ill our universities, because the older men are not wanted in the active, 

 plunging world of petroleum; but ten years hence where will be the ex- 

 perienced teachers, with a general fund of knowledge, to take the places 

 of the leaders of today ? In these times of extraordinarily rapid scientific 

 progress, any one out of the going for five years will hardly be able to 

 catch up with the leaders when he returns to the fold. Let us hope that 

 the universities will rise to the demands of the time. The struggle for 

 the making and holding of good teachers and research workers in geology 

 and paleontology will be even more difficult during the next decade than 

 it has ever been. On the other hand, we should be proud of the high 

 stand the earth sciences have attained and the recognition we now have 

 that geologists and paleontologists really do know something which can 

 be turned into dollars. 



Let me sound one more warning, and this relates to patriotism and the 

 ascendancy of the American geologist and paleontologist. If the lure of 

 petroleum and valuable metals prove irresistible to any American geol- 

 ogist or paleontologist, let us hope that he will serve wholly American 

 commercial interests. Foreign syndicates have a great respect for Amer- 

 ican mining and petroleum geologists, and they have already taken many 

 a one from us, and among them are some of our leaders in geology. 

 They are now dangling great salaries before others of our young men, 

 but let us hope that the patriotism of the latter will keep them from 

 being led into these "foreign entanglements." ^ 



It is all very well to point out the weaknesses of our science and its 

 workers, but we must not stop here ; rather should we also try to suggest 

 lines of work and ideals that if followed will lead paleontology into 

 greater effectiveness and build up an esprit de corps that will be irre- 

 sistible. Many pieces of desirable work, and even some along more or 

 less new lines, can easily be pointed out by any of the leaders in paleon- 

 tology; but what is really wanted above all at the present time is a 

 medium that will constantly direct our attention to the new results at- 

 tained, to be attained, and to be striven for. To meet this need, we want 

 a paleontologic journal, broad and liberal in its outlook, with a spirit of 

 good fellowship toward all paleontologists, geologists, zoologists, and 

 botanists. We need a journal the numbers of which shall appear from 



2 When this paragraph was read at the Boston meeting, the "patriotism" here intended 

 was misunderstood by one member. My sentiments are those expressed by Director 

 George Otis Smith in his address on "The Public Service Opportunity of the Oil Geol- 

 ogist" (Bull. Amer. Assoc. Petrol. Geologists, vol. 4, 1920, p. 15) as follows : "The 

 American geologist, who, on the signing of the Armistice, realized that the hour had 

 struck for the severance of professional relations with an allied nation and returned 

 home to add his efforts to the new endeavor under his country's flag, saw clearly his 

 duty." 



