The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1910-10-06
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
The Demand for Accuracy and How II
lt Is Met

III you ever write geography" said
the man ut the corner desk, you will find
the selection of the pictures the most in
tercsting part of the business. At any
rate, did 1t was also the most painstak-
ing part.
LAS rule the author of geography does
not furnish his own illustrations. This Is
not due to a deficiency of artistic judg-
ment, but to lack of facilities for secur-
Ing proper material. Hal / understood in
the beginning what herculean task this
thing of obtaining suitable illustrations
was going to be- /. too, should have left
the job TO the publishers.
ITO illustrate MODERN high-class ge.
ograply costs anywhere from $1,000 to
5000. In my BOOK the PICTURES were all
made from special photographs or draw
ings. Photographs were most generally
used. but have q number of marine views
and large prairie and harvesting scenes,
such as no photographer could do justice
to, that are the work of special artists.
Besides these / have used copies of four
paintings illustrating certain phases OF
European life, and they cost me pretty
penny.
"All these pictures are strictly up to
date Indeed, IL there Is any Doubling
Thomas who maintains that the world
does not move Just let him compare geog-
raphy illustrations of a recent geography
with those found in text books of 80 years
ago, and he will be convinced. About the
only pictures found in the books of both
periods are views of southern cotton
Held and st. Pauls, London. No geog-
yaphy when or where issued, would be
iomplcte without those two illustrations. g.,
while preparing my own manuscript
mad occasion to examine many geogra.
piles used In foreign schools, especially In
England. Germany and France. From ar
American point of view, those text books
are woefully inferior to our own as re.
CARDS clearness Of text. illustrations, and
general makeup, but however faulty and
incomplete the geography. the Mississippi
cotton field and ST. Paurs are .ndispensa.
bile features, SO, of course, / used the cot.
ton field and ST. Paul's. ] am by no means
slave to conviction. but dared not chal.
ienge public opinion to the extent Of omit:
ting those favorite classics.
with these exceptions my work Is
strictly original, as Is that of most maker,
pr Biographies n these days. Pictures in
all new editions Of Biographies make a
strong point OF Industrial improvements
Photographs Of workshops, mines, harvest
fields. and cattle ranches are taken from
point of view which will show to the
best advantage the latest inventions in the
world Of labor, and in securing scenes Of
city life the same purpose of representing
progress Is adhered to. In this straining
after new and novel effects j had some
ludicrous experiences
I'm one Instance my artist went up on
a reservation in Montana TO take some In
lian photographs. While there four red.
skins who had been convicted OF horse
stealing and various other crimes were
lynched in a bunch. and my artist. who
was present al the execution. got q picture
Of them dangling from the branches and
proudly exhibited 1t as desirable por-
:rayal of the manners and customs of the
FAR west. This might not have been any
worse than the Old geographical illustra-
Ions called Indians Spearng Fish. and
Indian Massacre still it did not exactly
suit my purpose, and l heartily excluded
it, to the artists disgust.
Very few recent Biographies contain
the imaginary pictures which formerly
graced school books and were vaguely
labeled This Is a mountain or cape, or
whatever was Up for description. The alb
S1ract has given way to the concrete, and
every picture has definite name When
1t comes to landscapes, exceeding care is
used in the selection Of pictures. In this
one particular l think the French geog-
raphies are little superior to ours