The Need for a Harmonious and Aggressive Front on the Part of School Geographers

The Need for a Harmonious and Aggressive Front on the Pare of School Geographers H. W. FAIRBANKS Ocean Park, California For some years tho prooese of undermining the position of geography in the elementary school has been going on. This U being accomplished chiefly through two agencies. One is the active and purposive efforts of those who claim that it is a social study and should bo fused with tho rfbcial study group generally hold to include history, civics and economics. The other ÏB tho faihiro of geography teachers themselves to agroo as to the fundamental nature of their subject and allow everything which has no definite place of its own in tho curriculum to be taught, under the head of geography, We are making little progress either in defining tho subject, rationalizing its outlook, or getting rid of the archaic and unscientific methods and conceptions of the past. If geography is not a science bnt only a description of the earth, «nd its' inhabitants, if it is 'only an aggregate of miscellaneous facts, it might better bo turned over to the social study ,advocates to do with as thoy please', If geography is a science its beginnings in the elementary school are worthy of our caTeful thought. It deserves en independent place here. If such a place is lost or if unpedagogical and unscientific methods continue to be employed the results will continue to be manifest as they are now. The maintaining of an independent geography, as well as the conceptions behind tho subject, and the method of instruction employed in the lower schools should bo of vital intorest to university geographers for their work is seriously affected by them. The advocates of a fusion social study couree see in geography littlo besides its social aspect. They fail completely to comprehend that, handled from this point of view, its essential nature is destroyed and its Intent educationnl value never doveloped , Real geography can exist in the clomentary school only as an independent subject, Experience has shown that when combined with history it has always lost out, and we are justified in asserting that it always will for it is a psychological impossibility to combine two objectives as different as are those of history and geography in the same course. What results ia practically nothing but history. School geography has a host of earnest supporters but thoy are working at cross purposes for there is an unreasonable and unnecessary divergence in their viowh. Is it not possible for geographers from the primary to tho university to develop as great a degree of harmony in their methods and objectives as do specialists in other sciencee? We certainly cannot admit that the nature of our subject makes this impossible. It is only through an harmonious and aggressive effort of geography teachers of all grades that the individuality of the subject can be preserved . The danger of fusion with the social study group is real. If it is carried to it* logical conclusion the loss to real edueation will be irreparable. (30> ...