328 REPORTS ON THE STATE OF SCIENCE, ETC. 
The British Isles and the World. 
Towards the end of the third year the elementary principles of world 
geography and the interpretation and use of maps and diagrams have been 
acquired. In the ‘home’ study the geographical complex could be realised 
because of the smallness of the area. In the world study the emphasis becomes 
more particularly the influence of natural conditions. In the last year or so 
the other viewpoint may be given—viz. the activities of man as he utilises the 
resources of nature. The economic study of the British Isles, for example, 
enables the previous study to be considerably amplified; and, moreover, by 
the links of all kinds which bind Britain to her overseas Dominions and to 
other parts of the world, the previous regional studies both of Britain and of 
the world may be revised and completed. 
At this stage the use of graphs and diagrams for statistical purposes should 
be used along with the map and diagram studies begun in the first and 
second periods. 
The Secondary Stage: The Advanced Course. 
The present system of advanced courses under the Regulations of the Board 
of Education demands that each principal subject must satisfy the following 
conditions :— 
(i) That the study may be usefully carried to an advanced stage within the 
school, and occupy approximately six hours per week of the time-table. 
(ii) That it should be capable of forming a co-ordinated and uniform body 
of study with the other principal subjects (generally two in number). 
During the ordinary school course the outline of general and regional 
geography, with a fairly detailed study of the British Isles, has usually been 
attempted. As a general rule there have been no separate courses in the 
physical basis of geography, and the relations between geography and history 
have only been illustrated in a general way. 
The lines of the direction of advanced study in school are thus clear. In 
the first place, there should be a more advanced treatment of the world as a 
whole, and also of the regional geography of selected areas in which a more 
comprehensive analysis and synthesis is possible than at an earlier stage. 
In the second place, especially if history is one of the other main subjects, there 
should be some examination of the influences which geography has had upon 
the course of history, and this may take the form of studies either in historical 
geography or the history of geographical discovery, or both. Thirdly, and 
particularly where a science forms one of the main subjects, it is possible to 
take an extended course of study on some geographical phase for which the 
scientific subject makes a suitable preparation, e.g. the physical basis of geo- 
graphy where physics or geology are taken, or the distribution of plant and 
animals in connection with studies in biology, botany, or zoology. In most 
cases studies of both kinds would be included. 
Although advanced studies of three kinds are mentioned only the regional 
studies would form a necessary part of every course, although it is highly 
desirable that all three aspects should be represented. Where either the second 
or the third is omitted, special attention should be given to its leading features 
in the teaching of the regional studies. 
As the regional studies are of special importance it is necessary to indicate 
their character. In the first place, the world as a whole should be studied in 
more detail and with more understarding than was possible during the four- 
years’ course. The emphasis could be cn the economic conditions of the 
modern world. In the second place, there should be a more detailed regional 
study of two or more smaller areas from some particular point of view—for 
example, an area such as the ‘ Land of the Five Seas,’ where the rise and fall 
of ancient civilisations has been followed by centuries of desolation and decay, 
with a revival under modern economic conditions; or France, in which there 
has been continuous development, and in which internal economy and external 
contacts offer a wide circle of study; or an area such as one of the British 
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