Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1892-06-09
AN INTERESTING STUDY. =
How to Make Dull Book Wonderfully
Interesting.

|
| Interesting.
Il do wish | didn't have to study geo
| yraphy." lamented Frank Atkins u
! don't mind arithmetic, although some
| of the problems are very hard. and
| like history because it is interesting
but just hate geography
| Franks father was writing a lette,
| at his desk. and made no reply until he
had addressed and stamped it, and then
he turned to his fourteen-year-old son
and asked:
''Why?"
because" answered Frank. prompt
| Iy, lit is dull. Pennsylvania is
! bounded on the north by New York
and Lake Erie. on the east by New Jer-
sey, on the south by Delaware, Mary
land and West Virginia. and ON the
| west by Ohio and West Virginia. Now.
| what's the good of that?" he asked,
scoffingly.
ITO give you an idea of locality >
said his father, picking up the atlas
which Frank had dropped on the couch.
Suppose you went to Europe. and
some one should ask you todescribe the
situation of your native state. Wouldn t
you be ashamed if you could not
answer?''
well, yes admitted Frank, reluc-
family. But it's dull study for all
that
perhaps it is, that is all geography
teaches you.
''Of course that isn't all We learn
the capitals of the state, and their
productions. and the names of the
rivers and their length, and the noun
aims
But I infer you really don't harn
anything at all. You simply commit to
memory lot of printed words and for
get them as rapidly as possible. Yet
geography is very interesting study,
and absolutely indispensable to a
knowledge of history, and of the two it
is much more useful History treats Of
the past, but geography relates to the
present. We can get along very well
without knowing who discovered Aus
tralia, but knowledge of its situation.
extent, climate and topography is al
ways valuable
But it is so hard to remember OBJ
jected Frank.
Then it must be that you are not in
terested in the study. or else it is not
properly taught. Let me give you a
lesson in nay way, will you?"
Frank looked rather alarmed, but he
answered.: Yes, sir" dutifully enough.
do you remem ber," began Mr.. At
kins, '.when your Uncle Will came from
California, last February, how inter
ested you were in his description of the
Pacific coast?'
Yes: and how I wanted to go back
with him, and you said | might some
day
$50 you SHALL assured Mr.. Atkins.
smiling. when you have finished your
schooling: but | want to ask you ques-
ton. When he was telling you about
the mountain ranges, the sandy deserts
and the mighty Columbia river, did it
not occur to you that he was giving
you lesson in geographic"
why, no" exclaimed Frank. But
he was-I see it now
''And it was interesting, was it not?"
Il should say So
''Well, let US follow it up. Uncle
VIII dwelt particularly on the climate
of the Pacific coast. SO different from
ours. He told you that oranges. figs.
dates and olives grow even in northern
California at the latitude of forty de-
grees Now. what is the latitude OF
Philadelphia?''
'.Thirtv-nine degrees and fifty-seven
minutes" answered Frank, after con-
sulting his books.
practically forty degrees" said his
father: land you know that no tropical
or even semi-tropical fruits will grow
here Now there must be some reason
for this difference. Can you tell what
it is?'
''There is current. or something like
that. isn't there?" ventured Frank
Eyes. there is a current which flows
from the equator northward along our
western coast as far as Alaska, and
there it merges with the Japan current
and flows into Behring sea. But there
is something else to be considered. All
over the world there is wind blowing
from the west to the east, and this wind
carries the warm air which rises from
the equa toria1 current over the Pacific
coast, givin e it a semi-tropical climate"
why doesn't it carry the warm wind
all over the United States?'' asked
Frank.
For one reason. because the great
mountain ranges of the west force the
air up SO high that when it descends on
the eastern slope it is cooled. And
another reason is that the air is cooled
by passing over the great bodies of
frozen water and the treeless plains
But there is another great current of
warm water in the Atlantic ocean,
which flows from the equator to the
Arctic ocean"
The Gulf stream" said Frank, quick
ly.
Exactly. Now, why doesn't the gulf
stream modify the climate of the Allan
tic coast as the Pacific coast is modi-
fed?"
because the wind blows from the
west and carries the warm air over to
Europe"
Precisely. I see you are learning rap
idlv. Now we come to the most inter
esting part of geography You know
that Europe, like our Pacific coast, is
much warmer in the same latitude than