SCIENCE. 



199 



room to talk informally about science. They soon, however, 

 began collecting and investigating in the suburbs of their 

 city ; it is, as you know, the region of ancient mounds. 

 Their discoveries have been remarkable and valuable. 



In Saratoga Springs, where I reside, we have, in a limited 

 way, an interesting geological region, and we have an active 

 Field Club. It labors under disadvantages, having had no 

 regular instruction, and no course of lectures, but it has 

 been assisted by two gentlemen who have had some expe- 

 rience in geological research. As this club is now estab- 

 lished upon an apparently permanent basis, some account 

 of its efforts may not be amiss. There are between thirty- 

 five and forty members, the larger number studying geology; 

 a few botany, and others, who are studying art, accompany 

 these to sketch from nature. This community of interest 

 among those who are pursuing different studies has the ad- 

 vantages of economy in the hiring of vehicles and in the 

 purchase of instruments like the microscope, which can be 

 used in common. 



The Saratoga Field Club makes excursions into the country 

 every Saturday, when the weather is favorable for field work ; 

 they also have in-door meetings once a week, to compare and 

 examine specimens ; papers are then read on subjects relat- 

 ing to special objects of study and discussion, and conversa- 

 tion concerning them is encouraged. Meetings are also 

 held during winter preparatory to the summer work. 



We have in Saratoga the rocks of the Laurentian, the 

 lower Silurian of the drift, the Champlain and Hudson river 

 periods. But in the Laurentian granite alone there is an 

 endless variety for those who are interested in minerals. 

 Then, too, one experiences a certain awe in handling the 

 oldest rocks that formed a boundary of the world's first con- 

 tinent. The gloom of that almost lifeless age seems still to 

 creep along the dark, stout foliage that strives to cover the 

 baldness of these venerable rocks. Worn and ground by 

 the action of ages they display few picturesque forms, but 

 strength and endurance seem moulded into shape among 

 their rounded hills, while nestling among their unattractive 

 gray shadows are found the garnet, the chrysoberyl, the 

 tourmaline and other beautiful gems. The Potsdam sand- 

 stone lying above the granite, shows great variety and beauty 

 of color, andRuskin says very justly, " that nature tempts us, 

 like foolish children as we are, to read her books by the pretty 

 colors in them." The ripple marks and glacial scratches of 

 this rock are also countless and interesting. The calcifer- 

 ous sand-rock coming next in succession, and upon which 

 the western half of our village rests, is in many places bril- 

 liant with crystals and finely-marked with Fucoids ; it bears 

 also whole acres of the marvelous concentric Stromotopara, 

 which is peculiar to this vicinity. The Trenton limestone, 

 next above this is, as usual, rich in fossils, and an afternoon 

 amid its quarries will render the members of the Field Club 

 oblivious of heat or cold or fatigue in their search for Eri- 

 noids, Brachiopods and Trilobites. Such interest is scarcely 

 diminished in their laborious wanderings in other directions 

 among the Hudson river slates and shales for the rarely 

 found Graptolites. The morains and pebble-laden hills of 

 the drift period are sought out and discussed. The sands 

 of the Champlain, and the terraces of the Hudson river 

 periods are subjects for thought and surmise as we ride over 

 the country toward some definite object of investigation. 

 The great geological fault which has given birth to our justly 

 renowned mineral springs, coming forth as they do from 

 tue hidden fossil oceans of the buried centuries, stimulates 

 us to ponder and to inquire. Yet for years most of the 

 members of this club have walked blindly through these 

 treasures, seeing, but not observing ; knowing, but not see- 

 ing. A new world has been opened to them, and this world 

 of nature and of science would be a revelation to hundreds 

 of others if they were induced to engage in out-of-door 

 studies. 



The public mind has been awakened to an interest in 

 science by means of the popular lectures delivered by men 

 of acknowledged fame, and also through numerous popular 

 publications. These have been a preparation for field work 

 which can now be pursued with enthusiasm and profit. A 

 search for geological facts in the fields affords an admirable 

 means of self-discipline. In the beginning each one sees 

 all that he seeks and believes that all he sees is of immense 

 value, or he goes to the other extreme and pronounces 



everything worthless. He will be vexed with himself, 

 crushed and mortified by turns, but each blunder will be 

 an important lesson, and soon he will begin to discriminate, 

 to learn and to search, until he finds himself, like the 

 hunter in pursuit of game, eager, excited, and ever ready 

 for a new chase. 



When the guidance of a professor of Geology cannot be 

 procured, much may still be done with the use of proper 

 text-books, and the State Geological Surveys, especially if 

 there are a few men or women in the association who have 

 some experience in field work. In every community a few 

 gentlemen will be found who possess such knowledge. 

 It is a deplorable fact that few women possessing such 

 knowledge can be found in any community, except, of 

 course, in Boston. I say deplorable, because scientific 

 training is, of all others, that which women need to correct 

 the defects which, as a class, they display — defects which 

 have become inherent through continuous superficial train- 

 ing. In this case like must cure like, for it will require 

 several generations of women, gradually trained to scientific 

 methods of thought and investigation, to eradicate the slip- 

 shod mental habits of the women of to-day. A few are 

 struggling toward better and clearer ways, but the difficul- 

 ties to be overcome prove the low standard of their starting 

 point. Is it right that woman should be ignorant of the 

 scientific facts embodied in the useful and beautiful things 

 she handles? If these facts are of value to the world they 

 are of value to women individually. 



Invite women, then, to enter upon this field of labor, and 

 science will gain thereby. Enlist the enthusiasm, the self- 

 sacrifice and vitality of women in the cause o science, and 

 a new principle will stir the remotest member s of the body 

 of scientific knowledge. 



The effect of this labor upon the lives of women is beyond 

 calculation. Where they are now weak, both physically 

 and mentally, they will become vigorous and strong ; 

 where they are complaining and sentimental, they will 

 grow cheerful and wise. Their restless longings will move 

 into healthful channels, and they will learn to think, to ob- 

 serve, and to perform with accuracy and deliberation. 

 They will discover that the ability to learn and to do is not 

 a mere knack to be caught, but that it is the result of con- 

 tinuous and pains-taking labor. 



Believing, as I do, that a practical knowledge of natural 

 science will do more for the advancement and emancipa- 

 tion of woman than any laws that can be made, or any 

 rights which can be granted to her, I appeal to the learned 

 gentlemen of this association to invite and encourage wo- 

 men to labor in the various departments of scientific inves- 

 tigation. 



The progress of woman depends on the exercise and dis- 

 cipline of her mental powers and the proper expenditure 

 and economy of her physical powers. Both means 

 are to be obtained mainly through a knowledge of the 

 natural sciences, and they will take and retain their hold 

 upon her more readily by means of out-of-door work. 



There are also many men engaged in the professions and 

 in business who would make time for open air excursions 

 if they thought a study of natural objects feasible. In 

 such studies of local geology the amateur may, by chance, 

 make valuable discoveries, and he may in time become en- 

 listed as an enthusiast and specialist. Goethe says that in 

 science " treatment is nothing, all effect is in discovery ; 

 every new phenomenon that is observed is a discovery, and 

 every discovery a property." If, then, it is allowable and 

 desirable for amateurs to study science practically, it is 

 important for them to receive suggestions and instruction 

 from professors and specialists. In botany several Ameri- 

 can publications have been issued, which serve as admir- 

 able guides for such persons. In geology I know of but 

 one popular book on field work. That is an English pub- 

 lication ; we need one especially adapted to American 

 geology. A series of articles published in one of the 

 popular magazines, and bearing a name of authority, would 

 give a wholesome impetus to this work, and would reach 

 many persons who desire information concerning it. These 

 vague desires and feeble Teachings after such knowledge 

 should be noticed and cherished, for in these there may 

 exist some of the future discoveries and triumphs of 

 science. 



