The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1890-09-25

! A map 1Or Lne pima Is q curiosity.
Blind people are fond of history, and,
as history can not be properly.learned,
or, indeed, learned at all without
some knowledge of geography and
to learn the later without a map
is impossible, something of the kind
was necessary, and so special maps
were invented and manufactured
for the use of the eyeless. They are
all of the kind known as the "dissected
MAPS" and are of wood-really carved
blocks.
ALI land stands in relief; the noun
tains are in ridges, the rivers are long
depressions the State lines are ele-
waited. Each State is a separate block,
and the pupil is taught to fit the
blocks together aud thus prepare for
himself a map of the whole country.
The name of each State is marked,
sometimes on the back, sometimes on
the front of the block, and the observer
will notice all over the surface of the
blocks small aggregations of what, to
him, are meaningless dots. These are
the names of rivers, towns and cities.
Cities are designed by pin or tack
heads, and the size and shape Of these
show the approximate number Of popu-
lation. In one map cities of less than
10000 inhabitants were indicated by
pin heads fiat on the top, and those of
10000 to 10000 by hemispherical. Flat
tack heads showed the localities of
cities having 10000 to $4,000, rounded
tack heads from $4,000 to 100000 Tack
heads fiat and square indicated cities
between 100000 and 100000, tack heads
round, but with depression on the
top, showed cities ofgreater size.
Bounding" the States is an easy
matter to the pupil. Taking Missouri,
for example, the child requested to do
the work began by placing the hand
fiat on the block, to get general idea
OF its position, the forefnger of the
right hand found the northwest corner,
ran rapidly along the elevated Iowa
line, followed the Mississippi down to
Kansas, went too far and passed to
Helena, where pause was made, the
name read and the mistake discovered,
returned, found the line. traced it to
the west, along the Southern limits of
Peniscot and Dunklin Counties, missed
it again at the st. Francis River, re-
covered it, went North, found the line
at Butler County, ran it to the corner
of Mcdonald County, thence along the
western boundary to the starting point,
and then gave the whole result orally,
without moments hesitation.
By means Of these dissected maps a
fair idea is gained by the pupils Of the
sizes of various countries
and States. When asked to compare
Ohio with Texas the boy laid the Ohio
block on the Texas map, measured it
off, turned it this way, that way, care
fully keeping the count with his fingers
on the space already covered, and
finally announced that Texas, accord
ing to his idea, was about five times as
large as Ohio, a calculation close enough |
to the truth to excite wonder at the
accuracy, rather than criticism of its
lack of exactness.
Dissected maps of every continent
are provided, and large globe, made
on the principles which underlie the
of the maps, enables the
pupils to gain fair general idea of the
shape and geographical features of our
planet. Geography, in most schools,
is used as an aid to the study of history,
md is studied, not as collection of
names, but as subject
which throws indispensable light on
the deeds and words of mankind.