368 ILLINOIS STATE ACADEMY OF SCIENCE 



which is at best only generally true. A classification is 

 of value in high-school years as a means of determining 

 climates but is beyond the comprehension of the grades. 



Less stress should be placed upon the climatic influ- 

 ences of ocean currents and more upon the influences of 

 large water bodies."^ Instead of teachers permitting the 

 children to get out of the grades with the idea that the 

 Gulf Stream is totally responsible for the mild climate 

 of the British Isles, they should bring out more carefully 

 the effects of great water bodies and should show that 

 even if the Gulf Stream were not present, the climate of 

 these islands would still be more moderate than if 

 they were in the same latitude but surrounded by land. 

 The effect of liberation of heat by precipitation should 

 also be stressed. 



An understanding of cyclonic and anti-cyclonic Avinds 

 is hopeless in the grades, is very difficult for the high 

 school, and will keep the beginning college student busy 

 for some time before they are mastered. I have more 

 calls for help from teachers, concerning these winds, than 

 in any other phase of geography. Throughout the 

 seventh grade, more time should be spent upon the ef- 

 fects of rainfall and its distribution and less upon the 

 technical causes of rainfall. 



The eight grade mathematical geography as outlined is 

 far too abstract for grade school children. It forces them 

 beyond their ability and tries to give them a body of 

 knowledge which is of value to them only in a cultural 

 way. You may argue that this knowledge is of value to 

 them and indeed necessary for the intelligent reading of 

 the textbook. In answer I Avould say that too long we 

 have tried to mould children to the form of the textbook 

 written by some college professor who has forgotten 

 that he ever was young and consequently fails to make 

 the textbook meet the needs of the child. I wish that 

 some of the fine women who are doing the critic work in 

 the Normal Training Schools of our country would take 

 up the writing of geography textbooks. 



The star work is of course a heritage from astronomy. 

 We should teach what stars are, if Ave haven't already 

 done so in nature study, and the names and locations of 



