Evening star., 1934-07-02
ECONOMIC TRENDS
ARE HELD INSANITY
Prof. Smith of Columbia
Says Fundamental Forces
Make AutarChy Impossible.

Present day trends throughout the
is strange insanity in an insane
world
This assertion was made today by
J. Russell Smith, professor of eco
nomic geography at Columbia Uni
versity, in an address before the
National Council of Geography
Teachers, which met at the National
Academy Of Sciences in conjunction
with the National Education Asso-
ciation
Economic nationalism or autarchy.
as it is sometimes called. is a
strange insanity" Prof. Smith de-
clared. Insanity is usually defined
as the adherence to fixed ideas re-
gardless of the evidence. BY that
definition of insanity We live in an
insane world On nearly every hand
we see an increasing desire for eco
nomic independence in the face of
two great fundamental forces that
oppose it, and show its impossibility
and the waste in attempting it.
Describes Opposing Forces.
These two forces are chronological
advance and climatic differences as
shown by study Of climatic regions.
Psychological advance is ever
widening the area from which mod
ern industry must draw its supplies.
Technological advances makes SubSti-
tutions. but it usually makes two new
uses for one substitution. For ex-
ample. a telephone instrument which
we daily use contains products from
81 countries and all the six inhab-
tied. Our iron and steel industry. de-
spite our collosal supply of raw ma
terials. uses 40 imports from so
countries.
Geography joins technology to
make autarchy impossible and shows
efforts toward it to be very wasteful.
"A map of the world climate regions
shows Is major climate types, each
recurring in two or more continents.
Each produces some commodity or
commodities better than any other,
and some of them have practical
monopolies of vital raw materials.
Kind of MutiIation.
"1n view of these facts. economic
nationalism becomes kind of mutt
lation. 1t may be likened to the self
mutilation of the human body. which
is one of the signs of insanity or ex-
treme fanaticism.'
The practical use of geography to
the business man was discussed by
Ina Cullen Robertson, professor of
geography at State Teachers College,
Valley City, N. Oak
Mans best opportunity for finding
himself vocationally is often found
deeply imbedded in the revealing
knowledge of geography" she said.
Every business man is interested
in location, amount and utilization of
earth's resources. in the means of
procuring, distributing and fabricating
of raw materials. in location of in
dustrial plants, in utilizing land in
available labor. in actual and poten-
tial markets for goods, in traDSporta-
tion facilities, in fiuctuation of the
stock market, and in the whole eco
nomic. social and political structure
of society as it affects business. Eco
nomic geography, therefore, is of in
estimable value to the business man.
Better Training Urged.
John B. Heffelflnger, president of
the Kansas State Council of Geogra-
ply Teachers, discussed Learning
Difficulties" in the teaching of geog
raphy. He pleaded especially for bet
ter training of teachers of the subject
and a better grouping of pupils ac-
cording to their abilities.
Miss Helen M. White of Roosevelt
High School. outlined the Government
agencies whose work and materials
are available as aids in teaching
geography.