Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-08-03
BY dorsey IIager.


Never in the history of the oil bust
ness has more publicity been given
to the geologist than today. One can
hardly pick up a newspaper without
finding some reference in its oil COL
umns to eminent or prominent geolog-
lists who are examining lands, or max
ing well locations near some town.
Much publicity is given by local
papers in the smaller towns to the Wis
ting biologists. The geologist is
sometimes banqueted or made the CEN
ter of public notice. This most neces-
sarily be most gratifying to the
eminent" visitor and also boosts the
game for the promoter or promoters
who are drilling nearby. Eminent
biologists according to the newspapers
must be very plentiful. In fact, one
is led to believe that every geologist
is eminent, and if not eminent at least
prominent or well known.
The term geologist is being misused.
In year or two the geologist will be
classed in the public mind with the
medium, the phrenologist, palmists
and others of like ilk.
The public takes man too often
at his own word or blindy accepts the
newspaper publicity given him. Many
biologists are made from newspaper
print alone.
Biologists may be divided into two
classes:
Legitimate.
Flakes.
Legitimate biologists are those en-
ployed by the oil producing companies
as regular staff men or consulting
biologists or recognized training and
standing not only with oil men. but
with men of their own profession
| Very few of these men are above the
| early forties in age.
.... Fake Biologists
! Fake biologists are those men Whc
without previous training or eX'
! perience set themselves up as geolog
lists and prey upon public credullty II
| making their livelihood.
The legitimate biologists are nearly
all men who have had special training
| in geology at the large universities o.
| the country or men of engineering
training who have learned geolog!
later. All are we'll educated men.
Naturally there is wide diversit!
J of talent and ability Some men arr
better than others but at least al
have had some good training to star
i with.
Fake biologists on the other. han'
| are men who are often uneducated
are otter crude in speech and manner
1 and who have had no training In tn
i line of work they profess to follow
| There is, however, a class bright wei
educated grafters who know enough
book geology to talk intelligently, blu
u who are out to make money whethe
j or not the country has merit. Sue
| men exploit every one they car
Plausible, clever men they create
good impression, obtain the confidenc
Il of the public and walk out Of tn
j communities leaving them poorer tina
when they entered.
The writer within his own exper
i fence knows several such men. 81
or eight months ago those men Wer
as follows.
Three real estate men, with n
geological training at all. Real estat
) was dull hence geology.
: One driller who believing 1t a
"easy graft has since devoted HI
time to it.
One dentist from a small Texa
; town who dabbled in amateur geology
. and when the oil business started sc
up as a real geologist. This man ma
learn in time but someone pays fo
his mistakes.
= One phrenologist. who toda
: parades around an oil town in h
automobile bearing the legend, "Hoi
ray--the Oil Geologist." Phrenolog
may be a twin sister of geology, bt
/ we have never considered 1t. Reae
ing the Jumps on a man head may 3
called geological training, but the re
lationship to rocks is not apparen
4 Speaking of boneheads-but l d
= gress.
+, One "oilsmeler" who possess tn
wonderful faculty of smelling o
1 lands. No one knows his origin. A
: uncouth uneducated fellow.
One small town naturalist who hs
since blossomed into professions
geologist. His only recommendation
3 Is hissage.
!. Cause Needless Drilling.
!. Such men not only fool the publ
but actually make good living frol
their work. They. however, assun