PURPOSE OF THE PAPER 143 



his personal experience does not adequately cover the whole ground. 

 N'either is it desirable, in view of the enormous scope and detail of infor- 

 mation necessary to a working knowledge of one of these sciences, that the 

 investigator attempt to add to that an equally competent working knowl- 

 edge of one or both of the others. It is a question whether such an effort 

 would not be as likely to decrease as to increase his productive efficiency. 

 It is rather to be regarded as a favorable opportunity for closer coopera- 

 tion between workers representing different standpoints, when new and 

 large problems are to be undertaken which lie in fields intermediate be- 

 tween existing branches of science or research. Large problems of in- 

 dustrial development have been effectively solved in this way, and there 

 appears to be no fundamental reason for discriminating between the 

 processes of gathering data for the advancement of knowledge and gather- 

 ing data for commercial exploitation. The breadth of knowledge re- 

 quired and the necessity for exact information is certainly no less im- 

 portant in the first case than in the second. In approaching new prob- 

 lems which are accessible on two sides, it would appear, therefore, that 

 the time has now arrived for effective combined effort of two or more men 

 with appropriate equipment, rather than that any one should undertake 

 them alone. 



The Geophysical Laboratory is organized on this plan. It appeared to 

 be sufficiently demonstrated that a comprehensive study of rock formation 

 involves not only geology and mineralogj^, but also physics and chemistry. 

 The attempt was therefore made to perfect a working organization of men 

 familiar with the methods of research in use in each of these fields. As 

 a working S5^stem.this has been most successful. It is therefore time to 

 offer some of the results of such cooperative effort for more general con- 

 sideration in order that we may also cooperate to make the most profitable 

 application of the data thus obtained and become more familiar with the 

 direction in which such investigation is leading. 



Some Eeasons for "accurate Laboratory Work 



Laboratory research in the service of geology has been attempted be- 

 fore by a number of different men, but with many serious interruptions 

 and changes of viewpoint. Barus, Becker, and King proceeded chiefly 

 from the physical side ; Lagorio and the French scientists from the chem- 

 ical; Vogt, more recently, from the standpoint of modern physical- 

 chemistry. Barus laid great stress on the necessity for exact measure- 

 ments and trustworthy data which could be applied quantitatively, but 

 he has had few followers in this direction. It is, of course, an open 



