The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-04-17

Popular Use
Of the
''MercatOr. T"
BY HUBERT M. SKINNER.
% % o-3-ot-0 = = . ~. Z,

represented as a fiat paraIIeloprau1
bend the map around until the right
ana left edges meet and then the
world Is represented as a cylinder and
not as globe. A moments reflection
viii indicate the amount of the disfo,.
ton, when the arctic circle is as great
as the equator. The nearer the poles
are approached, the greater the dis
tOrtfOn becomes. A circuit Of q few
miles about either pole would be in
dlcated by line as long as the one
winch represents the equator, with its
$4,000 miles of length.
Fortunately for the "Mercator." there
are no lands Of any Importance near
the poles. and the magnifying Of polar
seas does not matter much But the
haDltable lands of the far North-Si-
IBERIA, Alaska and Northern Canada. and
the naVlgable ocean are greatly mag
nlhed. A very erroneous idea is given
OF the distances in regions remote from
the equator.
There is, however, a COMPENSATION
which prevents the serious distortion
OF the contour of countries If the dis
tances are stretched east and west.
they are likewise extended north and
south Thus a Merca tors man is much
too wide (north and south) for it's
length least and west). The regions
or the far North and of the far South
are thus blown up" proportionateIy.
ana II IS only as a whole that the
earthS surface is distorted. At the
center of the map, the meridians and
parallels are generally 50 drawn as to
form almost perfect squares. Further
from the equator, they form obIongs.
Still further away, they form long
strips north and south Since these
crossed lines are extended proportion
ate4y, the excess in the one direction is
a measure OF the excess in the other;
and thus the careful observer may
judge Of the extra longitude by the ex-
ira latitude, which is indicated by the
nSureS on the map where these are
given. But rarely does the casual OBJ
server take this fact into account
Another fact not generally noticed is
that the MercatOr maps do not at
tempt to give all the degree of lati-
tude- Generally they do not extend be-
yOnd 80 degree north and 60 degrees
south. Thus they do not permit one to
trace the results Of polar expeditions.
Ii the missing 40 degrees were added
IN the same proportion, the map would
be indefinitely extended UP and down
In fact, 1t would be impossible to carry
out the proportion fully.
Perhaps the 'MeTcat tor" has come to
stay. We are no longer secluded in our
Western Hemisphere. We have reach
ed out into the Orient, in our exban-
sion. But why should we not have q
hemisphere map on new division of
the earth's surface ?? A hemisphere
map with the new Pacific" for it's
center and with the shores of America
and Asia for its borders would seem to
be popular need at the present time.
Likewise, hemisphere map with, the
Atlantic for its center, America on the
western border and Europe and Africa
on the right, would be of service.
These, with the old hemisphere maps,
would give US four hemispheres, it is
true, but each Of the maps would have
its purpose and uSe-the two old maps
for the study of the land masses, and
the two new ones for the study Of in
teroceanic relations. The geometricaI
wag will meet this suggestion with the
remark that the surface of a globe is
always equal to four great circles. any
way, and here is an opportunity to
show it.
The four hemispheres would. indeed.
afford an object lesson, showing the
exact equivalent OF the surface OF a
globe Of the same diameter.