118 C. D. WALCOTT — OUTLOOK OF THE GEOLOGIST IN AMERICA 



of the student like the aisles of pines in the forests of the Sierras — some 

 small and dwarfed, others strong and attractive, that are nearby, and 

 farther away the less defined but silent mass that awaits his coming. 

 We are only on the threshold of the golden era of geologic develop- 

 ment in America. 



We older men are still endeavoring to do our part, but in a few years 

 all the work will be turned over to the young men of today. Some 

 persons here will look back from 1950 as we look back to 1850. There 

 has been an advance since we began — 20 to 40 years ago — and we have 

 full faith that it will be sustained as generation after generation of geol- 

 ogists carry the grand work forward throughout the twentieth century. 



In closing I wish to say a word about the training of the men who 

 will probably reap the largest results from the great opportunities in 

 geology that will be offered during the century. The practical economic 

 geologist will undoubtedly receive the largest financial returns, but in 

 this field the man with the broadest, most thorough training will win 

 out as competition becomes more and more active. In the more purely 

 scientific lines a broad, general culture should be the groundwork for the 

 special geologic training. A few months of business training will be 

 almost invaluable to any student who aspires to be more than a directed 

 assistant throughout his career. Business method and habit must un- 

 derlie all successful administrative work, whether it be of a small party 

 or of a great survey. It is needless to say that, as in modern business 

 life so in science, character of the highest standard is essential to per- 

 manent success. The outlook of the well balanced, well trained student 

 in geology in America is most encouraging — far more so than when I be- 

 gan work with an honored leader, James Hall, a quarter of a century ago. 



