Maeoh 27, 1896.] 



SCIENCE. 



491 



El Misti, is equalled nowhere else in the world, 

 and the results which the data there collected 

 will furnish are certain to be of the greatest 

 importance to meteorology. 



MARCH 3, 1806. 



Geograpliy and Geology for Training and Elemen- 

 tary Schools. By R. E. Dodge. 

 A teacher in a training school for teachers 

 has before him a double task, especially if his 

 subject be one that can also be taught to the 

 children. The teacher of geography and geol- 

 ogy has such a specialty, and hence the re- 

 quirements upon his abilities are somewhat 

 general and diversified. He must, on the one 

 hand, give to the students preparing under his 

 guidance to become teachers, such a scientific 

 understanding of the principles of the sciences 

 that they can go out into active teaching well 

 equipped for their work. On the other hand, 

 he must see that the children in the elementary 

 schools, which are now usually attached to 

 training schools for purposes of observation and 

 practice by the would-be teachers, are given the 

 principles of geography and geology in a way 

 that best illustrates the principles of matter 

 and method he is presenting to his students. 

 In both cases he should recognize that the mat- 

 ter presented should be scientifically treated 

 and scientifically accurate, the method of pres- 

 entation varying so as always to be adapted to 

 the minds of the pupils. 



The would-be teachers must, from, the usual 

 inadequacy of their previous training, be well 

 drilled in the principles of the sciences before 

 they are given conceptions of the methods of 

 adapting the matter of the sciences to the 

 younger children. The scientific spirit of in- 

 terest and inquiry and of rational imagination 

 should be developed as strongly as possible, that 

 the teacher may impart such a spirit to the 

 pupils under her, no matter what their age. 



Inasmuch as geography is the most important 

 of all the sciences to be taught in the schools, 

 the teacher should be given only so much geol- 

 ogy as would make her best understand the 

 principles of geography. The treatment of 

 geography should give the facts, related in a 

 rational and scientific way, so that she gains 

 not only matter, but the ability to adapt to her 



own needs any matter that she may be called 

 upon to use. 



A teacher thus equipped scientifically, so 

 that she understand the underlying principles 

 of geography, physical, political, descriptive 

 and commercial, can adapt herself to the con- 

 ditions she meets, so as to become more than a 

 repeater of the matter contained in text-books. 

 Text-books then become, as they should be, 

 suggestive sources rather than complete reposi- 

 tories of matter. 



If the principles of geography are presented 

 to the children in the same scientific way, so as 

 to arouse them to observation and investiga- 

 tion, their interest is at once increased, the 

 whole science becomes alive to them, and they 

 are eager to go on and to learn more. 



A course in geography for schools should be 

 graded, scientific, and framed so as to impart 

 an understanding of and a love for nature. It 

 should begin with a conception of the processes 

 shown in the daily and seasonable changes 

 about the home. With that as a basis, the 

 child can be lead to an understanding of the 

 other parts of the world, both similar and dis- 

 similar, and becomes more appreciative of the 

 form and meaning of the earth's features. By 

 building little by little upon such a beginning, 

 the pupil Can, in the eight years previous to the 

 high school, gain a conception of the relation 

 of man to the geographic features, such as can 

 be rarely if ever given by the method of teach- 

 ing geography as something to be memorized. 



In a course that includes geography, in its 

 many aspects, botany, zoology and meteorology, 

 it is possible to give the child a large amount 

 of locative and descriptive geography, and an 

 understanding of the reasons for the customs, 

 habits and development of the great nations ; 

 for the routes of commerce and explorations, 

 etc., etc. In this way the child gains an un- 

 derstanding of the world and an ability to in- 

 terpret the world for himself, that will be of 

 great service to him even after he has forgotten 

 many of the details that he may have memo- 

 rized. He gets an ability to make use of his 

 powers in adapting himself to new conditions, 

 such as he could never get were the science 

 only taught as a subject for memorizing and not 

 for reasoning. 



