38 



one anothor in finding means to make that home more habitahle. Inxurious 

 anil Utopian. (Jco^'i'aphy stn(li<'s the rehitionsliiijs between tlie earth and 

 its inliahitunts. involved in tlie intlnences of natural environment and the 

 reactions of pUmts. animals and men. Under the quickening power of 

 the doctrine of evolution, hi(jlo.!ry lias gone to studying "the reciprocal re- 

 lations of organisnis and the external world." and geography has been 

 comi>eried to become a universal ecology. The very latest and happiest 

 statement I have seen is that of Prof. Ilerbertson. that "geography is fast 

 beconung the scicntilic study of environmenls." A distinguished geographer 

 who is also a member of I'arliament gt)es farther and defines geography to 

 be not a science, l)ut a state of mind, a way of looking at things in proper 

 perspective, in relation to the world organism of which they form a part. 



And so I have undertaken by way of both exposition and apologj' to 

 present to the Academy a con.crete exami)le of the method and the re- 

 sults of contemporary geograpliie science, as applied to those regi(nis with 

 wliidi tlie people of Indiana are most intimately concernetl. Geograpliy 

 claims the right of scientific prevision, and therefore my topic is Tlic 

 North America of Today aiul Totiimroir. niid Imlimin'^ I'hicc in It. 



My tlieme might be very fully prescnied liy a scries of maps, almost 

 unlimited in numlter, but arrangc<l in a few groups. Tlu' first may be 

 called the pedographi(? (Greek pcihni. the ground) group, which would 

 disi)lay the features of the ground, or suhsiratnni uimn which plants grow, 

 animals live, and men find their homes and do llieir work. It would in- 

 clude graphic expressions of the lieigiit. dciitli. oul^nl(^ relief and struc- 

 ture of the earth crust. A second group would be liydrograpliic and dis- 

 l)lay the features of the sea of water whicli acis not oniy upon the surface 

 of the continent, but stretches through its substance from ocean to ocean. 

 A third gi'oup would l)e climatic, and deal with the dynamic, tiiermal and 

 hyetal conditions of the atmosphere. A fourth group would be biographic. 

 (in a special sense) showing the distribution of i»lant and aiiini;il life. A 

 lifth gi'oup would be ecouoiiiic and would re\'eal the si'crets of household 

 management, by wiiich the human family makes ;i living, bi^b or low. on 

 this continent. .\ sixth grou]* would be deiiiogra|iliic. showing the distri 

 biitiou of people of all races, cobirs. languages, clothes, ■"diseases, accom- 

 )i!is!imeiits and sins," and would grade into a linal .sociologic group dealing 

 Willi politics, education, art and religion, < >l' this i>ossible g.allery of maps 

 I c;in display but half a do/en and make tlieni exhibit details, fcu' verbal 

 mention of which linu is lacking. The Ue\ to ni\ thesis is map No. 4, 



