COMPARATIVE 



PHYSICAL AND HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY, 



OR, THE STUDY OF 



THE EARTH AND ITS INHABITANTS. 



A SERIES OF GRADUATED COURSES FOR THE USE OF SCHOOLS. 



BY ARNOLD GITYOT, 



Late Prof, of Physical Geography and History, Neuchatel, Switzerland, author of 'Earth and Man,' &c. 



G. K. L. are happy to announce that the above work, which has been under- 

 taken in compliance with the earnest solicitations of numerous teachers and friends 

 of education, is in a forward state of preparation. The plan of the author, and 

 the principal characteristics of this series may be gathered from the following 

 exposition of the subject : 



A knowledge of the globe we inhabit, whether considered in itself alone, or in its 

 relations to man, the distribution of the races of men, and the civil divisions of its sur- 

 face, are subjects of interest too varied, too direct, and too vital, not to command the 

 attention, and excite the sympathy of the mind, at every period of life. 



If Geography has been considered as a dry and often fruitless study, if indeed, to 

 teach it with success has been considered as one of the most difficult problems in edu- 

 cation, there is reason to believe that the difficulty lies not in the subject, but in the 

 method of teaching it. 



In most manuals the accumulation of facts, and especially the want of arrange- 

 ment of them, really corresponding to their connection in nature, renders the study 

 difficult, and overburdens the memory at the expense of a true and thorough under- 

 standing of the subject. Hence there is confusion and a want of clear and comprehen- 

 sive views, and consequently a lack of interest for the student. For if the mind seeks 

 to comprehend, it is only interested in what appears clear and well connected. To 

 attain this end it is necessary 



FIRST. To attempt a rigid selection of materials, and to reject from school instruc- 

 tion all details which have but a transient value, and, on the other hand, to render 

 prominent, facts of permanent value ; preferring, for instance, the details of Physical 

 Geography and of Ethnography, to those of Statistics, which may be more fully dwelt 

 upon subsequently. 



SECOND. To distribute geographical instruction throughout the whole course of 

 education, so as to divide the labor of learning, and to give at the same time to each 

 period of life the nutriment most appropriate for its intellectual taste and capacity. 

 To this end, the globe should be studied from the different points of view successively, 



Graduating each view to the capacity of different classes of students. At first, the iun- 

 amental outlines alone should be presented, and next, not only additional facts, but 

 a deeper understanding of their connection, and so on ; and thus, by a regular and 

 natural path, a full and intelligent knowledge of the globe, in all its relations, will be 

 finally attained. 



THIRD. The comparative method, recently adopted with so much success in 

 Europe, should always be employed ; for it is by the recognition of resemblances and 

 differences that the mind seizes upon the true characters, and perceives the natural 

 relations, and the admirable connection, of the different parts which form the grand 

 whole ; in a word, gains real knowledge. 



The series hereby announced is designed to meet these wants. It will consist of 

 three courses adapted to the capacity of three different ages and periods of 

 study. The first is intended for Primary Schools, and for children of from seven to tea 

 years. The second is adapted for higher schools, and for young persons of from ten to 

 fifteen years. The third is to be used as a scientific manual in Academies and Colleges. 



Each course will be divided into two parts, one of purely Physical Geography, the 

 other for Ethnography, Statistics, Political and Historical Geography. Each part 

 will be illustrated by a colored Physical and Political Atlas, prepared expressly for this 

 purpose, delineating, with the greatest care, the configuration of the surface, and the 

 other physical phenomena alluded to in the corresponding work, the distribution of the 

 races of "men, and the political divisions into States. Each part, with the correspond- 

 ing map, will be sold separately. 



The two parts of the first or preparatory course are now in a forward state of prepa- 

 ration, and will be issued at an early day. 

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