The Geographical Journal (Journal of the Royal Geographical Society): Volume IX, No. 4 [‎225v] (121/172)

438 THE TEACHING OF GEOGRAPHY IN RELATION TO HISTORY—DISCUSSION.
year in these or similar periods, would be of enormous help to the student, as
they could be studied backward as well as forward, and continually compared and
contrasted with the present.
Before the reading of the paper, the Chairman (Lieut.-General B. Strachey,
Vice-President) said : The paper about to be read to you is on a branch of education
than which nothing can be more important. Of the many branches of study and
education, for the purposes of which a knowledge of geography is desirable, none
in which its importance is so great as history. You may say that, for the proper
treatment of history, a knowledge of geography is not only desirable but essential.
I am not going to give you a lecture on the subject myself, but merely say that
I am much impressed with the importance of the subject. I have no doubt it
will be well treated of by Mr. Andrews.
After the reading of the paper, the following discussion took place:—
Mr. Gh G. Chisholm : I came here this evening without any intention of saying
anything at all on the subject, but I have listened with great interest, and have not
the slightest hesitation in seconding, in the very strongest possible manner, the
general views expressed. Of the importance of teaching the physical features of a
country with reference to the study of history, I think there can be no doubt what
ever. The proper study of physical features is essential in all geography, whether
it is studied with a view to history, or commerce, or strategy, or any other purpose,
and we are indebted to Mr. Andrews for having brought the matter before us,
because, while it is the case that it is highly important that physical geography
should be made the basis of all rational teaching of geography, it is equally true,
and lamentably true, that it is to a large extent neglected, and I admit that the
neglect is peculiarly glaring in the case of historical atlases. Why it should be
so, I am unable to say, but, as a matter of fact, the historical atlases usually
published contain no physical features whatever, or very scanty features. I will
say nothing at all about the interesting illustrations Mr. Andrews has furnished,
but I would only add that, while it is very important that in the teaching of
history, its relations to geography, the effect geography has had upon it should
be clearly brought out, there may be a tendency to go a little too far, and to give,
especially young pupils, a feeling that all history may be explained as a deduction
from physical features. Of course that is not the case, as Mr. Andrews is verv
well aware. At all times political and economic, as well as other conditions mus’t
be taken into account. Of the importance of keeping political considerations in
view, a very good illustration is afforded by the seaport of Antwerp. No one
looking at Antwerp in the best physical map, will be able to understand why it
was that Antwerp was so late in becoming an important rival of such places as
Bruges, and one cannot understand it without seeing a map of the Low Countries
as they existed in past times. But even after the physical conditions had come
to tell in favour of Antwerp, the geographical value cf that port was entirely
destroyed for centuries by political conditions. Before sitting down, if I have not
trespassed too much on the time of the audience, 1 would like to mention one
thing in connection with one of Mr. Andrews’ last suggestions—that it would be a
good thing to have some kind of map giving an idea of what distances were with
regard to time m the past. Well, that is a very interesting suggestion, and the
tWnn«r ^ heir f^ SUal 1DSenmty ’ which 1 think th ey often show, particularly in
the construction of diagrams, have illustrated this point by means of concentric
maps of their own country. The outermost map shows the time taken, say, one
or two hundred jears ago, to travel from Paris to Marseilles or Calais, ^hile the