Louis Valentine Pirsson. 1TT 



and lie records that it seemed to him that he did not learn 

 much, still, the man and his job had been brought together. 

 He returned to New Haven after the field season deter- 

 mined to become a geologist. 



The first step was to take up crystallography, advanced 

 mineralogy and petrography under Professor Penfield. 

 From this inspiring teacher, able investigator, and close 

 friend Pirsson got the thorough training in research meth- 

 ods which he needed. His instructor's enthusiasm was 

 contagious and the year passed very happily. A second 

 season on the Geological Survey, in 1890, with Iddings 

 and Weed, in the survey of the Livingston Quadrangle, 

 Montana, confirmed the decision to go into geology. A 

 few months more of work in Penfield 's laboratory, and 

 Pirsson was ready for the next step, a year and a half 

 abroad, traveling and studying petrography and allied 

 geological branches with Rosenbusch in Heidelberg and 

 with Fouque, Mallard, and Lacroix in Paris. 



Pirsson was exceptionally prepared to profit by this 

 experience under German and French masters of petrol- 

 ogy and he made full use of his opportunities. He was 

 sufficiently matured, in his general scientific point of 

 view, to preserve his independence in thought and hence 

 never came thoroughly under the spell of the great Ger- 

 man master, who was accustomed to demand implicit con- 

 fidence from his pupils. It is noteworthy that his 

 constant aim was to secure the maximum benefit from 

 his studies. Neither at this time nor later did it seem 

 worth while to work for a doctor's degree, which he never 

 obtained. Heidelberg was at this time the Mecca for 

 students of petrography, who flocked there from all parts 

 of the world, and Pirsson was thus fortunately thrown 

 into close association with several men destined to become 

 leaders in petrographic work in their respective coun- 

 tries. With some of these men he long maintained a more 

 or less intimate friendship. 



While abroad Pirsson received an offer to become 

 State Mineralogist of Missouri and another, from Profes- 

 sor Brush, to return to New Haven as instructor in 

 mineralogy and lithology in the Sheffield Scientific School, 

 under Professor Penfield, at the munificent salary of 

 $1,000 per annum. He accepted the latter offer, of course, 

 and entered on his duties in the fall of 1892. 



In 1893 Pirsson was relieved of his work in mineralogy 

 and took over the course in geology which had been given 



