Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1900-08-21
COM MUNlCATED.

/
An interesting feature of the third
week at the summer school was the
lecture of DR.. J. W. Redway upon
geography, photographic and econo-
mic. As i man and public speaker he
is sine geasris. His measured diction,
drolt or grotesque conceits and pc
cnliar voice pitched in many keys give
point to his utterances and help to fix
them in the memory He treats the
subject on broad lines and in a popular
way. He is eminently practical, pur-
| posing to make one feel that our physi-
cal surroundings condition our lives
and control our activities; that what
touches the person or pocket-booR is
the ultimate Importance in geography.
By way of illustration, he showed
that the Cape of Good Hope is a point
worth knowing because it is directly
related to the present industrial pros
perity of Minneapolis and st. Paul.
He said that the decadence Of Venice.
Genoa and Florence began when the
unspeakable Turk blocked the caravan
routes to the Orient and compelled the
people about the Baltic and North seas
to seek water route to the East Indies,
which led to the discovery of the New
World, the development of whose re-
sources brought about the founding OF
the Twin Cities whose flour now feeds
the people of Europe. The timorous
marines hugging the African shore
landed at the cape Exploring the
coast On the further side they found
that the shore turned northward. Set
ting sail they made their way CO the
eastern coast and across the Indian
ocean to the far famed Cathay This
| gave great impetus to navigation and
exploration and turned the.tide of com
merce to the Tuetonic people. Had
that crew not landed at Good Hope the
development of America might have
come much later, and these great cities
might have been still nonresident.
Emphasizing the Importance of a
peoples adjusting themselves to the
conditions of their photographic enyir.
onment, he pointed to the poverty of the
New England colonists until they be.
gan to appreciate the fact that they had
about all the good harbors on the At
lantic coast and the best of timber fol
ship building, and were led to engage
extensively in fishing and commerce
after which riches flowed in upon them
Then came the various embargo acts in
the years preceding the war of 1912
which annihilated commerce and
brought poverty and distress to the
people. This piece of folly he charac
terized as knocking off our national
nose to spite our national face. Again
scrutinizing their photographic envir
onment they perceived that their river;
afforded abundance of water power foi
manufacturing Adjusting themselves
to these conditions the busy wheel o.
industry brought peace and plenty tc
the land
Commenting on the influence of ply
geographic features he called attention
to the different conditions under which
farming is carried on in eastern anC
western Kansas, regions which differ
in elevation from two to four thou
sand feet. Comparing the circum
stances of "a farmer in the western par
with one in the eastern, he said, would
be like comparing Buffalo Bill will
China; Buffalo Bill has show; but
well, the man in western Kansas ISM
in it, that's all.
He said the gap that across the east
ern highland through which the Mo
hawk river flows is not important alone
because it gave New York City tht
commercial and financial supremacy
but because it today fixes the rates OF
all western freights. The New Yorl
Central railway with its six tracks max
ing an ascent between the Great Lake:
and Underwater not more than four hun
dred feet has tremendous advantag,
over its competitor like the Erie roat
which must lift its load many Thousand
feetin crossing the numerous elevations
The stock of the first cooperation stands
away above far while the latter roaC
has been in the hands of receiver fol
more than half its history.
The doctor is good deal of an icon
oclast and enjoys smashing popular
geographic idols by knocking ancien
fancies against modern facts. The
statement which perhaps most shocked
his audience was that the Gulf stream
does not affect the climate of western
Europe more than five miles from tn,
coast line.
He gave an amusing account of the
visit of an irate schoolmam to his home
TO complain of his little daughters fail
ure to pass her examination in geo
graphy. The child met his stern re
proof with the blunt reply that he could
not pass it himself He said he prompt
| ly put up a big bluff by demanding the
questions, which were produced forth
with and proved to be mainly upor
location. The first one being pro
| pounded, he found himself short on
that stock of knowledge and passed on
the second he was likewise short and
passed again. He made stab at the
third and got it partly right. The up
shot of it all was that he, one of the fore
most geographers of America was moi
able to get more than forty percent
upon an examination prepared for chill
dren of ten or twelve years, strange
commentary upon the judgment of the
teacher.
The Philippine natives run pell-melI,
|. At the sound of our Yankee yell,
I But, oh, what a gait they'll have,
/ maybe.
l Altar "a kss.fr Rnnkx Maunsa;v To-