The National Geographic Magazine 



having geography supervisors in the 

 cities, and by having the teachers who 

 are best prepared for it take all the geog- 

 raphy work, or all the arithmetic, etc., in- 

 stead of spreading themselves over all 

 subjects, an immediate improvement 

 ma}' take place; for in the grades there 

 are already large numbers of teachers 

 who are well prepared for the position 

 of geography teachers, or who could 

 quickly become so if they were given a 

 chance to specialize. Immediate im- 

 provement may also be expected if 

 teachers are encouraged to take advan- 

 tage of the opportunities open to them 

 in the numerous summer schools. 



As to method, there should certainly 

 be teaching in home geograph} T , and this 

 should involve laboratory and out-of- 

 door work. A well-defined plan of in- 

 struction, in which home experiences 

 and the physiographic and historic basis 

 are made use of in the development of 

 causal sequence, should also be followed ; 



and through it all there should be no> 

 time when the element of interest is not 

 present. For the betterment of geog- 

 raphy instruction we need more text- 

 books of good quality, and, as time pro- 

 ceeds, there should be more and more 

 laboratory work provided. 



Already much progress has been made 

 and each j-ear shows a greater measure 

 of advance; but there is much still to- 

 be desired, and, as I view the problem, 

 the above-mentioned lines are the ones 

 along which there is the greatest present 

 need of improvement. The} 7 are all fea- 

 sible, and none of them call for am r very 

 serious change in conditions. Agree- 

 ment upon them is desirable, and a will 

 to move along these lines would in very 

 short time succeed in revolutionizing 

 geography teaching and in making this 

 instruction effective where now in so 

 man\' cases it is ineffective, and in some 

 cases even producing evil results through 

 misinstruction. 



THE LATEST ROUTE PROPOSED FOR THE 

 ISTHMIAN CAxMAL-MANDINGO ROUTE 



GREAT interest has been aroused 

 during the past few weeks in 

 the new route proposed for the 

 Isthmian canal. If all that the sponsors 

 for the route, the American Isthmus 

 Ship Canal Company, claim and be- 

 lieve should prove to be correct, they 

 have undoubtedly discovered a water- 

 way that eclipses the Panama and Nica- 

 ragua routes in every respect. 



The new route, called the Mandingo 

 route, is some fort3' miles south of the 

 Panama Canal. It starts from the Man- 

 dingo Bay, in the Gulf of San Bias, tun- 

 nels through the Cordillera for about 

 five miles, and then cuts through 

 hard rock, level country for about 20 

 miles, straight to the Bay of Panama. 

 In certain respects the Mandingo route 



coincides with the San Bias route, from 

 the Harbor of San Bias to the mouth 

 of the Rio Chepo, on the Pacific, which 

 was advocated several decades ago. It 

 differs, however, from all the so-called 

 Darien routes previously urged in that 

 it makes use of no stream or lake, but 

 is a direct cut from ocean to ocean. 

 There is a deep, protected natural har- 

 bor at either end of the line, which is 

 straight as a rod; not a single lock 

 would be required, and the canal, the 

 company state, for the entire distance 

 would be cut in hard rock instead of in 

 mud and sand and swamp. The one 

 engineering problem, a tunnel five miles 

 long, 202 feet high and about 200 feet 

 wide, the company claim competent 

 American engineers and contractors are 



