370 Penfield — Use of the Stereographic Projection for 



of the projection. The proper way to study the shape of indi- 

 vidual countries is to consult the map of those countries. In 

 a map of the world or of half of the world for general use it 

 seems more important that the relative size and position should 

 be clearly shown, provided the distortion is not excessive, than 

 that minute details of shape should be retained at the expense 

 of showing one country four times as large as another when it 

 really is of the same size. Seeing, as has been said, that abso- 

 lutely no use is made of the special quality possessed by stereo- 

 graphic projection, there is a good deal of reason in the con- 

 tention that it is more of a mathematical curiosity than a useful 

 map projection." Then, treating of the globular projection, 



Chart of the North Pacific Ocean, showing rhumb and great circle courses 

 from Northern Luzon to San Francisco. 



". . . it is very doubtful if for general purposes stereographic 

 or any other projection is better, or even as good." In view 

 of what has been shown in the present article, the writer wishes 

 to express the hope that this is the last appeal that will be 

 made for the continued use of an arbitrary method of map 

 making, possessing no meritorious features, other, perhaps, 

 than that it is an easy projection to construct. 



Mercator's projection has its well-known advantages, but it 

 is believed that its too general use is responsible for many 

 erroneous conceptions of geography. All the principal lines 

 and directions on a sphere are circles, hence to represent them 

 by straight lines, as is done in Mercator's projection, is arti- 

 ficial. For the sake of illustration, let it be assumed that" a 

 ship is to travel from the Philippine Islands to San Francisco : 

 The so-called rhumb course is represented by a straight line on 

 a Mercator's chart, figure 37, and makes an angle of 79^-° with 

 the meridians. The rhumb line seems the only natural one 

 on the chart, and the great circle course, represented by the 



