GEOGRAPHICAL WORK FOR STATE GEOLOGICAL SURVEYS. 607 



southeast, and a now wealthier mining and manufacturing community on the 

 northwest. There are the encircUng escarpments by which the Paris basin is 

 partly enclosed, exhibiting in the neighborhood of Chalons and Kheims some most 

 beautiful examples of river adjustment in structures of this kind. There is the 

 great escarpment that is retreating southeastward in Wurtemberg from the plateau 

 of the Black forest in Baden. 



With change of dip in the strata on which the escarpment is developed, we pass 

 from examples of horizontal structure to others of niore and more tilted structure. 

 Under the first of this series, we find initial escarpments in the walls of the Grand 

 canyon of the Colorado, and almost extinguished escarpments in those sandstone- 

 capped buttes which are so common on the Great plains, with innumerable exam- 

 ples at interUiediate stages. In structures of a more decided dip the escarpment 

 becomes a ridge, and the waterways through it become water-gaps, like those of 

 Pennsylvania and further southwest. Thus introduced, these typical transverse 

 valleys may be easily understood, and a proper understanding of the relations of 

 longitudinal and transverse valleys may gradually supplant the misunderstanding 

 now so generally current. 



With the more complete retreat of an escarpment the frequently unconformable 

 foundation-mass is revealed, and Avay is thus opened for the explanation of super- 

 posed rivers and valleys, of which we have so many interesting examples in the 

 eastern part of the country. Thus so simple a matter as our coastal ridges may 

 lead into a great variety of relations and over a great part of the world. 



In the same way there is the question of the typical meanders of rivers on their 

 flood-plains and the inherited meanders of rivers in deep gorges, of which many 

 examples might be quoted. The whole problem of baseleveling and massive eleva- 

 tion is thus encountered. Again, there are those peculiar small rivers following 

 large valleys, so aberrant from the normal river system, in which a just proportion 

 between the river and its valley is precisely observed. With these one of the 

 many entrances to the glacial problem is effected. The variety of illustrations of 

 the theme is endless ; it is only a question of the number of pages that should be 

 here allotted to it. 



Reports of the kind thus indicated might not be frequently consulted by the pro- 

 fessional geologist, the mining engineer or the paleontologist, but they would con- 

 stitute attractive chapters to a great number of inquiring teachers. They might 

 even attract the attention of non-professional but intelligent citizens who would 

 otherwise know of the state survey reports only as odd volumes, received occa- 

 sionally from the local representative in the legislature and stowed away in the 

 under part of a bookcase. It is certainly desirable that the interested attention of 

 many persons should ])e drawn thus to the reports of the surveys in order to create 

 a strong i)ublic sentiment for their steady continuance. While the teachers of a 

 state are not, as a rule, of great political influence, it is only their own fault if they 

 cannot make themselves heard where their own interests are involved. I beUeve 

 that they would make themselves heard if their interest were once awakened in 

 this question, and that there is no other division of the community that can at 

 once serve and be served by the state surveys so effectually. 



In order to gain a sufficient circulation of the geographical chapters of the sur- 

 vey's annual reports an arrangement should be entered into with the superin- 

 tendents of public instruction whereby these cliapters should be reprinted in the 

 public school reports, and, if possible, struck off as "separates" for general dis- 

 tribution to all high-school teachers. If well written and well illustrated they 



