Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1869-02-26
SCisntfnc Value Of 3 Geological
Survey.
BIT PRoF. H. B. ANDREWS, OF MARIHTrA
CoLLEGE.

A@A+-@A-~SAas
COrrespOndenee Of Morning Journal.
The glorg Of State does not lie sole
" in ifs material wealth and prosperi-
Efy. An enlie htened people must do
something more than eat and wear
clothes, they must think, and to think
uObly they must have noble themes.
Science furnishes such themes. It is
the duty of State to bring the eleva-
/ ting and educating force of science with
/ In the reach OF the people. This may
/ be done in two Ways-one, by scientific
/ institutions, and the other by practical
| scientific labors, like those n geological
survey, thus bringing TO every man s
| fireside themes which will stimulate
and exRlt the mind; themes all the
/ more valuab ble because the illustrations
are eyeryw here at hand in our hills and
| valleys
/ either of these modes. The Colleges at
Oxford and Athens, called state Uni
yersities, and over which the State
claims a supervision, received their
/ meagre endoWments from the General
/ Government and not from the State.
! The Agricultural College, yet to be es-
| tablished, from which much good is
| hoped, obtains also its endowment from
the General Government. The State
government of Ohio does not expect to
give this institution q dollar If moth
Z
ence in the way of endOwiug scientific
Institutions, neither have we done any
thing in the way of practical scientific
laboTs. The geological survey, begun
and ended more than thirty years ago,
met with an untimely fate-a sad case
Of legislative iufanticide.
Many of the States OF the Union have
established institutions of science with
museums and cabinets, in which they
take great pride the same States have
also made most careful scientific sur
veys, not only in geology, but in all the
collateral ranges of Natural History, in
which they also take great additional
/ pride-while Ohio, the third State in
the Union, rich in all the industries of
peace, and in the impeTishable renOWn
| of her Generals and soldiers in the war,
| has fallen so far behind, in all matters
pertaining to scientific development,
that for thirty long years every effort
in this direction has signally failed.
Nearly all our Governors, irrespective
of party affiliations, have recommend
ed geological survey. Petitions,
/ largely signed by the most intelligent
men of the State, including our large
| property holders, who would cheerful
ilY bear the additional taxation, have
/ been presented to the Legislature at
/ various times. The American Associa-
zion for the advancement ofScience has
/ appointed repeatedly the most iIluStri-
y
Baches and Agassiz to memorabilia our
/ Legislature in behalf of such a survey.
! Every effort has proved unsuccessful.
] The reasons for this are several. There
has been doubtless a general want OF
interest in matters of a scientific ma
ture, and falling TO see the direct pecu-
| MARY returns of an appropriation for
such survey, the whole subject has been
treated with neglect. While others,
who would otherwise favor n survey,
the desire not to become obnoxious to a
charge of extravaganza has had great
influence.
The word Economy has been a
ShibbOleth with each of our great polit-
ical parties for many years. A few ol
! the members of our Legislature in
/ former years have Oubtless been af-
feeted, perhaps unconsciously, by the
! assaults of very Indifferent kind oi
/ ridicule, made by one or two editors,
i claiming 10 represent the agricultural
interests of the State. 1t is believed
that these various adverse influences
do not now exist. There is a wide
/ spread feeling of the need of a survey.
/ The State pride is also a little touched
/ by the transparent fact that in our sci
4 entific development we are so unmeas-
urably behind many other States. The
/ State is consciously so rich that the ex-
| pense of a survey, which need not be
| great, Will be cheerfully borne by our
! people.