Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1897-09-20

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DR.. Miller Maguire's lecture on III
Irrational study OF military history
reported in the journal Of royal united
service institution, is condensed in the
Repiew of kepielVs. The burden OF the
article is that history and geography
are not taught in English schools. The
writer cites where be found schools
where the pupils had been taught moth
ing of Elizabeth or Nelson or Yelling
ton, or our army in Europe or Asia.
Natioral pride, glory and fame. honor
and prowess, were TO these merely
s.empty sounds.n If this Is true, poor
victims Of scholastic pedan,ry, and
there seems to be no doubt OF IL, one
can understand the Englishman's dis
gust that we had a Portland In Maine
and another in Oregon. and when re-
minded that in Eugland there was more
than one place called by the same
name, replied, "but they are in differ
ent shires, don't you Know all the
time he himself not knowing what an
as. he was exhibiting himself to be.
II we were asked what two studies
were most essential as prelimiDaries OF
a finished education, we should answer
'shistory and geography" History
is but a study Of patriotism; first the
history OF ones own country, and Sec
ond the history of the world. This
history should include not only events,
but, moreover, the political history Of
the chief nations of the world. Geog-
raphy is likewise most important, and
with geography the physical features
Of the various countries should be in
cluded and careful comparisons of
areas to fix in the mind of the pupil
the relative extent of different our
tries. No two studies tend to give full
understanding to men, like geography
and history. or course, to measure
forces and to make exact calculations,
mathematics are a necessity, but a
mere mathematician, while filing his
groove, is an essential element 10 the
world the mar who knows the worlds
history and the general topography
and area of the worlds countries, is
equipped to spesk and think under.
standingly on most Of the themes that
the world is interested in, and without
that knowledge a man is handicapped
from the first,
Tell a man that California has 1885,
800 square miles or that Texas has
265, $50, and be thinks little of 1t, but
tell him that it requires all the six New
England states, the four middle. states
and Maryland to make as much area
as California, and that to equal Texas,
to the others Virginia, North Carolina,
South Carolina and Georgia will have
to be added, and he sees in a moment
why Texans grow tall and don't care a
darn.
Again, when child learns the geog-
raphy of Greece, his first thought is
that it is but a petty country at best
until history supplies the part that
makes the land immortal. Think of
an English lad growing up and know
ing nothing of Magma Charta old
Queen Bess, or the great Armada. or
of Drake or Howard, or of how, when
Napoleon held every land of Europe,
Nelson held every important port, or
Of Waterloo and how the solid squares
melted away there under the erosion
Of cannon shots, or of any of the other
days in English history.
There are no other two studies SO
essential as groundwork for patriotism
or a literary career as history and
geography.