SCIENCE. 
*99 
room to talk informally about science. They soon, however, 1 
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 j 
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, and Ruskin 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 wonjan 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. 
