GILBERT MEETING 
57 
sting. The repast ended, the plates removed, cigars lighted, but 
conversation flowed on and nowhere lagged for even a moment. 
At length the air thickened, the lights grew fewer, the glow faded, 
yet still the little company seemed reluctant to move. Greek and 
Roman, Chemist and Engineer, Literateur and Artist sat on — 
mute, admiring, intently listening. Bells of the nearby campus 
campanelle chimed the hour of midnight before the charmed circle 
was broken. So entertaining were the Arabian Nights tales as 
told by gracious scientist. Not once did slightest hint of Welt- 
schmerz escape the lips of aged master. 
Dwelling upon phases of the World War he related with in¬ 
finite zest the ludicrous results of the international jealousies 
displayed in this country during the Fifth International Geological 
Congress, and how Teuton and Frank came well-nigh wrecking 
all of-Major Powell’s well-matured plans just before the excur¬ 
sion reached the Grand Canyon. Thus early had the seeds of 
greatest social disturbance the world has ever known begun to 
germinate even in the farthermost corner of the earth. 
Notwithstanding the fact that broader earth problems, as Gil¬ 
bert expanded upon them, were so fascinating, the younger genera¬ 
tion could not refrain from drawing out of him all they could 
on the Great Basin region. By skillful questioning and suggestion 
it kept him close to his early exploratory experiences with the 
government surveys, the topics on which we most desired first¬ 
hand information from the savant who had first done so much 
there. We wanted expression of matured reflections after a 
quarter of a century of severest test and after introduction to 
entirely new epicene forces. The long military treks of the Wheel¬ 
er corps. Lake Bonneville, the Henry laccoliths, the Basin Range 
structures. Grand Canyon erosion, isostatic intensity in the Great 
Basin, all passed in realistic review, and received graphic por¬ 
trayal by master hand. How widely different were musty tome 
and sparkling speech. 
It was with considerable trepidation that we broached the 
subject of climatic conditions in late geological times in connection 
with Lake Bonneville. Very much to our surprise Gilbert frankly 
admitted the inadequacy of the glacial hypothesis because of the 
demonstrated preglacial existence of the lake, and intimated 
a conclusion forced in the excitement of proving the duality of 
