28 INTRODUCTION

the first having an economic, the second an educational object in view.
These are so intimately associated with one another, however, that it
is impossible to draw a sharp line between them. The investigations
must often be the same, or can be carried on contemporaneously, so
that the necessary data can be made available for both purposes with
little additional expenditure of time or money. Moreover, the
survey which pursues one of these lines to the exclusion of the other
fails in producing the best and most permanent results for the public
interests, and many instances might be cited where such surveys have
lost touch with the people by ignoring on the one hand the " prac-
tical, " and on the other the " scientific " questions involved. It is a
mistaken notion that purely scientific investigations must of necessity
be impractical. Science is simply the systematic and orderly arrange-
ment of knowledge, and without a scientific foundation practical
results of lasting value cannot be obtained. At the same time, the
presentation of scientific information without pointing out its practical
bearing is of little immediate benefit to the people at large, and can
hardly be regarded as appropriate for a state survey report, unless
intended ultimately to serve some utilitarian purpose.

The fact must be borne in mind that much preliminary and funda-
mental work has to be done, the utility of which is not at once appar-
ent to the uninitiated. The publication of such material, rendered
necessary as a basis for future investigation, is often liable to misin-
terpretation, but yet may be of far more lasting value to the state
than some superficial statement that is intended to meet a supposed
practical need.

Some of the more important lines of work proposed by the State
Survey are the following:

THE PREPARATION OF TOPOGRAPHIC MAPS.

The accurate location of geological formations has come to be
regarded as a practical necessity for their complete interpretation,
and the construction of topographic maps is now a recognized function
of all geological surveys. No state in the Union so early recognized
the value of topographic work as the state of Maryland, when in 1833