The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1892-06-15
AN INTERESTING STUDY.
How to Make Dull Book Wonderfully
Interesting.

How to Make Dull Book Wonderfully
Interesting.
Il do wish didn't have to study geo.
graphy," lamented Frank Atkins. Il
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 letter
at his desk, and made no reply until he
had addressed and stamped it, and then
he turned to his fourteen-year-old con
and asked:
"Why?"
Because" answered Frank, prompt
ly, 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,
scofiingly.
''To 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, if 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 infer you really don't learn
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 9
lesson in my way, will you?'
Frank looked rather alarmed but hi
answered. Eyes, SIR" dutifully enough
"Do you remember" began Mr.. At
l1ins, ''when your Uncle VIII came from
California, last February, how inter
ested you We're in his description of tn,
Pacific coast?"
Eyes; and how wanted to go bacl
with him, and you said l might som,
day
so you shall" assured Mr.. Atkins
smiling, when you have finished you
schooling; but l want to ask you ques
ton. When he was telling you abou
the mountain ranges, the sandy desert
and the mighty Columbia river, did i
not occur to you that he was giving
you lesson in geography"
"Why, no.! exclaimed Frank. "Bu
he was-I see it now"
"And it was interesting, was it not?
81 should say So"
well let us follow it up. Uncl
VIII dwelt particularly on the climat
of the Pacific coast, so different fror
! ours He told you that oranges, figs
, dates and olives grow even in norther
. California, at the latitude of forty de
$ grees. Now, what is the latitude c
Philadelphia"
"Thirty-nine degrees and fifty-seve
I minutes" answered Frank, after COZ
s shifting his books.
t practically forty degrees" said h
: father; land you know that no tropics
] or even semi-tropical fruits will gro
here. Now there must be some reaso
r for this difference. Can you tell whs
7 it is?'
r "There is a current, or something Ill
J. that, isn't there?" ventured Frank.
| Eyes, there is current which flov
e from the equator northward along OF
n western coast as far as Alaska, an
o there it merges with the Japan currel
e and flows into Behring sea. But the
= is something else to be considered. A
over the world there is a wind blown
r. from the west to the east, and this win
:. carries the warm air which rises fro
r. the equatorial current over the Paci
,e coast, givin g it a semi-tropical climate
IS "Why doesn't it carry the warm Wi
il all over the United States?' ask
II Frank.
" "For one reason, because the gre
o. mountain ranges of the west force t
I'd air up so high that when it descends
Id the eastern slope it is cooled. A
TX another reason is that the air is cool
n by passing over the great bodies
n frozen water and the treeless plail