Geology as a Profession.

Last evening Professor Shaler gave an informal talk concerning the opportunities of a career in practical Geology and Engineering. He said that he considered the outlook for geologists in this country to be a very promising one. The state surveys and those made by the government employ about 1500 men, who receive salaries ranging from $4000 a year downward. The pay a man may expect to receive his first year is about $50 a month and field expenses. One of the best tields for a geologist is in the mines. The salary of a mine superintendent in the eastern part of the United States is usually $2000 or $3000 per annum, and in the Rocky Mountains it reaches as high as $5000. The step from the manager of mine to the owner of one is not difficult, as an experienced man gets opportunities of buying a mine from its ruined owner for very little. For the life of a mine manager a man must be able bodied, fond of an outdoor life, and content to live far from civilization in a condition resembling savagery. Railroads are beginning to employ geologists, who find their work in discovering and helping to develop the natural resources of the country through which the road runs. Still another field which is awaiting skillfully directed labor, is found in the quarries, which have never been properly or economically worked in this country. The opportunities for teachers of geology are few, and with one or two exceptions the pay is poor. The positions for engineers are more numerous than for geologists. That branch of engineering known as railroad engineering is overcrowded at present and it is not advisable for anyone to enter it. There is a good chance for hydraulic engineers who understand the construction of irrigation works. The United States Survey is limited to topographical work and opportunities for promotion are rare. A lucrative field presents itself to anyone who makes a specialty of cements which are manufactured in this country only at a great cost. Electrical engineering also presents a wide field. Whether a man intends to be a geologist or an engineer he should, during at least two of his summers, devote his time to actual practice. A man who has had no practical work in geology often finds difficulty in applying his knowledge to the problems which may confront him in his work. A geologist should have a fair knowledge of chemistry, but ability to make qualitative analysis is not necessary.

Professor Shaler stated that he would be glad to talk over the subject more fully with any one who might be interested in it.