THE 
National Geographic Magazine 
VoL. VII AUGUST, 1896 No. 8 
THE WORK OF THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC 
SOCIETY* 
THE CHARACTER OF THE SOCIETY 
The National Geographic Society is a scientific organization. 
In common with most other scientific bodies, it is occupied in 
both creating and diffusing knowledge. B}'- reason of its activity 
in the diffusion of knowledge it has become a popular societ}% 
especially in the national capital, where most of the addresses 
and technical papers prepared under its auspices are delivered ; 
but the essential fact remains that it is a scientific society and 
that it is its function to create as well as to diffuse geographic 
knowledge. 
THE DEVELOPMENT OF GEOGRAPHY 
Ancient geogra[)hy was a description of continents and seas, 
nations and cities, races and tril)es, and perhaps of animals and 
])lants ; in the beginning the descriptions were oral, but with the 
invention of sketching, writing, and mapping a permanent geo- 
graphic art was developed. Thus ancient geography was chiefly 
the description of terrestrial things in words and pictures, and 
included the art of descrilfing earth-features with pen and l)rush 
and graver. In this stage geograj)hic features were assumed to be 
j)ermanent and were described in terms of form and position. 
As time passed men observed that tribes and peoples came 
and went, that cities were founded and sometimes abandoned, 
that nations arose and ))assed away; and thus history came to 
Ije and a time element was gradually introduced into geography. 
• Siiboliince of ronmrks l>y W J MrGee lU a mpotinx of the Hoard of Managers of tlio 
Society on .liineS, IKItri, printed at tlie instance of Itie Board. 
17 
