The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1867-09-11
From the Ohio Educational Monthly. ]
GEOGRAPHY III.
BY 7. w. HARVEY.

| III lASII uCbAOu IL
always desirable. Specifically is
the widest theories-the foster pa
self conceit. An inveterate theorizer
is invariably a conceited smatterer.
But thoroughness by no means i'm
plies an exhaustive knowledge of the
miner details of subject 1t means,
rather. clear conception of its main
points-an accurate knowledge of the
central facts around which all other
facts cluster. Burdening the mem
DRY with mass of unimportant par
ticulars is an actual hindrance to in
tellectual progress. In fact, most of
them should be disregarded as practi-
caliy worthless.
We find this educational truism
finely illustrated in the study of geog-
ria ply. In this science, thorougness
is not only compatible with ignorance
OF petty details, but sometimes is best
secured by rejecting them altogether.
Unless absolutely necessary in
making generalizations, the labor of
committing them to memory is sheer
waste of time and thought.
How much time, for instance, is
spent in learning or endeavoring to
learn, the areas of countries and the
populations of both countries and
important towns. How rarely are
these facts remembered any consider
able length of time-and even when
remembered,f of what use is that spe-
cies of knowledge to the general stu
dent? In most. of our schools, our.
children are required to learn the ex-
act location of every pretentious hub
of the universe, to describe every cape
and headland, almost every indenta-
ton OF the. coast line, to commit to
memory the length of every large
sriver and the height of every noun
tain. the name and location of every
Average sized island. We need not
wonder that geography is so much
disliked by both teac hers and pupils,
when such a herculean ask as that is
imposed, under the impression that it
is necesslty.r9mglgtG lEgBflH9i12f
Z We would not be, understood as
undertaking the value or Importance
of statistical geography We object
to the method of teaching lie, which
is usually employed, and to the little,
use made of it when learned. A few
facts, well-considered and thoroughly,
comprehended, will furnish standards
| of comparison sufficient for an intel-
}lgent acquaintance with any partieu,
ing and instructive process of max ing
student to form much clearer concep-
tions of size and number than any
other method. Suppose we-desire to
a. hA
of the States of our Union. We
commit to memory the areas of the
following States:
Rhode Is1and.......-.,.-,,.,, J,Soo 50. miles.
New Jersey .......,.-.. go fs.s
ON 81 s0 Oo go
II
Using these as standards of COM
parison, we find that Delaware is
nearly twice as large as Rhode Island.
Massachusetts six times as large, New
Hampshire containing 1000 more
Square miles than New Jersey, New
I ork 100 and Iowa Il, 900 more than
Ohio, Mississippi being nearly as
large as New York, and so on. The
pupil makes these Comparisons using
al atlas only, before referring to sta
tistlea. tables-the teacher accepting
or correcting his estimates.
2 lie population of countries and |
cites, the lengths of rivers and |
nights of mountains may be, learned |
IN a similar manner. twill be found |
sconYenient to form groups of those /
and cities whose popuEas !
ti6As range within certain limits. the.
''p5apB lhtion to be used as the Standard |
ofse6nparison Occupying the Z centre
those preceding il being Edrtef Ind
those fsHcwftg 1asma le r q Nam the
standard. The mum bersb sof a rig II