THE RELATIONS OF GEOLOGY TO PHYSIOGRAPHY IN OUR 

 EDUCATIONAL SYSTE]\I 



BY 



T. C. CHAMBERLIN 



There was a time when it was necessary to search for the 

 material of instruction, but tliat time has passed. Researcli has 

 not only supplied a sufficiency of intellectual matter, but has 

 overwhelmed us with a plethora of knowledge. There is much, 

 infinitely much, yet to learn, but more is in hand than can be 

 taught. The day of selection has come. It falls to us now, as 

 educators, to look over our several fields and choose that w^hich 

 is most serviceable for general educational purposes, setting 

 aside the remainder for specialists. This is not less true of the 

 field of geography and geology than of the fields of other 

 sciences. 



The primary question is, What shall be the criteria of our 

 selection? Granting that all knowledge and all culture are 

 good, the question that presses for solution is. What is best — 

 best on the whole ; best for the average student ; best at the 

 several stages of stud}^ ? It will be but repeating an ancient and 

 much-worn maxim to say that the selection should have high 

 regard for disciplinary culture. It does not follow, however, 

 that disciplinary culture is not compatible with other desirable 

 characteristics, and that these should not determine the selec- 

 tion. An intellectual wrestling Avith an economic problem or a 

 struggle to gain knowledge inherently valuable may be as dis- 

 ciplinary as though the problem or the knowledge were value- 

 less in itself. The quest is rather to find that which shall 

 possess value in itself when attained together with disciplinary 

 value in its attainment. It is not one merit alone that should 

 be sought, but a combination of the greatest possible merits. 

 The selection should, therefore, have high regard to the value 

 of the knowledge involved. 



The selection should embrace a due measure of phenomena 

 with which the student may come into direct contact. The 



(154) 



