The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1897-04-09
TRALASIA.
Conflict of Authority rs to the Terri
tory 1t Includes.
Very truly yours,
w. >. PICKEN,
Supt. lola City Schools.
S--R-%

Conflict of Authority rs to the Terri
tory 1t Includes.
\ learned society is rather unfortu-
nate, to say the least, when 1t Is IN
able to tell what its name means. This
is the dilemma of the Royal Geograph-
ieai society of Australasia. 1t asked the
International Geographical congress
in London last year to give an answer
to the question: What is the true def
milton of the term Australasia? The
congress, being very busy with other
matters, had no time for this conun-
drum, and the question is still unan-
swered.
The Australian geographers decline
to accept the British definition of the
word as given in the imperial statute,
which declares that 1.-The term Austral-
asia shall signify and include New Zea-
land and Tasmania as well as Aus
tralia." Why ask the Australian ge-
ographers, should New Guinea, FIJI.
New Caledonia and the other islands of
the South seas be excluded? In fact,
no geographical society and few writ
ers accept the British definition; but
confusion arises because everybody
uses the word according to his own idea
| of what it embraces. The Australians
themselves have tried in vain to reach
a common understanding. n geegraph-
| zeal conference at Melbourne in 1854
argued the question, but failed to at
| tain any conclusion, and none has been
arrived at since. though the great So
cietv. with its branches in all the lead
! ing colonies, said in its memorial TO the
London congress that Eve consider 1t
A matter of daily-increasing imPor-
| lance"
| The fact is, there are few accepted
boundaries for parts of the world con-
sidered in a geographical instead OF
coIiticaI sense. What is the geograph-
/ ical. the so-called natural. division be-
tween Europe and Asia in the south
east? One famous authority says it IS
/ the Manytsch depression north OF the
! Caucasus; another. that il is the line
following the crest of the main eau
casus range, and still another, that II
is the southern boundary of Trans
] (aUc1Sl1s anu Jiic idtC9t CNA1+OI ~ -
voIkerung der Erle." which deals with
the matter. gives three determinations
of the total area of Europe. according
5 one or other of these boundary lines
Is accepted.
There is no agreement even as 10 the
number of continents, for some dis
tinpuished writers recognize only
I three. Euro-Asia. Africa and America;
ard when they talk of the great d.
visions of the land surface the number
varies from five to eight, according to
different writers. Perhaps in only one
respect is this matter Of much impoT-
lance. When a writer or speaker re-
fers to a region it IS highly desirable
10 know how much CT the eaTth's sur
face he includes under the name
Until half a century ago there was
\ much confusion in books and aliases
with regard TO the names and extent
of the various oceans. The Royal Geo
graphical society of London appointed
a committee IN 1S45 to settle these mat
tiers, and the conclusions reached oy the
committee, with some notifications
were generally accepted and have
proved advantageous. There is much
less confusion with regard TO the names