The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1913-05-01
Geography a Study
OF Many Possibilities
FACULTY HEARS SUBJECT WELL
DISCUSSED FROM MANY
ANGLES.

DISCUSSED FROM MANY
ANGLES.
ITO develop in the student a think
ing. reasoning and investigative mind;
to broaden his concepts; to make ev'
erything that comes under his obser'
walton assume the form Of an interro'
nation mark challenging him to de.
eide what it is, how it came to be, and
what it is good for: and then to state
his conclusions in definite, clear-cut
terms, in short to enable hin, to think
straight and walk straight is the
greatest aim in teaching geography
and what in my mind should be the
greatest aim in teaching any subject"
So said Prof. J. E. Switzer in his pa.
per Field Work, Its Place and Value
in Geography Teaching" read before
the regular monthly social.professional
meeting Of the faculty on Thursday
evening. Miss Carolyn D. Wood and
Miss Bessie L. Ashton also read schol-
arly papers on Mature Study as Pre-
paration for Geography" and "The Re-
lation of Geography to Other Subjects
of the Curriculum" respectively.
1.-The average person simply accepts
conditions as he finds them without a
question:" said Mr.. Switzer. A hill is
simply hill, a valley is just valley,
q stream is stream and that is all
there is to it. The crying
need Of the student is to realize that
about all that has been written in text
books has been written about Gods
great out of doors. and they, II they
will but open their eyes, can see for
themselves what others saw and wrote
= about. What original sources and
source books are to history, out-of
door study is to geography. =
It seldom enters the mind Of the
school board that the teacher Of geo.
graphy or photography should have
any special qualifications. The sub
jet is often given to whoever has
room for it on his schedule, and about
the same efficiency results as would
result in biology, physics or chemis'
try, If parcelled out in the same way.
"Our region is rich in material for
study. The Sheyenne with its com.
plex but interesting history, with its
terraces, food plains, erosional hills,
and tributary coolies; the glacial drift
and it's contact with the underlying
bedrock; the ground moraine and ter.
minal moraine with their characteris'
tic topography all within walking dis.
lance Of the Normal school and the
city itself make an interesting set of
problems.
1T may be of interest to know that
the International Geographic excur.
sion that crossed the continent last
summer stopped at the east end of
High Bridge. Today, presume, in
over hundred Of the most important
universities of the United States, Can.
ada, England. Germany, Scotland and
France, there are pictures Of Valley
City being exhibited to the classes of
one Of the interesting spots In a long
held trip made by the greatest geo
Kraphers of the age"
The Relation Of Geography to Other
Subjects in the Curriculum.
>"Some one has said that the two ele.
m"nts Of geography on the content
81 Il are ~ the facts about the earth.
a., the material home Of man, and ~
the human life that goes on in this
material home" said Miss Ashton in
opening her paper.
1.-THE aim Of the new geography is
to consider these two sets Of facts to.
gether In their relationships real
concrete relationship Of co-existence,
taking the elements as they are found
together. The new geography Is es-
sentially a study Of relationships, a
study not only of things in their en-
vironment, but Of the response of that
environment
Following these statements OF def
milton, Miss Ashton showed how the
subject of geography was related to
such subjects as nature study, miner
ology, agriculture. arithmetic, litera-
ture, sociology, political economy,
psychology, ETC., giving 1t position
interior to none, SO far as being Of
practical value to the student.
Nature Study as Preparation for
Geography.
Miss Wood gave a short history Of
the early teaching Of geography, be-
r.>,o onaSSn,,inr. "VNyhat IL Nature