THE DISCIPLINARY VALUE OF GEOGRAPHY m 



understanding or explanation of the phenomena concerned; for ex- 

 ample, the work of the wind in sweeping sand across a desert and 

 whirling dust high into the air may be seen in operation; or the be- 

 havior of rivers in draining their basins and in transporting land waste 

 may be closely studied by direct observation: hence wind action ^and 

 river action may in these respects come to be understood by induction 

 alone. But the larger action of these agents, as in the erosion of elab- 

 orate valley systems by rivers, and in the sculpture of peculiar desert 

 forms by the winds, demand much unseen work in long past time ; and 

 even if induction on a widely extended basis could ultimately bring 

 forth the full explanation of such problems, the mind is too impatient 

 to wait for so long postponed a result, and seeks other means of reach- 

 ing the same end. 



Search for Theoretical Explanation. — One sometimes meets in- 

 ductive investigators who say that they believe it best not to enter upon 

 the speculative aspects of their work, even in complicated problems, 

 untn all the facts have been gathered ; but such caution is unwise, even 

 if it be mentally possible in one who is capable of conducting an orig- 

 inal investigation. An unintelligent person may indeed see various 

 outdoor facts, and continue to observe, collect and record them, and 

 yet never ask himself or anyone else about their cause; but such a 

 person is not mentally fitted to undertake the investigation of new 

 problems, such as are here considered. On the other hand, when an 

 earnest investigator comes upon facts of a complicated nature, he can 

 not help wondering how they came to be what they are ; he is not satis- 

 fied with the slow progress of induction toward their explanation; he 

 inevitably feels some curiosity as to their invisible origin, that is, as to so 

 much of their history as has already passed ; he is discontent to remain 

 ignorant; his mind is alert to find hidden meanings, just as his eyes 

 are watchful to see visible features. He wishes to know about past 

 facts which, in their time, were as veritable as are the facts of to-day, 

 and which taken with to-day's facts assume that reasonable relation 

 which we call explanation. This is precisely as it should be. If by 

 good fortune the student's wonder and curiosity are so much aroused by 

 what he sees, that they excite the invention of a possible explanation 

 for his novel facts, the part of wisdom is surely not to turn his mind 

 away from this invention, which may prove to be an extremely useful 

 one, but merely to refuse immediate belief in it, before its value has 

 been tested. The danger here lies not in the wish for explanation, nor 

 in any ingenious invention of an explanation, but in the acceptance of 

 such an invention as if it were the final truth. That is truly a serious 

 error; an error that is not to be guarded against by stifling the in- 

 ventive faculty, but, as will be shown below, by arousing the critical 

 faculties to a rigorous examination of any suggestions that the in- 

 ventive faculty may bring forth. 



