i64 The American Geologist. March. i904. 
Not only may any respectable person obtain membership in 
any of our geographical societies, however ignorant he may 
be of geography, but various kinds of societies are ranked as 
geographical, even though their object may be geographical 
in a very small degree. This is indicated by a list of geograph- 
ical societies recently published, in which is included a small 
Travellers Club lately organized in one corner of our country. 
The object of this club is simply "the encouragement of intel- 
ligent travel and exploration." Interest in rather than ac- 
complishment of exploration and travel suffice to recommend 
a candidate, otherwise qualified, for membership. The object 
of travel is nowhere stated to be geographical. As a matter of 
fact, travel for the sake of art, archaeology, language, history, 
astronomy, geology and botany, for discovery, or even only 
for sport and adventure, as well as for strictly geographical 
objects, is encouraged by this young organization, which is 
really nothing more than its name claims it to be : a travellers 
club. The same list of geographical societies includes several 
clubs of excursionists, outing-takers, or mountain climbers, 
among whom, as a matter of fact, geography attracts hardly 
more interest than botany. These societies are doing an excel- 
lent work in taking their members outdoors, sometimes on 
walks near home, sometimes farther away to a hotel in the 
country, sometimes to a camp among the mountains. The 
chief result of such outings is an increased enjoyment and ap- 
preciation of the landscape, of natural scenery, and of every- 
thing that enters into it ; but this excellent result is by no means 
exclusively, perhaps not even largely, geographic in its quality. 
One might question whether geographic rank was really 
accorded to these clubs by general assent, if their recognition 
in the group of geographical societies were expressed only by 
an individual opinion in the list referred to; but this is not the 
case. In preparation for the meeting of the International Geo- 
graphical Congress, to be held in this country next summer, 
delegates to the committee of management have been invited 
from the Appalachian Mountain Club, in one corner of the 
country, and from the Mazamas in another. The delegates 
appointed by these clubs, are, as might have been expected, 
men competent to act with others in organizing the Congress 
for us, but the same result would have been attained if dele- 
