440 TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION E. 



the article on ' Geography ' we find a description of geomorphology as that part of 

 Geography which deals with terrestrial relief, and a remark is made that ' opinion 

 still differs as to the extent to which the geographer's work should overlap that 

 of the geologist.' In this article, however, most of the authorities quoted are 

 geologists, and the author remarks that ' the geographers who have hitherto given 

 most attention to the forms of the land have been trained as geologists.' 



Turning to the article on ' Geology ' we find an important section on ' Physio- 

 graphical Geology,' which is described as dealing with the investigation of ' the 

 origin and history of the present topographical features of the land.' Now this 

 is the exact field claimed for geomorphology. It has been observed by others, 

 notably by Professor de Martonne, that the interpretation of topographic forms 

 has been most successfully undertaken by geologists, and he gives as an instance 

 of this the good work done by the United States Geological Survey. 



I do not know whether any geographer untrained as a geologist has con- 

 tributed anything of value to geomorphology. 



Another test which may be applied is the following : Let us imagine Geo- 

 graphy to be non-existent and note what the effect would be. Suppose there 

 were no such things as Government Geographical Services, or Schools of Geo- 

 graphy at the Universities, or Geographical Societies. The first and most 

 obvious result would be that most, if not all, of our apparatus of exploration 

 and mapping would have disappeared. But as we are all in agreement as to the 

 necessity of this branch of human effort, let us restore this to existence and 

 examine the effect of the disappearance of the rest. 



So far as concerns geodesy, we should still possess the International Geodetic 

 Association, the Geodetic Institute at Potsdam, and the United States Geodetic 

 Survey, and similar bodies. But we should have lost the means of popularising 

 geodesy in the proceedings of Geographical Societies; and, as there would be 

 now no geographical text-books, elementary geodesy would not find itself be- 

 tween the same covers as climatology and geomorphology. 



As regards geomorphology, or physiographical geology, not very much dif- 

 ference would be noted. The geologists would still pursue this important sub- 

 ject; but here again their writings would perhaps appeal to a more expert and 

 less popular audience ; although it is not to be forgotten that many admirable 

 introductions to the subject have been written by geologists. 



Much the same might be said about meterology and climatology. There 

 would be text-books devoted to these studies, but there might be a diminution 

 of popular interest. 



Such names as phyto-geography would disappear, but the study of botany (if 

 we permit it the use of distributional maps) would not be affected. The loss to 

 knowledge would be mainly that of getting to a certain extent out of touch with 

 the public. The constitutions of the various learned bodies would remain the 

 same and so would their functions. The constitution of the Royal Society, which 

 has never recognised geography as a subject, would be totally unaffected. 



If we thus study the relations between Geography and other subjects we are 

 almost bound to arrive at the conclusion that Geography is not a unit of science 

 in the sense in which geology, astronomy, or chemistry are units. If we inquire 

 into the current teaching of Geography, and examine modern text-books, we find 

 that most of the matter is derived directly from the workers in other fields of 

 study. And if we inquire into the products of Geographical societies, it becomes 

 evident that one of the most important functions fulfilled by these useful bodies 

 is to popularise the work of geodesists, geologists, climatologists, and others, and 

 to provide a common meeting-ground for them. If Geography had been able 

 to include geology and the other sciences which deal with earth-knowledge, it 

 would then, indeed, have been a master science. But things have worked out 

 differently. 



I shall very probably be told that, in laying some stress on the above-men- 

 tioned aspects of the subject, I have forgotten that the main purpose of Geo- 

 graphy is the study of the earth as the home of man, or the study of man as 

 affected by his environment, and that, however necessary it may be to begin with 

 a foundation of geodesy, geology, and climatology, we must have as our main 

 structure the investigation of the effect of these conditions on the races of man, 

 on human history and human industry, on economics and politics. 



