject which is by no means exhausted, and on which I will ask per 

 mission, before closing, to add a few more last words, in view of the 

 fact that the question of a State University is again before you for 

 discussion, and in the hope that my ideas may be found not unworthy 

 of being heeded. 



On this solemn occasion, when the fate of the survey seems about 

 to be decided, and I, perhaps, may be preaching its funeral sermon, 

 if I were to search for a text on which to base my discourse, I do not 

 know that I could find one better than that containing a malediction 

 on the man who looks back after putting his hand to the plow ; for 

 this text exactly expresses the sentiment which has actuated me in 

 pushing this great work along against every obstacle want of sym 

 pathy among the people, want of sufficient appropriations from the 

 Legislature, want of sufficient knowledge on the part of many to 

 understand the real extent and probable value of our results, but no 

 want of misapprehension and misstatement of our motives and actions, 

 or of abuse in the newspapers for not doing what we have done, and 

 for doing that which we have not done. A constitutional antipathy on 

 the part of its chief to looking back after having laid his hand on the 

 plow is the one effective reason why this survey has not long since been 

 wound up and its fossil remains left in the pigeon-hole, over which, 

 in big black letters, the ominous word " Fizzle " stands, as represent 

 ing a great undertaking abandoned for want of pluck and energy to 

 see it through. 



It has been repeatedly thrown in our teeth that we were trying to 



