GEOGRArHICAL WORK FOR STATE GEOLOGICAL SURVEYS. 605 



matters that have not an immediate practical application ; the second is the rela- 

 tively small ai^preciaticn of the survey reports by the greater part of our population. 

 On the other hand, the subject of geography is in a lamentable condition in our 

 public schools, and is most seriously in need of an infusion of new life. There are 

 many reasons for this, but one of the chief is the want of good literature ready at 

 hand for the teacher's use. A teacher in the public schools, anxious to improve 

 his work by introducing illustrations and examples from his home field, may search 

 almost in vain for descriptions of the geographical features of his state, presented 

 at once in the light of modern geographical investigation and in a style adapted to 

 his needs. 



In view of these two unsatisfactory conditions, I venture to ask the attention of 

 our Fellows, especially of those who are engaged in state survej^s, to the following 

 outline of a 2)lan by which some improvement may be effected, both in the sur- 

 veys and in the schools : 



Physical geography, which treats chiefly of the forms of the land produced by 

 denudation, is now universally recognized as a division of the larger subject of 

 geology, which includes also an account of the formation of land masses by pro- 

 cesses of deposition and deformation. Hence in those state surveys which are not 

 strictly limited by law to the consideration of the economic occurrence of ores, 

 building stones, clays, etcetera, let there be a geographical division established, in 

 which one or more competent geographical assistants shall be employed to invest!" 

 gate and report on the geographical features of the state, just as trained economic 

 experts, paleontologists or petrographers are employed to examine the appropriate 

 subjects of their studies. 



Let the geographical assistant be instructed to study and report upon a certain 

 limited group of geographical features; let him traverse his district until all its 

 parts are familiar, determine as clearly as possible the conditions of their develop- 

 ment and illustrate their several parts by photographs, sketches, maps, and so on ; 

 let him while yet on the ground begin his report, in order that it shall approach 

 completion while the features that he describes are still before him ; then let his 

 "office work" be devoted to broadening his rei)ort by a comparison of the local 

 features with others of similar origin in other parts of the country or in other 

 countries of the world, and by contrast with related features of earlier and later 

 stages of development, or in fainter or stronger intensity of relief, or under differ- 

 ent climatic conditions. Just as with reports on ores, rocks or fossils, let the geo- 

 graphical report l)e prepared in accordance with a systematic scheme based on a 

 study of the geography of the world. Just as with the reports on other subjects, 

 let the geographical reports represent the best developments of modern geographical 

 investigation. Just as with the reports on other subjects, let the geographical re- 

 ports be carefully prepared to meet the requirements of the part of the community 

 to which they are addressed. 



In this last respect the geographic;al reports need a most careful consideration. 

 They should be addressed to the teacher in our high schools, because it is from 

 among the graduates of the high schools that the teachers of the grammar schools 

 are drawn. Teachers of grammar-school grade also are indeed at present greatly in 

 need of a good local geographical literature to which they can refer for illustration 

 of their text-book lessons, and many of them will make good use of such literature ; 

 but the best use that they can make of it will be gained if they meet it while they 

 are still scholars themselves— that is, in their high-school course— so that it shall 



LXXXIV— Bui.r,. Geoi,. Soc. Am., Voi,. 5. 1893. 



