Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1898-09-15
pAEAsnD wIrn VIEW HOOKS.

Il
supt. HarIas Thinks the Elementary oeog-
raphy VIII be Very Valuable An the City
schools. +f
David W. Harlan, superintendent OF
public schoolB, is very much pleased
with the elementary geography. which
was recently adopted by the Board OF
Education and which is now in use in
the schools, having heen distributed on
Monday. He has examined the work
carefully and thinks IL will be very
valuable in ,hs city schouls. he has
received q copy Of a letter on the sub.
N issicuer OF Education, at Washington,
OF which the following is n portion.
II have examined with pleasure the
advance sheets Of the new elementary
geography and am glad to sea the d.
manner the human side with the
natural. The history of nature has
given us the physical elements of diff,
fsrence. 1t has given us a, variety in
climate. soil, productions; the varieties
of conhguration of the land and of the
water. Man has come upon the scene
to avail himself Of the food, clothing
and shelter furnished by nature. He
has made and ia in the process Of
making great changes with view 10
connect each place with the rest Of the
world SO that wherever the individual
lives he cau receive a share of the pro-
ductions of all the world and contribute
the productions OF his labor to others.
Thue willis nature produces the ele-
ments of difference, mans great work
10 to combine these and other results
in unity anu make each section able to
participate in the fruits of all sections.
The rivers, the seas, the mountains,
torrid heat and Arctio cold. all have
some results that are favorable to man
| they and In the production of peculiar
advantages in the way of animal.
mineral or vegetable productions. But
they also furnish obstacles to the inter-
communication of man with men. The
most inter esting part Ut geography ia
that part which relutes to the conquest
OF these obstacles and the connecting
OF the productions peculiar to each
place with the market Ut this world.
| "School geography should treat OF
the surface OF the earth rs the home oil
man. hence it should lay special stress
on the countries 10 which civilization
arose and over which civilization has
spread While the physical geography
of the unsettled regions ia as interest.
ing from the point OF view of natural
science as the region about New York
City or London or Paris or Rome, YET
from the standpoint of human history
the case is far different,
1t 10 unfortunate that in order tt
praise on tendency OF geography an
other tendency must seem to be dis
paraged. The great discoveries IL
geology and their applications to geog
raphy by such men as Prof. Davis OF
Prof Chamberlin deserve only CRATE
full oommenuRtion. The WORK OF Rittel
uno Guyot revolutionized one-hslf OF
the geographical tsRchipg. That pnr
Of geography which explains to th,
child the physical elements Of tn,
globe and shows how present form
have arisen ia called the new geog
raphy' and it deserves the highes
praise. When taught in the snirit o.
its foremost promoters it leads th,
child in the readiest manner into
comprehension OF hia physical environ.
ment and leads him by straight roaG
into an interest in all the sciences o
nature. This contribution to human
knowledge must certainly have III
place in the school and very promi
nent place. But il is not the whols o
what belongs to schUcl geography.
In the school geography the chilli
must commence with his habitat ant
study the forms Of nature and proceed
from their present appearance TO thei
explanation through the geological pro
cesses But such q book must ais
show how man han tnken advantage O
these things and what railroads, whn
water comm nieation, what agricult
ural machinery, what agriculture AM
mining and commerce., have done Il
connect this habitat with ithe rest o
the world. W
"Thu differences of man as nntura
and spiritual being. namely his races
his hahits of life, degrees of ciyiliza
ton, languages. religions, occupations
la short his ability to conquer natur
and make it available, all these thing
J belong TO the human eide of geograph
and should have perhaps even NOR
J stress laid upono them than upon th
, explanation of natural forms Of geoI
ogy. But we must not choose one O
these to the neglect of the other. W
must have botb.
SIN this elementary hook has bee
combined these topics in a prope
manner and on plan well adapted 10
J the school grades in which the book
to he used. and l look with grea
J interest for the, next number of tn
I series, hoping to find In it an exposi
! tion OF the elemenatry ideas OF sociu
} science as we'll as a compend Of tn
most recent results IN the study of ply
steal geography" We