The record-union., 1896-11-25

Ing little vocal solo, Tell Me. My
Heart
MRS. PURNELL'S ADDRESS.
Geography was the next subject, and
Mrs. Purnell spoke upon it.
She said that in discussing any sub
iect in the curriculum Of the schools,
1T seemed to her there We're two sub
iects to be considered. One was the
object for which the schools existed
and the other the conditions and char
acters under which the pupils come.
Like the refractory and free ores
from the mines, the children come to
the teacher The ores are treated in
different ways, but they all come out
in the end alike. The children come
from homes that are widely different
and from different environments, and
must be so treated and directed as to
bring out the best results for all
Geography is not generally valued at
its true worth. 1t is really one of the
deepest, most important in the school
courses. Mathematics, political and
physical geography, each have their
ramifications that deal with and affect
the most important affairs of practical
life and national interest, and are far
reaching in the information they i'm
part.
She thought that in the biographies
in use to-day there is much information
that is out of place and too abStruSe
for the understanding of the pupils. She
thought teachers should beware of try
Ing to teach too much. Pupils study
their lessons and learn them, but the
results are not what they should be.
The question is where to begin and
what to teach. She thought children
cvould be kept with profit for one year
upon the map of the world and inn
portant countries and localities be
learned in such a way that they would
be remembered.
She explained how she would teach
geography on the map to her pupils,
and said that this great valley could be
made an object lesson of the most val
liable kind in giving a clear idea of the
relations of mountains, rivers and
plains. and the notifications of climate
produced by them. Many things can be
taught by the idea of association, and
she thought some teachers did not fit
themselves properly for the work.
We should teach geography so that
1t would increase patriotism. The fun
damental work in geography should be
done so thoroughly that the pupils will
know it as well as they do their multi
plication table What they know in any
of their studies they should know
well and be able to use it. We spend
too much time over our unimportant
matters.
DR.. Winship was requested to speak
41.r IL, \ Il
like to emphasize the fact that what
teachers teach has cost the world a
great deal. The length of degree and
the form Of the world, which are now
taught in few minutes, cost many
years of labor and calculation.
He gave an interesting account of
how the distance of degree of longi-
tude was ascertained with exactness,
it taking four measurements and cal
culations, running from A. D. S14 to A.
d. 1I35. So with the shape of the
earth, which it took one expedition of
F'renchmen sixteen months and an
other ten years to ascertain the fact
that it is f1attened at the poles.
He belived that geography should be
taught from the human standpoint.
Europe. the pupil is taught is only a
little peninsula, much smaller than
Asia. but they are not taught that
Europe exerts ten times the influence
on the world that the millions Of Asia
and it's size do. France is the third
wheat producing country in the world,
but as she not only does not export any,
but uses one-half of what the United
States exports, she is never spoken of
as a wheat producing country, while
India and Australia, which do not raise
anything like as much, but export it,
are spoken of as great wheat producers,
and a rain in India last week excited
the markets of the world.
He explained how the wheat and flour
producing centers have been changed,
and how the processes of making flour
have changed them Minneapolis is to-
day supplying England with flour be-
cause of her process and the reduction