The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1920-02-26
The Two Professions of Mining Geology

Finch's chorus says, Yes" But VIII,
o the chorus? Because single conhr
= nation of an opinion is far less con.
= vincing than its five times reiteration
q gravely performed by men of sober
t mien.
] How. it will be asked is such a re-
= suit compatible with honesty. l con-
slider it entirely so. To a given wit
ness sustaining particular conten
ton. the prejudice seemed to lie
wholly with his opponents: he asked
= himself conscientiously again and
; again how these able men could
have achieved such an inconceivable
bigotry. And yet among the compli-
Gated elements of an argument, where
in case after case, the weight of a
straw would be decisive he was him
self putting the straws all on one side
instead of letting them lie where they
fen, as the scientist must do. he un-
consciously shifted them a little. and
then. proudly and confidently. showed
the emphatic result.
Prejudice Natural Condition.
In reality. prejudice of this sort
wholly honest yet from the logical
standpoint unfair is natural con-
dition even among technically train
ed men William James has numer-
Gus discussions touching upon it, he
wildly describes "apperception, that
process by which given object makes
wholly different effects on different
minds because in entering those
minds, the impression is engulfed in
variety of mental environments. ut
is the fate" he says "of every i'm
preston thus to fall into mind pre-
occupied with memories, ideas. and
interests. The self same person. ac-
cording to the line of thought he may
be in. or to his emotional mood will
apperceive the same impression quite
differently on different occasions. A
medical or engineering expert, retain
cd on one side of a case, will not APP
perceive the facts in the same way as
if the other side had retained him."
1t is not, then, a matter of honesty |
that separates the court geologist /
from the ore hunting geologist, but a
matter of temperament and circum-
stance. l am writing with no inten-
ton of condemning the motives of
the court geOlogist, for his motives
are both natural and useful. one who
condemned them would be little more
than a cynic-he would condemn law
yers, for example and statesmen, and
man who, for an idea, risk their lives
in battle. Court geology is often not
geology at all, but a matter of legal
word definitions; or, geologicany con-
sidered it depends less on logic than
on feeling: 1t is unscientifc-tha is
the burden of my argument
For court work and for ore hunting
the faculties needed. then, are sharp
ly different. In so far as a man is. by
nature and training, suited to the one
profession, he is, in large measure
unsuited to the other If he be the
calm and patient investigator. willing h
to postpone his conclusions till the
time of their maturity, he is little fit
FOR the court room If he be the
ready and resolute fighter. fond of the t.
contest for tsef. wit snapper,
'hrewd in avoiding traps and skillful
n returning the willy answer, he is not
he best man for the profession of ore
uniting. Perhaps in these days, when
he profession of ore hunting is young, =
he court geologist may sometimes /
perform it relatively well; but it is
W nature a profession foreign to his
Utilities, and a little while hence he =
viii have no place in it.
Perhaps, again, there is now and n
hen one who can actually handle both =
well; who. being of judi =
ial mind, so carefully studies a case II
n advance that he is certain of his /,
round before he enters upon it: who -
S able, therefore, to support his con- !,
ention calmly. But such a man must =
ave uncommon wisdom and virtue. .,
t is no easy task to choose the right
ide of an apex question. In the Butte
ase referred to, a choice would ne
essitate very extended work. A wit
ess may desire to choose correctly
ut no mining company will permit n
i'm months of INDIGESTION when it can
ecure men who will choose in a day
r a week. Those incapable of speedy III
nd favorable decision on point after OF
oint despite complexities, are con- al
emned as poor witnesses. Or, they 81
re shrewdly confined by their more h
Sperienced teammates to selected b'
ortions of the case where their testi- M
lony will be unequivocal. or, at
asst they are caught up in the en- m
lusiasm Of the game: even the pa w
ent scientist will strongly tend to al
eld and become biased in his think Of
ig when hustled about by the exigen- tn
rs of a court trial dc
Ore Hunting Geology Needed.
When it is realized that ore hunt I'll
g geology needs minimum of
'ejudice and that court geology IN
eeds. if not a maximum, at least 10
lbstantial ingredient, t will be un- IL
srstood that the two can not min te
e advantageOusly. But in the past I'd