The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-01-28

ctent leadership In this Undertaking.
a .J u would be TO reject the stone
ner 70 intrtist this leadership 10 9TH
or hands. The second requisite for
the best results Ii 70 be found ",
,n I, tle,an5 \, e,llemIea phSsiyai and bio
heads thereof; Tor the chemist and and
sthesee related aeientists must prove,
raIil, ana analyze the more or less
roagh work or the field parties.
ilnborntories of the university are, as d
whole. the very best In the state, or
that the Internationally distinguished
men who direct the chemical nnd other
are uneScelled in Virginia? A third
requisite Is access to information and
ftSSn cor. The unlygersity is less
tnan four hours from Richmond and
3of the greatest geological survey In
the world. and there Is nothing south or
IN the P Of River that cnn compar,e
yerslty. A fourth requisite is d com
petent corps OF field assistants. n Is
i is only. necessary to ask IL such a corps
could be gathered ut any point better
than Mt tho university, and II the im-
In the State would command greater or
as great attention on the part of the
scientific or Investing world.
II Is greatly 70 be regretted TINT the
Polytechnic Institute has thought it
necessary to antagonize the proposed
bill upon the ground that the central
Offices OF the survey should be located
there, and not at the university, or
That the suggestion has been made from
some source that the bill deprives that
institution of something 1t now pos
sesses. AS to this last suggestion, IL
such thing as n State Geological Sur
vey, and never has been since Profes.
sor Rogers, of the university, was
tha with one by the assembly
not Claim that anything 1t now has,
or ever has had, Is taken from 1t by
the blll. Such an idea can only be
founded on the fact that DR. Watson
sor at the Virginia Polytechnic Insti-
tuts, did conduct a partial survey of
most valuable character. but without
legislative direction or authority. To
this i may bs. answered. first, THAT,
g 81 Fontaine. of the university.
did u very same thing, with at least
equally distinguished results.
second. that Professor William b
only state survey ever undertaken.
Third that Dr.. Watson is now a pros
fessor at the university. and his knowl-
the head Of this movement, and fourth,
that no such work has been done by
any one during the past two years, or
|
in mind that the establishment OF this
survey does not mean an Interference
with existing geological schools. They
are existing, and Will continue to exist,
and have existed, regardless of q State
survey. Such survey is, In fact, no
integral part of such a school. 1t is
too large matter to be subordinateo
to teaching the young idea how to
shoot, and can only result in stimu-
lating all such schools. As matter
of factgit should be directed and con-
Quoted by those who are graduates in
this science and make pretensions to
expert knowledge of 1t, although It IS.
of course. true that assistants would
be selected from all the colleges.
We sincerely regret the sinilitude
of contest between the V. p. L. and
the university. which both desire to
serve the State, but we point out that
the bill of Senator Rison proposes TIC
place the dictatorship of this work Mt
the university. and that the university
is not the party complaining In the
case In conclusion we wish to add
that many of our number have awaited
themselves Of every opportunity to be
steadily and earnestly friendly to the
v. z. |. Some of us. in fact, have been
in position to support its upbulldins,
and have Supported all It's claims II IN
the crisis of It's existence since 1909.
But 1T is confidently subm tied that the
foregoing reasons plainly and In.
refutab1y designate the University of
Virginia as the proper directing head
for this most important and most tech
nical1v scientific work. and by direc-
ton of the Richmond Chapter of Alrm-
vers'ty everywhere to sustain her
claims IN this matter by appealing to
their representative in the General
ASSEMBLY of Virginia.