THE GEOSPHERES* 



By W J McGee, 



Vice-President of the National Geographic Society 



Perhaps it is my first duty, as it is a privilege, to offer you a 

 word of welcome on behalf of the Society which I have the 

 honor to represent — one of the institutions of the National Cap- 

 ital engaged in its own way in educational work. Speaking for 

 that Society, Mr President and ladies and gentlemen of the 

 National Educational Association, I bid you cordial welcome to 

 Washington, and place at your disposal all the facilities which 

 are ours. 



Before leading you away from the earth's surface, which has 

 been so admirably described by the last speaker, I wish to con- 

 fess that I labor under a certain embarrassment. In the first 

 place, I am attempting to speak for another man, and on his 

 subject. The subject was chosen by Major J. W. Powell; first 

 an educator like most of you ; then a soldier who left an arm at 

 Shiloh ; next the explorer ofColorado canyon, the boldest piece 

 of exploratory work in the history of our country; then a geol- 

 ogist and long Director of the U. S. Geological Survey; at the 

 same time an ethnologist and founder of the Bureau of Ameri- 

 can Ethnology; and from first to last a philosopher, one of the 

 most vigorous thinkers America has produced. It is but natural 

 that I should shrink from discussion of a subject developed by 

 so original a thinker and selected by him for presentation be- 

 fore you in his own inimitable way. 



Again, I belong to the class of knowledge makers who most 

 feel their own limitations in appearing before those who assim- 

 ilate and apply knowledge, placing it within reach of the people 

 and thereby performing the real work of raising humanity from 

 plane to plane as time goes on. I apprehend that my ideas 

 may seem vague and my expressions obscure, but I confidently 

 appeal to your intelligence to aid in making the ideas clear and 

 useful to the multitude of American youth for whom you stand 

 sponsors. 



* An address delivered before the National Educational Association, Washington, 



July 9, 1898. 



435 



