October 29, 1915] 



SCIENCE 



597 



tions in little-known lands, unless these too 

 are carried out scientifically and by thor- 

 oughly trained observers who know the 

 problems which there await solution, and 

 can read the evidence which lies before 

 them on their route. 



If research in these directions is being 

 actively prosecuted, but the appearance of 

 its results is delayed, let us seek out the 

 retarding causes if there be any, and in- 

 crease any facilities that may be desirable 

 to assist individual efforts. 



Short technical papers of a thoroughly 

 scientific character, such as are the out- 

 come of serious individual research, are, of 

 course, not suitable for those meetings of 

 geographical societies where the majority 

 of the fellows present are not scientific 

 geographers, but should be presented to 

 small meetings of other workers in the 

 same or allied fields, where they can be 

 completely criticized. The reading, discus- 

 sion and the publication of papers of this 

 class are for geography a great desidera- 

 tum, for it is in them and by them that all 

 real advance in the subject is made, rather 

 than by tales of travel, however interest- 

 ing, if these are not the work of one trained 

 in the subject, having a knowledge of what 

 he should observe, and of what his prede- 

 cessors have done in the same field. The 

 regional aspect of geography in the hands 

 of its best exponents has given to young 

 geographers a wide and comprehensive out- 

 look on the interaction of the various geo- 

 graphical factors in a region, the responses 

 between the earth's surface and the life 

 upon it, and the control that one factor may 

 exercise upon another. In this form the 

 fascination of geographical study is appar- 

 ent to every one, but I sometimes wonder 

 whether the exposition of such a regional 

 study by one who is thoroughly master of 

 the component factors, having a first-hand 

 knowledge of all the material involved, and 

 knowing exactly the reliability of each por- 



tion, impresses sufficiently upon the stu- 

 dent the necessity of personal research into 

 the details of some problem or phenomena 

 in such a way as to gain a real working ac- 

 quaintance with them; or does it on the 

 other hand tend to encourage generaliza- 

 tions based on descriptive accounts which 

 have not been verified, and where coinci- 

 dences and similarities may be accepted 

 without further inquiry as evidence of a 

 causal connection which may not really 

 exist? I imagine that the student may be 

 attracted by the apparent simplicity of a 

 masterly account of the geographical con- 

 trols and responses involved, and may fail 

 to realize that geographical descriptions, 

 even though technically phrased, are not 

 the equivalent of original quantitative in- 

 vestigation, either for his own education 

 or as a contribution to the subject. 



For these reasons I believe that societies 

 can do far more good in the promotion of 

 geography as a science by assisting com- 

 petent investigators, by the loan of books 

 and instruments, and by giving facilities 

 for the discussion and publication of tech- 

 nical papers, than by undertaking the in- 

 vestigation of problems themselves. 



Among the earlier presidential addresses 

 of this section some have laid stress on the 

 importance of the recognition by the state 

 of geography in education ; others have rep- 

 resented the great part which the geo- 

 graphical societies have played in support- 

 ing and advancing the subject; others 

 again have urged the fuller recognition of 

 geography by educational institutions. I 

 would on this occasion attach especial im- 

 portance to the proseciition of serious re- 

 search by individuals in any branch of the 

 subject that is accessible to them, to the 

 discussion of the results of such work by 

 others of like interests, and to the publica- 

 tion of such studies as having a real value 

 in promoting the advancement of scientific 

 geography. H. G. Lyons 



