﻿Gregory 
  — 
  Co-operation 
  in 
  Geologic 
  Instruction. 
  285 
  

  

  By 
  co-operation, 
  systematized 
  field 
  courses 
  could 
  be 
  

   given 
  — 
  the 
  lack 
  of 
  which 
  constitutes 
  a 
  serious 
  defect 
  in 
  

   American 
  geologic 
  instruction. 
  Eleven 
  institutions 
  offer 
  

   summer 
  field 
  courses 
  regularly 
  or 
  intermittently, 
  and 
  field 
  

   courses 
  are 
  advertised 
  by 
  44 
  institutions. 
  The 
  require- 
  

   ment 
  of 
  field 
  work 
  is 
  common, 
  but 
  makeshifts 
  are 
  equally 
  

   common, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  general 
  agreement 
  that 
  the 
  present 
  

   situation 
  is 
  unsatisfactory. 
  Not 
  a 
  few 
  holders 
  of 
  the 
  

   doctor's 
  degree 
  are 
  strong 
  in 
  their 
  criticism 
  of 
  the 
  institu- 
  

   tion 
  which 
  failed 
  to 
  teach 
  them 
  methods 
  of 
  field 
  investi- 
  

   gations. 
  A 
  near 
  approach 
  to 
  a 
  suitable 
  field 
  course 
  is 
  

   an 
  assistantship 
  on 
  the 
  Federal 
  or 
  State 
  surveys 
  or 
  

   employment 
  with 
  an 
  oil 
  company, 
  where 
  the 
  training 
  

   though 
  valuable 
  is 
  offered 
  to 
  few 
  men 
  and 
  furthermore 
  is 
  

   unsystematic 
  and 
  unrelated 
  to 
  the 
  students' 
  stage 
  of 
  

   advancement. 
  

  

  The 
  difficulty 
  in 
  organizing 
  field 
  courses 
  is 
  threefold: 
  

   (1) 
  There 
  are 
  not 
  enough 
  graduates 
  in 
  each 
  institution 
  to 
  

   warrant 
  the 
  considerable 
  expense 
  involved. 
  (2) 
  Fellow- 
  

   ship 
  funds 
  are 
  lacking. 
  Geologic 
  students 
  are 
  proverbi- 
  

   ally 
  poor 
  : 
  they 
  must 
  make 
  money 
  during 
  the 
  long 
  vaca- 
  

   tion. 
  (3) 
  Some 
  teachers 
  of 
  geology 
  unfortunately 
  place 
  

   little 
  emphasis 
  on 
  systematic 
  field 
  work 
  carried 
  through- 
  

   out 
  a 
  course. 
  In 
  my 
  opinion 
  at 
  least 
  two 
  seasons 
  of 
  field 
  

   work, 
  summers 
  or 
  half 
  years, 
  should 
  be 
  required 
  of 
  candi- 
  

   dates 
  for 
  the 
  doctorate, 
  and 
  specific 
  courses 
  covering 
  the 
  

   work 
  should 
  be 
  outlined 
  in 
  the 
  catalogues. 
  The 
  work 
  

   should 
  be 
  in 
  charge 
  of 
  the 
  best 
  field 
  teachers 
  obtainable 
  

   from 
  any 
  source 
  at 
  any 
  price 
  and 
  the 
  field 
  should 
  be 
  

   located 
  with 
  regard 
  to 
  graded 
  instruction. 
  A 
  summer 
  

   field 
  school 
  which 
  changes 
  its 
  location 
  each 
  year 
  or 
  one 
  or 
  

   more 
  field 
  schools 
  open 
  all 
  the 
  year 
  are 
  feasible. 
  Among 
  

   the 
  less 
  obvious 
  advantages 
  to 
  students 
  of 
  well 
  organized 
  

   field 
  instruction 
  are 
  : 
  1. 
  Personal 
  acquaintance 
  with 
  the 
  

   minds 
  and 
  methods 
  of 
  geologists 
  other 
  than 
  their 
  own 
  

   instructors. 
  2. 
  Education 
  that 
  comes 
  from 
  association 
  

   and 
  competition 
  with 
  students 
  of 
  diverse 
  types 
  and 
  inter- 
  

   ests. 
  3. 
  Experience 
  in 
  working 
  with 
  other 
  men 
  and 
  deal- 
  

   ing 
  with 
  non-technical 
  assistants 
  — 
  farmers, 
  ranchmen 
  and 
  

   business 
  men. 
  4. 
  Familiarity 
  with 
  the 
  classic 
  geological 
  

   literature 
  of 
  various 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  — 
  the 
  lack 
  of 
  

   which 
  is 
  much 
  more 
  serious 
  than 
  lack 
  of 
  acquaintance 
  

   with 
  French 
  and 
  German. 
  

  

  By 
  co-operation, 
  ample 
  funds 
  could, 
  I 
  think, 
  be 
  secured 
  

   for 
  a 
  plan 
  approved 
  by 
  a 
  group 
  of 
  geological 
  departments. 
  

  

  