The National Geographic Magazine 



This was the earliest form of geography, 

 and it is an aspect which still remains, 

 and to some is, in the modern shape of 

 maps, the principal, if not the sole, end 

 of geography. 



From the earliest times, however, 

 geographical information included other 

 than topographical data. It was soon 

 found that for the traveler and states- 

 man, whether in peace or war, more was 

 wanted to enable geography to supply 

 requirements. The nature of a country, 

 the supply of food and water, the char- 

 acter of the rivers, the manners and 

 customs of the inhabitants, their lan- 

 guage and affinities, the climate, and 

 other matters, were all of much moment, 

 and geography dealt with them all, 

 being, as its name denotes, in the broad- 

 est sense a " description of the earth." 



After the first crude guesses of rela- 

 tive positions, founded on times occu- 

 pied on journeys, other knowledge was 

 enlisted in the cause. 



Astronomy was soon recognized as the 

 only means by which to ascertain the dis- 

 tances of places far apart and separated 

 by seas, but for many centuries this could 

 only be applied to latitude. Still the sci- 

 entific geographer had to study and use 

 the astronomical and geodetic methods 

 known. 



GEOGRAPHY IS THE PARENT OF 

 MANY SCIENCES 



As knowledge increased, the subjects 

 became too wide to be strictly considered 

 as one study, and many have become the 

 objects of special research under differ- 

 ent titles. 



Geodesy deals with the precise form of 

 the earth and its dimensions. 



Geology studies the nature of the ma- 

 terials forming the earth's crust and 

 the changes in it in past ages. 



Ethnology and Anthropology treat of 

 the different races of mankind. 



The study of Economics takes note of 

 the conditions of communities and na- 

 tions, their laws and systems of govern- 

 ment. 



Botany and Zoology now concern them- 

 selves with the details of vegetable and 

 animal life. 



Archeology investigates the remains 

 of past civilizations which cover the 

 earth. 



Meteorology strives to unravel and re- 

 duce to law the complicated conditions 

 of the atmosphere, its continual move- 

 ments, and the results which have such 

 varying effect on our daily life. 



Oceanography, the study of the phe- 

 nomena of the sea as distinct from the 

 dry land, is still regarded as an integral 

 part of geography, but is rapidly becom- 

 ing a subject by itself. 



Of all these subjects geography may 

 be considered to be the parent; and 

 though the family be large and has gone 

 off on many separate lines, it is neces- 

 sary when taking a large and compre- 

 hensive view of the united results of 

 knowledge thus gained, especially from 

 the point of view of distribution, to re- 

 turn to that parent and consider them 

 on a general or geographical basis. 



I cannot pretend to define geograph- 

 ical science in a clearer or shorter form 

 than that in which it has been already 

 put by General Sir Richard Strachey, 

 and I will quote his words : 



' 1 To investigate and delineate the 

 various features of the earth, to study 

 the distribution of land and sea, and 

 their effects upon climate, the configu- 

 ration and relief of the surface, positions 

 on the globe, and so forth, facts which 

 determine the existent conditions of 

 various parts of the earth, or which in- 

 dicate former conditions, and to ascer- 

 tain the relations that exist between 

 those features and all that is observed 

 on the earth." 



Strabo, in the opening words of his 

 introduction to his great geography, 

 puts it thus: 



' ' If the scientific investigation of any 

 subject be the proper avocation of the 

 philosopher, geography, the science of 

 which we propose to treat, is certainly 

 entitled to a high place. In addition 



