GEOGRAPHY

is a study of the earth from the standpoint of the ordinary merchant as the source of the products which are needed in human life, and the scene of their transport and preparation for use. When properly taught it is one of the most valuable of all educational subjects, as it involves close observation, constant argument by cause and effect, constant application of known conditions to new cases, and constant verification of facts. The only logical method of teaching it is to give up the stereotyped plan of dealing with the earth piece-meal by continent and country, and to adopt an arrangement by which the great phenomena of geographical science are dealt with in separate ma es. This involves a general study of climate, mountains, rivers, natural products and their distribution, transport, growth of cities, etc. The other important divisions of the subject are commercial, political, and historical G. Commercial G. is physical G. discu ed from the point of view of human wants and their satisfaction political G. considers the physical surface of the; earth as occupied by different peoples and political communities that have national frontiers and international wars and historical G. considers how man’s relation to that; physical surface have moulded his individual or national history.