182 ^y. ceoss — geology in the world war and after 



dered valuable assistance in recommending certain foreign maps for use 

 in courses in physiography and map-reading. 



Lantern slides to illustrate the Geography of Europe course were im- 

 peratively needed, and E. B. Mathews undertook, as a committee of one for 

 the division, to find the best available material and arrange for its supply. 

 He examined many collections of slides and sought for suitable photo- 

 graphs from which to make slides, but the task proved even more difficult 

 than was expected, and before a satisfactory list of slides was made up 

 the uncertainty as to the future of the Students Army Training Corps 

 made further work inadvisable. 



DISTRIBUTION OF BOOKS BY W. M. DAVIS AND D. W. JOHNSON 



A reference to the now well known "Handbook of Northern France," 

 by W. M. Davis, and the work "Topography and Strategy in the War,'' 

 by Douglas W. Johnson, is appropriate at this place, because the principal 

 object of the authors was to emphasize the importance of understanding 

 the physiographic character of the terrain to officers in charge of military 

 operations. The credit for these books belongs entirely to the authors, but 

 the division has embraced every opportunity to recommend them and assist 

 in their distribution among officers of the army. The enterprise and 

 energy of Professor Davis secured, by private donation, a fund sufficient 

 to publish and distribute several thousand copies of his handbook among 

 officers in training camps and elsewhere. That this work has had a wide 

 influence can not be doubted, since the author was requested by army 

 authorities to prepare a similar handbook of western Germany. 



The chapters of Johnson's book dealing with the western front con- 

 tained such an excellent picture of the relations of strategy to topographic 

 conditions, just where our soldiers were to battle, that Dr. Clarke arranged 

 to have separate copies of these chapters, in pamphlet form, reprinted and 

 gratuitously distributed among officers of training camps through the 

 Military Intelligence Division. The American Library Association or- 

 dered several hundred more for use in its libraries at camps, in response 

 to requests for the work. The greater part of the expense of printing 

 these separates was borne by a member of the Geology Committee. 



There is no doubt but that these books have contributed widely to that 

 understanding among army officers of the relation of the topography and 

 physiography of the terrain of battle to the conduct of military operations, 

 which is a prerequisite to intelligent cooperation with trained specialists. 



COOPERATION WITH GOVERNMENT BUREAUS AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS 



One of the principal functions of the National Eesearch Council is to 

 respond to 1:'equests from other organizations for assistance in securing in- 



