94 THE UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. [buLl.227. 
photographic views for these requires the services of skilled draftsmen 
and photographers. The editorial division of the Survey therefore 
comprises live sections, whose work relates to texts, topographic 
maps, geologic maps, illustrations, and photography. 
Section of Texts. 
In the section of texts there are now emplo3^ed five persons — an 
editor and four assistants. To them is assigned the supervision of all 
matter to be put in type, after it has been transmitted by the author 
and approved by the Director for publication. The ordinary work 
of the section falls into three classes — (1) preparation of manuscripts 
for printing, (2) correction of proofs, and (3) making of indexes. 
(1) All papers are carefully read in this section, typographic details 
are indicated for the printer's guidance, and an attempt is made to 
improve the literary character of the paper if it is not already good. 
The work of this section therefore relates chiefly to literary expression 
and form — the " dress" of thought rather than the ideas themselves — 
and to the mechanical details connected with printing and bookmak- 
ing. Papers are supposed to be appropriate for publication, sufficient 
in substance, and scientifically valid before they are approved by the 
Director; if he has any doubt that a paper is satisfactory in these 
respects he refers it to a specialist for criticism, and does not approve 
it for publication until it is pronounced worthy. Nevertheless, the 
editor and his assistants are expected to be watchful for errors of fact 
as well as for faults of expression. When a manuscript has been thus 
prepared for printing, and the drawings, photographs, etc. (if any are 
to be used), illustrating features treated in the paper are ready for 
reproduction, the whole is transmitted to the Secretary of the Interior, 
who forwards it to the Public Printer, the official in charge of the 
great Government Printing Office. In that office all the work on the 
text is done, but, under the law, the illustrations are reproduced by 
private parties through the sj^stem of competitive bids. 
(2) With proofs the ordinary practice is followed. Comparison of 
galle} T proof with the manuscript, with the aid of a reader, is carefully 
made at the Government Printing Office, and that labor is not usually 
duplicated by the Survey editors. They either read critically or 
examine carefully the galley proof, and then transmit it to the author, 
who is expected to do the same. It is then returned to the printer, 
the necessary corrections are made in the types, the matter is made 
up in page form, and page proof is sent to the Survey. This is care- 
fully read by a member of the textual section— if practicable by one j 
who did not read the manuscript or the galley proof — and is then 
submitted to the author, in order that he may be assured that all the 
important changes he desired have been made, and that he may have 
another opportunhry to make important corrections if they involve 
only slight disturbance of the types. This first page proof is then 
