APPERCEPTION IN GEOGRAPHY 193 



interaction. B}'' this same inductive method the child is led to work 

 out results for himself, and the subject that was once treated as a 

 memory drill is made to hold its true place ni training the reasoning 

 faculties. 



In studying the relation of man to the earth three main topics must 

 be considered — the crust of the earth, its fluid and gaseous envelopes, 

 and the forms of life conditioned b^' the crust and its envelopes. 



Because geology, biology, and meteorology are the basis of induc- 

 tion in geography, nature study should precede and form the correl- 

 ative of geography in the early 3^ears of the school curriculum. In 

 these first school days the child works with symbols of language 

 and number. His chief aim is to learn to read. If he reads some- 

 thing in which he is interested the task will be eas}'. For this reason 

 nature stud}' is mode the basis of the reading lesson; and, since 

 nature study is the background of geography, the child is led to 

 such facts as will be of use later in developing the geographic story. 



Daily observation of weather teaches relation of winds to cloud 

 and rain. The length of day recorded and compared in different 

 months finally brings a comprehension of the conditions dependent 

 upon revolution, and leads to a final knowledge of and belief in rev- 

 olution itself. These ideas are strengthened by observing and record- 

 ing the position of the sun in the sky at morning, at noon, and at even- 

 ing during the different months. The shadow-stick is presented in the 

 first year. A large nail fastened perpendicularly in a board or a pointer 

 driven into a level path makes a good shadow-stick. Each day's rec- 

 ord is marked upon a sheet of paper lying on the board or under the 

 stick, and these records can be brought to class for study. By com- 

 paring the results of such observations the principles of mathematical 

 geography gradually become concepts upon which the child can base 

 his further reasoning in geograph3\ Thus he is led to inquire why 

 the noon shadow in June is shorter than the noon shadow in Decem- 

 l)er, and to observe the gradual change in its length. 



These simple lessons in mathematical geography are further con- 

 sidered in the reading lesson, where they are illumined l)y tlie myth 

 which belongs to the early days of literature ; but the myth means 

 much more if associated with a realit3^ Hence the wind myths and 

 sun myths are read when recording the ol)servati()ns of wind and 

 sun. and the myths of cloud and rain when these phenomena of cli- 

 mate are observed. 



Following these observations of cliniate comes the relation of ani- 



