Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1869-05-20

j the sun illuminate one half OF the earth
all the time so that at any one time one
half of the earth.s surface will be in the
light, and one-half in darkness. The
axis of the earth is inclined 233 degrees.
This proposition, that the axis OF the
earth is inclined 23t degrees, is OF import
ance, and each one was requested to keep
it prominently in mind, as many OF the
problems of geography to be .illucidated,
turned npon that point. Then 1t must
be remembered that the axis of the
earth is at all times in line parallel
to itself in every other position, or that
the axis of the earth always points in the
same direction. The earth revolves on Its
axis once in each twenty-four hours. 1t
is usually taught that this revolution OF
the earth produces day and night, but
such is not the case, for if there was no
revolution of the earth, the illumination
of the sun would produce constant day
on one side of the earth, and constant
night upon the other side, and conse-
auently the motion of the earth does not
produce day and night, but by bringing
the different parts Of the earth toward
the sun,'it produces the succession Of day
and night. Then the earth moves
around the sun once III 365 days or about
that, and AZ the north pole points toward
the north star continually i'll its course
around the sun that body is vertical at
different points on the earth, varying at
different times through "A distance Of 23a
degrees on each side of the equator.
The point farthest north at which the
sun is vertical is reached in June, and
| farthest south in December consequently
the sun is apparently moving north six
months and south six months and while
the sun is vertical at the farthest point
north, his rays illumines 23t degrees OF
| the polar region constantly. The speaker
did not like the expression of %! degrees
| beyond the pole, as that would be extend
3. ing off into space away from the earth,
| while the meaning was that the earth was
lighted continually for 234 around the
| pole an expressions should be used in
teaching which conveyed as near as pos
sible the exact idea intended The time
when the sun apparently passes the equa-
tor is called an equiIax, and the time
when it reaches its farthest vertical point
either north or south is solstice, and we
| have the vernal and autumnal equinoxes
in March and September and our sum
ner and winter solstices in June and De-
cember, and from this we have our sea-
sons The word solstce is from the
Greek, and means turning" and all we
mean by saying solotice is the turning
point of the in his journey north or
south. The point where the sun apPa-
renty makes these turns or the farthest
points north or south Of the equator where
the sun becomes vertical is marked by inn
aginary circles drawn around the earth.
These are called tho tropics, the northern
being called ClRcor and the southern o.
r..-~..., L---,...-. -a---- 1900 years ngo, tnc
sun was in those consultations respective
ly while in those positions, but now such
is not the fact, and the names of the tro-
pics have only a historical reference TO the
constellation Of the same u amcs.
The polar circles mark the limit Of the
sum rays continually while at the solsticc,
aud Of course eomprehcnds a circle about
either pole Of the same distance from il
the point ON tho suTfaee of the earth
over which the sun is vertical il distant
north or south Of the equator. 50 the
torrd zone must DO II degree wide, the
frigid IL degrees wide and the temperate
43 degrees wide This all comes as the
result II tho inclination Of the axis of
the earth.
The uses Of latitude and longitude are
essential in computing distances and in
learning localities upon the surface of the
earth, there is no mystery about them,
but they are 40 plain that if properly
taught The student easily cnnprchcnds |
them and their uses They should be
taught the same as the location Of f4nil- |
lar objects are taught to absent per-
son, IA if u person desires TO explain to an
absent person the location Of chair in a
square room, the di~taucs. "f the chair
from one side Of the room would be meas
ured and line drawn through it parallel
to the side of the room, then another line |
at right angles to the first being drawn |
through it, and the distance Of that point
being given, the person having a map of
the room would readily find the position
of the chair As with the room so it is |
with the world. and all that is necessary
is to have two lines at right angles to
each other.
1t is, however, more convenient to take
north and south, and east and west lines
The equator seems to be the most con-
venient east and west line, and the dis
tance either north or south of it being |
latitude, while distance east or west of
line, at right angles with the equator is
longitude. The word latitude, meaning
breadth, derived its name from its being
world. We derive our geographical terms
from the Greek and Latin nations who
resided on the Mediterranean sea, and
their knowledge extended to the Straits
of Giberalter on the west. They never
passed the mountains, as they supposed
the pillars of Hurcules marked the bound
ary of the world, and the vessel ventur-
ing beyond that was in manifest danger
of slipping off the edge of the world, from
thence they had been to the Indus on the
east. South they had been to the desert,
and north to the Alps, therefore the length
of their world was from east to west, and
the breadth from north to south, and our
names of latitude and longitude express
the names given by those ancient nations
to the measurement of the country they