The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-06-27
SUNG THEIR LESSONS
Geography Set to Music an Old
 Time Teaching Scheme.
A PLAN OF YANKEE ORIGIN.

"A PLAN UT YANKEE ORIGIN. One of the Most Popular Airs fn tbs List Used to Interest the Pupils In Their Studies Was "AuId Lang Syns"-"Bonny Doom" AIss Liked. Singing geography was a popular fad in the educational line fn New York in olden days. particularly h rn state school districts. 1t was of Yan~ kee origin. It was never made part Of the common school system of the state. but was taught outside the regular hours.
 A set of wall maps known as Peg- tons outline maps was used. There were no names of geographical dfvf- sions or places on them. The instrUc- tor would SC over the map on which the lesson was found. pointing out with pointing rod the different coun- tries, cities, rivers. lakes or whatever might be the subject in hand. and at the same time the name of each d. vision, place or body of water would be mentioned in song. The teacher. usually a man. would lead the class chorus as he pointed, and if the sub ject happened to be political divisions the song would run like this. to the tune of "Bonny Coon;'
 Let North America be first
 In our descriptive rhyme reheaysed.
 Its northern bound the arctic waves.
 af f ho f n+f Iou
 The gulf of Mexico we see
 Upon its southern boundary.
 Its western and southwestern sides
 Are washed by the Pacific tides. The geographical verses were con- tained in the pupils text book called '"The Key to Pelton's New and IrD- proved Series of Outline Maps" Among other things the following Is old time volumes:
 with respect to the versifcaffon. ir Is merely necessary to say that the de- sign has been to put all the important geographical localities on the globe. in connection with much valuable matter. In a form which can be most easily committed to memory. and it Is con6~ dently believed that the exhilaraffng effect of harmonious sounds will great ly facilitate the acquisition of this knowledge. and care has been taken that none but popular and approved airs be inserted in the work"
 "Auld Lang Syne" appears to have been regarded as an especially pop ular and approved" air and was often used. In the very first lesson the pu~ pills were taught to describe the earth by singing the following to this tunes The earth Is a large ball or globe
 Whose surface has been found
 Three-fourths with ocean waves sub-
 merged
 And but one-fourth dry ground
 Two hundred millions of square miles
 Earth's surface does enbrace.
 Eight hundred million people here
 All find dwelling place
 Tongue twisting names did not en- barrass the geographical versi6er, al~ though the enunciation of all the pu> pills probably was not perfect when. for example. fn the lesson on Asia they sang to the air of "Brucefs Ad- aress' such lines as these:
 Now in moduIations sweet
 Asia's rivers we repeat
 Obi first in Russia greet. 1ss
 Irtish river next
 Lost in sand behold Heimund,
 Then northward seek Yarkund;
 Be not turbid Oxus shunneds
 Sihon river see.
 Urai river next in place,
 Attruck and Koor river traces
 Kizn Irmak then embrace
 In our melody.
 There were thirty-one states fn the Union when singing geography was fn vogue, and the pupils were taught to bound each of them in verSe. Cali fornia was then the newest state, hay ing been admitted ip 1850: was the last oD the list. and its boundaries were thus defined:
 On California's northern sids vast Oregon
 Is placed.
 Both Utah and New Mexico upon the east upon its southern borders next may Hex-
 leo be found.
 And broad Pacific's sparkling waves com
 pose its western bound
 Tn thirty-four stanzas set to the tune of "Bonny Doom" the geography class would make a tour of Europe and glean bits of information about various countries and cities visited The tour would start in this fashion: Now be our geographic rhymes
 Transferred to European cIimes.
 The grand divisions first we teach With the metropolis of each.
 Norway. a region bleak and cold.
 By Christiania Is controlled
 Sweden that Charles the hero bred, Takes Stockholm for it's chief and head Russia in proud expansion sits
 And to St. Petersburg submits
 Austria with its ,npertal crown,
 Vienna takes for its chief town
 Turkey, in southern Europe placed,
 Is by Constantinople graced
 Greece, once for arts and arms rs-
 nowned,
 With glorious Athens still is crowned Thus the geography pupfls sang on through the list of European nations and capitals.-New York Sun
 EnIivened the Play.
 Monte Cristo" was playing to = crowded house in a New York theater. In a box sat a man who had looked on the wine when 1t was red When Monte mounted the rock in the sea and exclaimed. "The world is miner the man in the box shouted, 'WhatH