Latitude and longitude should receive their proper share of attention. The degree of latitude being, for all practical purposes, an invariable length, gives the learner but little difficulty, if he has mastered the subjects which should be presented under the head of "circular measures." Let the subject of longitude be held in abeyance until the pupils can easily and readily find the latitude of any given place, and also are able ́from memory, to trace the equator, the tropics, and the parallel upon or near which they live, entirely around the earth, that they may not be surprised in later years to learn that the central part of New England is about as far south as the sunniest regions of "sunny France.”

Longitude is more difficult for the learner to comprehend, and the manner in which most text-books and many teachers treat it, makes it even more difficult than need be. Practically, the meridian of Greenwich, England, is the primary meridian to all English-speaking people; hence, taking any other as a prime meridian, except in the review of unusually advanced classes, tends to confusion. The variation of length in different degrees of longitude, needs very careful explanation with the globe, although I have found that the cutting of meridian lines upon the rind of a large orange in the presence of the class, has often given clearer impressions of their relative positions, than the use of the globe gives. But before commencing this subject, be sure, be sure that the pupils know that a degree is one three-hundred-and-sixtieth of a circumference, that is, distance measured upon a curved line. The lack of a clear conception of the meaning of the word degree occasions more difficulty in obtaining a correct comprehension of degrees of longitude than all other causes combined.

The length of a degree of longitude at the equator, and at the learner's latitude are worth memorizing. A knowledge of the latitude and longitude of a few places which are easily remembered, is frequently of great assistance in estimating the latitude and longitude of many others, such as the learner's place of residence, London (or Greenwich), New Orleans, 30°, 90°,-always giving the latitude first, St. Petersburg, 60°, 30°; Gibraltar, 36°, 6°; mouth of the Nile, 33°, 33°; northeastern point of the Mediterranean Sea, 36°, 36°; Calcutta, near the Tropic of Cancer, and 90° east, or as far east of London as New Orleans is west of it; the Sandwich Islands, as being near the middle of the Pacific Ocean, on the border of the torrid zone, and near the dividing line between east and west longitude. Tracing the meridian of the learner's place of residence around the earth is a good exercise.

The globe should often be used in tracing journeys, and indeed in all the teaching of geography; and yet, how few of us use it familiarly and understandingly! Go into many of our schoolrooms even now, and the globe is either not among the school apparatus, or is practically ignored if present. Two causes, it seems to me, combine to produce this state of affairs. The first is, that many of our teachers never saw their teachers make any very familiar use of the globe. The second is, that so many of our school globes are intended for astronomical studies, or for show, and are so encumbered with machinery, that the teacher is hindered, and the learner confused. Could not any one, with a ten-inch globe, mounted upon a simple, upright standard, with a single wire inclined at the proper angle for an axis, do much more toward giving a clear understanding of the form of the earth, its parallels, zones,

meridians, position, and motions, than he could with the most elaborate, brass-trimmed, tripod-mounted ornament? For the student in astronomy, I would allow all the accessories which even Yankee ingenuity can produce; but for the great mass of the pupils in our common schools, the simpler the better.

It may be a matter of little consequence, but I much prefer that the globe should not be used in any but the correct position, with its axis leaning toward the north, and this preference was very much strengthened by observing the labors of a teacher, who was endeavoring to explain the rotation of the earth, all the while using the globe with its axis inclined toward the southwest. Is such carelessness excusable? Could we have in our schools a cheap globe for reference, with a diameter of three feet or more, it would far exceed in utility the volumes of maps which we now have, and would also give the pupil an accurate idea of the comparative areas of different natural or political divisions, and their directions from each other, and from the student, provided the globe were kept in its proper position?

Few subjects which are taught in our public schools can be so treated as to assist more in cultivating the power of imagination than geography. One method of doing this, is to take what may be called a bird's-eye view of some portion of the earth. Imagine, for a moment, a lofty observatory upon the extreme northern point of South America, from whose summit you are enabled to see the entire length and breadth of that vast peninsula, and direct your gaze to the east, to the south, to the west. Can you see the restless, rolling Atlantic, the stormy cape, the placid Pacific? Do you behold the huge mountain-wall of the Andes, stretching for more than four thousand miles along the western

border, with the mighty crowning cone of Aconcagua far down the line? Behold the smoke curling up from the summits of Pichincha and its companions, rendered forever famous by the great Humboldt. Can you catch the gleam of Lake Titicaca from its dizzy height of thirteen thousand feet, with an area one-half as great as the State of New Hampshire? Far away to the south, see the strait through which sailed the first circumnavigators of the earth. Look at the sterile, shingly slopes of Patagonia! See the salt lakes of the Argentine Confederation, and nearer, the waving pampas, with their millions of cattle and horses, and nearer still, the vast forest plains of the mighty Amazon, teeming with life, both animal and vegetable. Almost at our feet, if it be in the rainy season, we may admire the flowery lands of the great Orinoco valley, where a single week suffices to change a seemingly arid waste to a most gaily-colored landscape. Behold the spice groves of Guiana, the coffee-plantations and diamond-washings of Brazil. See the almost deserted silver mines of Peru and Bolivia, lying idle from even the lack of such energy and enterprise as the iron heel of Spanish greed and cruelty crushed out more than three hundred years ago. These are but a few of the many interesting sights which we may view from our lofty perch. Change now our watch-tower, and take another view of the same scene. Change it again and again, until familiar with the view from any point. Do the same with other portions of the world, and look at the people, their dress, their dwellings; observe their customs; behold their cities; and the mind must expand with the exercise.

Can we say that the study of geography must take rank with the least important of our common-school studies, or shall we, by presenting it in such a manner

as to exercise various mental powers, place it in its true position in relation to other branches, and even to art itself?

There are many other points relating to the teaching of this subject, to which your attention might be called did time allow. It was not my intention to present to you anything profound, had I the ability, but to add to the variety of the papers presented here by bringing to your minds the every-day, matter-of-fact work of the common school. In closing, then, let me say that if any words of mine have met your approval, or have tended to make the labors of any teacher lighter, and yet more effective in the future, I shall feel that my work has not been in vain. If, on the other hand, anything tending to inculcate erroneous ideas or principles has been uttered, most gladly will I welcome the correction.