president's address — SECTION E. 155 



This is such an important occasion for geographers in Australia 

 that I am dis]>osed to dwell at some length upon the subject O'f 

 geography and its teaching, in order to emphasize and spread more 

 widely the gospel of geographic science. 



The first recognition of geography at any British University 

 was the appointment to a lectureship at Oxford University in 1888. 

 Cambridge followed the next year, and thereafter during the next 

 twenty years practically every university in the United Kingdom 

 did likewise. Many of the former lectureships have since been 

 replaceJd by the foundation of Chairs of Geography, in which, 

 again, Oxford led the way. During this period the statixs of 

 geography has gradually risen until, in 1916, it was made an 

 honours subject in certain British universities. At this same time 

 the Civil Servicei examiners decided to assign to geography a much 

 larger proportion of marks than hitherto. 



Despite these advances geography in British countries has 

 always lagged far behind the standard in France and Gennany. 

 For example, Professor Herbertson, of Oxford, speaking in 1910, 

 tells us that whereas Oxford University could afford only an old 

 private residence slightly modified for the Geography School, the 

 Geography Department of Berlin University was endowed with 

 ^6,000 per annum, and housing accommodation which cost 

 £150,000, inclusive of land values. 



The good work of the universities gradually made itself felt 

 throughout Great Britain in disseminating a greater degree of 

 geographical intelligence in the rising generation of teachers. This 

 had the efi^ect in 1905 of ushering in a new epoch in the teaching 

 of geography, when the Board of Education issued its regulations 

 for the teaching of geography in secondary schools. Sir John 

 Keltie in describing this change says:* '.'Consequence had to be 

 connected with cause, and reasons had to^ be stated with facts, 

 instead of presenting lists of names as catalogues to' be learned. 

 Geography thus now became a reasoning subject requiring indivi- 

 dual work by the student and sound knowledge by the teacher, as 

 much as any other subject taught on scientific principles. The sub- 

 ject is being treated more and more on a regional basis, and the 

 work is consequently gaining in intelligence." 



In these regulations it is pointed out that there should be 

 lessons in reading books of travel and adventure, as Keltie says, 

 " intended to- inspire interest in the earth and its inhabitants, and 

 cultivate appreciation in what may be termed the intangible in- 

 fluences and factors of geographical character. When taught in 

 this way geography may ]ye made one of the most valuable subjects 

 in a school curriculum ; for it provides not only the intellectual 

 discipline of a science rightly studied but also the human interest 

 and sympathy of the most inspiring literature" 



* Pres. Address, Geog. Association; see Geoff. Jour., XLIIL. p. 410. 



