DISCIPLINARY VALUE OF GEOGRAPHY 227 



the speaker may conduct them, and to accept his results without ques- 

 tion. It is less satisfactory when the hearers are the equals or the 

 seniors of the speaker, so that they may properly assume a critical 

 attitude, and reasonably desire to form their own estimate as to the 

 validity of the conclusion announced ; for in this case they must wish to 

 know, not at the end, but at the outset, the conclusion up to which the 

 speaker leads the inductive procession of facts, in order that they may 

 at once consider the bearing of each fact on the conclusion when the 

 fact is mentioned. It is indeed difficult for hearers to assume a critical 

 attitude during a purely inductive presentation, because it is not the 

 individual facts as they are presented, but the conclusion which is 

 reached at the end, that is to be criticized. Hence if criticism is 

 desired, it is advisable to modify the inductive method at least so far as 

 to announce the conclusion in its most simple form at the beginning, 

 even if it is repeated in fuller form at the end. 



It will often happen that a study may cover so wide a field or that 

 a journey may bring to light so varied an assortment of facts, that an 

 inductive presentation of all of them would be distracting, by reason 

 of leading along many diverse lines. It is then advisable, in view of 

 the necessity of compressing the labor of weeks or months into an hour 

 of speaking, as well as in view of the importance of concentrating the 

 attention upon the moderate number of points that an audience 

 can fairly apprehend, to allow no more than light or brief mention to 

 many topics, if indeed most of them are not wholly omitted, and to 

 select for inductive presentation only such part of the whole story as 

 lends itself to orderly arrangement, culminating in as novel and as 

 interesting a climax as possible. Clear marching order of successive 

 items is indeed particularly desirable in inductive presentation. It is 

 furthermore highly important that, while the speaker is marshalling his 

 facts in systematic order, his conclusion should not become so plain that 

 his audience perceives it before he announces it; for nothing is less 

 effective than for a speaker finally to state as a novelty a conclusion 

 which his hearers have reached before him. If there is any danger of 

 so untoward a result, the speaker will do well to introduce his conclusion 

 at some midway point, so as to be sure that his hearers shall not antici- 

 pate him in arriving at it. 



An advantage sometimes claimed for inductive presentation is that 

 it is safe ; but this quality, particularly in somewhat complex problems, 

 is more apparent than real. Presentation truly has everything to do 

 with the clearness with which the results of an investigation may be ap- 

 prehended, but it has nothing to do with the safety of the results ; their 

 safety is altogether dependent on the critical thoroughness with which 

 the investigation that led to them was carried on. Moreover, as was 

 shown in the first part of this discussion, it is never the case that a 

 conclusion, in which the unseen events of the past are largely involved. 



