Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1889-10-10

TAe Geological Survey.

OUIO1OX W VHef 0iiHuSIpuiu AW1uHts u"s
tUned . I" Dictionary of Fossils" which
has . table Of errata 90 extensive as
10 embody corrections Of one-fifth Of the
dellnitions and descriptions In the book.
The Inquirer, with great apparent
justice, ventures to question the value
Of . scientific publication which corrects
Itself 20 freely though 1t must be con.
ceded that II Is more valuable thus
printed than II would have been II II
had been issued As the state geologist
had prepared 1t.
II seems that after putting his own
work to press he had sent the sheets
a. they were printed to his scientific
acquaintAnces, with the request that
they would send him their suggestions
or corrections. The result seems to have
been to produce great number of cor
rcctions, which the state geologist con-
cluded that II was necessary that the
readers of his book should have; and a.
Il was already printed, the only recourse
Re found was to put a supplement to 1t
embodying the corrections.
The resultant book il more creditable
to Professor Lesley's ingenuousness than
10 hts business sense and that has been
the trouble with the whole geological
survey, which has now been running
along for fifteen years at great cost with
out proportionate profit. Professor Les
ley, who Is at the head of the survey,
has not proven capable of Its proper ex-
ecutive management. He is man Of
great learning In his department,
and Of great earnestness who devotes
himself to his work from sincere love
for II and who is in every way worthy
Of esteem but a man Of coarser fibre
might have made better geological
survey Of the state. No cost has been
spared in the work, which has resulted
In the production Of elegant maps and
cJuntless pages Of notes and observa-
tions recording the developments that
have been made by miners and pros
pectop. Essays upon the industries of
the state, which have no place in the
scope Of a geological report, have been
numerous. But the fifteen years of
work have not yet succeeded In present.
Ing On Intelligent and correct description
of the location of the geological strata Of
PenDsylvania, with their composition
and relations to each other. A great
daal Of desultory observation of the btu.
minous coal field has been printed with
out settling the relation Of the beds In
different sections Of the state, and even
without certainly determining their re.
lation, number aud position In any sec-
ttOn; save as to the Pittsburg bed
which has been the easiest to trace
and therefore perhaps has had the most
work put upon 1t. The anthracite re
gton has received great deal of atten
tlon with what profit we cannot say
hut this section Of the state has beef
much neglected, receiving but tn,
superficial examination of geologist
who was without resources TO make hi
Investigation thorough.
II is an exposition Of the well ascer
tained fact that the man of science 1,
no. always capable of an executive trust
even In the discovery of the truths of hi
own art. The geological survey of TIN
state could be 80 conducted rs to be YER
valuable to its people, disclosing to then
the values In their rocks, but II mus
do more than follow after Industrial In
vestigation, to simply record 1t.
IL the state had resident geologis
In convenient place, able TO inform tn
people ~ to their stones, while invest
I eating the geology Of the section, an
preparing typographical maps of til
country, 1t would receive far nor
value froin the appropriation than
now gets in sending through tn
state geological tramps and publish
ing their incomplete reports and il
dustrial essays. The geological surve
should be reorganized. The commissio
that Is supposed to superintend ii shoul
wake up and do some work.