i62 The American Geologist. March. 1904. 
or verv widely applied as far as the observers in the state ser- 
vices are concerned ; yet from among the thousands of persons 
thus employed there will now and then come forth the original 
worker whose contribution will fully entitle him to expert 
rank ; when his published studies are seen to be of a thoroughly 
geographical character and of a mature grade, they would war- 
rant his admission to a society of geographical experts. 
Third comes the class made up from the members of vari- 
ous governmental bureaus, state and national, whose work is 
of a more or less geographical character; for example, topo- 
graphers and hydrographers ; geologists and biologists ; eth- 
nologists and statisticians : this class being as a whole of much 
higher scientific standing than the two classes already men- 
tioned. It may happen that many persons thus ckssified have 
a first interest in the strictly geographical side of their studies, 
although faithful work in the organization to which they be- 
long associates them with other sciences. I should expect the 
greatest part of the membership in a society of geographical 
experts to be drawn from this class. 
It may be noted that the absence of a body of mature geog- 
raphers, as well organized and as scientifically productive as 
are the workers in various other sciences, is explained by some 
as an inherent characteristic of geography, necessitated by the 
great diversity of its methods and its interests. The diversity 
is already an embarrassment, it is claimed, even in school years ; 
and it afterwards compels the separation of the branches of 
this highly composite subject, at best but loosely coherent, into 
a number of specialties, each of which is so much more closely 
allied to other sciences than to the other branches of geogiaphy 
that those workers whose union would constitute a body of ma- 
ture geographical experts are found scattered among other 
unions, geological, botanical, zoological, ethnological, econom- 
ical and historical. The claim that the disunion of geograph- 
ical experts is necessary does not seem to me well founded. 
May we not indeed prove that there is no such disunion by 
pointing to the fourth class of geographical associates, con- 
cerning whom my silence thus far may perhaps have awakened 
yovir curiosity, namely, the members of our various geograph- 
ical societies? 
