Matthew Fontaine Maury

“ It may seem strange that the fishes should have so much more room to live in than man and the other animals. But we shall see, when we know more about geography, that man and the lower animals that are on the land could not live at all if it were not for the great sea. The plants would have no rain. They would all die, and there would be nothing for us and the lower animals to eat.
3. Air.—Over all the land surface and over all the water surface is something that we call air. It is just as much a part of the earth as the land and the water. We live in this air much as fish live in the water. ”

“ But all these things are the earth. The mountains, the sea, the fields, the gardens, the woods, the dusty roads, and streets, the land on which our homes are built, are all parts of the earth. 2. The Earth is very large. Near our homes we can see only a small part of it. When we go away from our homes in any direction, we see other parts where other people live. These people may be very different from us, and their homes quite unlike ours. Everywhere we find them doing some kind of work, which may also be quite different from the work that we do. ”

“ Europe.—Columbus sailed westward and found the New World; let us sail eastward and visit the Old World. Europe shall be our first landing-place. It is only a little larger than the United States, and so is one of the smallest of the continents. ”

“ Minerals—We have learned about many plants and animals that are useful to us. Besides these there are also many very useful things that we dig out of the earth. The coal that we burn in our fires, the kerosene oil that gives us light, the granite and sandstone used in building, the salt that we eat at our meals, the diamond that shines like a sunbeam—all come out of the earth. ”

“ The productions of northern Europe are like those of the cold countries of North America. On the shores of the Arctic ocean, vegetation is scanty and trees are stunted. In the middle portion of the continent we find a rich agricultural region, like our great Mississippi valley. Wheat and rye are raised in immense quantities. Hemp is grown to make rope for Europe's fleets of ships, flax for the manufacture of linen, and beets for the making of sugar. The warm hillsides are covered with vines, and the best of wine is made. ”

“ A great deal of Turkey in Asia is desert, and much even of the fertile land is not cultivated. If a man raises a crop, the government takes a large part of it from him. The people therefore feel that it is not worth while to be industrious. Still many of the products are valuable. Various grains, fruits, tobacco, and the poppy are raised, and a large quantity of silk is produced. Near the coast are the great sponge fisheries of the Mediterranean. Divers go down from boats to the bottom of the sea, and pull the sponges from the rocks. ”

“ Sometimes people are days and days at sea without seeing the land, and with nothing but sky above them and water all around. Often the sky is covered with clouds, and the sun cannot be seen. How do they know which way to go? They use what is called the compass. In it there is a little needle made of steel that always points toward the north.
With a compass, therefore, we can always tell which way is north. And if we know where north is, we can also tell where the south, the east and the west are.
The Indians and hunters who catch animals for their fur live a great deal in the forests. ”

“ Asia is the largest continent. It is chiefly in the North Temperate zone. The people on its eastern coast are just half-way round the earth from us. In Asia we find the highest mountains in the world.
More people live on this continent than in all the others together. But there are not so many schools as in Europe and America, and the people are not so enlightened. ”

“ Looking at the map, you would see that the meridian of 180 passes through two groups of islands, the Fiji and the Aleutian. But here you would be puzzled. How could you tell whether I meant the Aleutian or the Fiji islands. I must tell you the latitude as well as the longitude. If I say a ship sailed to the islands in the Pacific that are 180 degrees westward from Greenwich, and nearly 20 degrees south of the equator, you can find the exact place on the map, and you see that the islands meant are the Fiji islands. ”

“ Great Britain contains England, Scotland, and Wales. It is only a little larger than the state of Kansas, yet the king of this island rules one-fourth of all the land, and more than one-fourth of all the people, of the world. His subjects are found on every continent, and the sun is always shining on the British flag.
Country homes in England.
Great Britain is noted as a manufacturing country. She owns more ships, and carries on more commerce, than any other nation.
Her trade with the United States is immense. She buys our grain, pork, and beef to feed her crowded millions ”

“ If you should travel round the earth from east to west, you would go in a ring or circle. If you went round it from north to south, and from south to north again, you would also go in a circle.
Such circles are not really drawn on the surface of the earth. We only imagine them, and they are called imaginary circles. They are represented by the lines that you see on the map of the hemispheres, and on other maps. These lines are drawn from north to south, and from east to west. Those drawn from north to south are called meridians. Those from east to west are called parallels. ”

“ In what zone is most of Africa? What African countries lie wholly within the North Temperate zone? Which lie wholly within the South Temperate? In which zones is Egypt?
Egypt is one of the finest wheat regions on the globe. You may remember that when there was a famine in the country where Jacob lived, he sent his sons down to Egypt to buy wheat there. The country is just as fertile now as then.
The fertility of Egypt is very curious, because not a drop of rain falls on all the land except near the coast of the Mediterranean. What makes this rainless region so rich? ”

“ People must plow the ground for them, plant the seed, reap the grain when it is ripe, cut the flax, and pick the cotton.
Raising corn, or wheat, or other plants for food or clothing is called agriculture or farming.
We do not like to eat dry bread. So some people keep cows and make butter and cheese for the rest. Those who do so are occupied in dairying.
Then, too, we all eat meat. So some people must keep the animals whose flesh we eat. Those animals are called stock, and the business of those who keep them is called stock-raising. ”

“ For Recitation.—How does Europe compare with the other continents in size and population? What is remarkable about the coast of Europe? Describe the surface of Europe. Which are the most celebrated mountains of Europe, and for what are they noted? What are the chief rivers of Europe? How does the climate of Europe compare with that of North America? What are the chief products of northern Europe? ”

“ Each hemisphere represents half of the earth's surface, with its continents, oceans, and some of its largest islands, mountains, rivers, and other objects.
Europe and Asia, and the oceans around them, as they would look if seen from the moon.
If we look at the maps of the hemispheres on pages 28 and 29, we shall see that there is much more land in the eastern hemisphere than in the western. Four of the six continents are in the eastern hemisphere. These are Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. The western hemisphere contains only two continents. They are North America and South America. ”

“ What Plants Are.—What is the use of the earth's being warmed by the great sun, and watered by the rain and dew? Let us see. Everything that grows out of the earth is called a plant, and all plants need water to drink, and sunshine to keep them warm. Some need a great deal of water and warmth; others want only a little.
Plants cannot grow without heat and moisture. Different plants belong to different zones.
In the Frigid zones the winters are long and very cold with little light. Hardly anything grows here except mosses and a few low-growing plants that flourish during the short summer. ”

“ The agricultural products of the plateau are very different from those of the lowland. On the plateau the same grains and fruits grow as in our own country, only that in Mexico as fast as one crop is ripe and gathered, another is planted. Three or four crops of corn are harvested in the year. The cotton-plant with us dies as soon as frost touches it, but in Mexico there is a kind that goes on producing for years.
In the lowlands sugar-cane, oranges, bananas, pineapples, coffee, and vanilla are grown. ”

“ Farmers use plows to turn up the soil, and machines to cut their wheat. We all use knives and scissors, needles and pins, and other such things.
People who make the things that other people use are said to manufacture.
But of course the man who makes plows must have iron and wood of which to make them; the man who builds wooden houses must have wood. Where shall they get the iron and the wood?
Iron is a mineral. It is dug from the earth. Some one must dig it up and make it fit for the plow-maker to use. The occupation of digging minerals out of the earth is called mining. ”

“ The Caspian sea lies east of Transcaucasia. Steamers and fishing boats are busy on its briny waters. Let us cross to the other side. We are still in the Russian country.
The country is called Russian Turkestan. It is a good grazing land and produces cotton and silk. Early and late we hear the bleating of sheep, the grunting of camels, and the lowing of thousands of cattle.
Most of the people—Tartars, as they are called—are wandering herdsmen. They are dirty and ignorant; and there is nothing to keep us long in Turkestan.
A caravan of 2,000 camels is going from Bokhara into Siberia. ”

“ South America.—Leaving North America, we come now to South America. The coast line of this continent is broken only here and there by bays or gulfs, and there are only a few good harbors.
The Andes in Ecuador. The snow capped mountain is Chimborazo.
South America is crossed by the equator, and all the northern part of it is in the hot or Torrid zone. Here, except high up among the mountains, it is always summer. The flowers are never killed by frost.
As we go south from the equator, the climate grows cooler, just as it does if we go north. South does not always mean hot. ”

“ Of the highest officer of a city?
In what direction must we travel from New York to enter Canada? What state would you enter if you traveled directly south from your home? Name some of the largest cities of the United States.
Suppose you should take a trip up the Mississippi from New Orleans to St. Paul, what principal crops would you see by the way?
Where do you find the highest mountains in our country? If you should make a journey from Boston to San Francisco, would you see more level land on the way or more mountains? Would you notice very great changes of climate? ”

“ However, if we should climb up a high mountain, in either of the Termperate zones or even in the Torrid zone, we would notice that the climate soon becomes colder and colder the farther we go up above the lowlands.
The climate of a country depends chiefly on its being in one or another of these zones.
In the Frigid zones we should see mountains of ice and endless fields of snow.
The people live in huts of snow and ice. They dress in fur and even then can hardly keep warm. ”

“ One of them is called the San Francisco river. Into what water does it flow? Others flow into the Atlantic ocean near the mouth of the Amazon. What are their names? The gray colored part where these rivers rise is called a watershed. A watershed is like the ridge of a roof. It is the highest part and makes the water flow in different directions. Can you find a watershed between the Amazon and the Orinoco rivers? Find other watersheds among the mountains of Brazil and in the Andes. Every mountain range is really a watershed, since it makes the water flow in different directions. ”

“ There is something very curious that we must notice about the climate of western Europe. There the winters are much warmer than they are on the opposite side of the ocean in North America. This is owing to the westerly sea-winds, which, blowing over the warm waters of the Atlantic ocean, carry warmth and moisture to the land. Hence, the winters are far milder than ours. ”

“ Between the freezing north and the scorching south lies the temperate region of Asia. No part of the world contributes more than this to the comfort of man. It is the native home of the tea-plant, the cotton-plant, the sugar-cane, and the silkworm. ”

“ How Men Live.—The different people of the earth do not all live in the same way.
Suppose we go to the homes of the wild Indians or Negroes and see how they live. We shall find some of them living in tents made of skins or in rude huts.
Among the wild tribes the people wear little or no clothing, and eat roots, insects, fish, or the wild animals they may be able to trap or kill with clubs, wooden spears, or bows and arrows, for they have not yet learned the use of iron. The women do most of the work, while the men hunt and are fond of fighting. ”

“ They see a wagon drawn by oxen, carrying wheat to the barns. A man is driving a flock of sheep along the road, and a train of cars is approaching the village. Far away in the distance, they see the high mountains.
Some boys and girls have homes in cities. They may see long streets like the one in the left-hand picture, and other streets going in every direction. On some of these streets there are stores; on others there are homes where people live; passing through the streets are street cars, wagons, and carriages, and on the sidewalks busy people are going and coming. ”

“ We may learn about direction from the sun. The part of the sky where it rises is called the east. So if, some bright morning, we are walking with the sun shining in our faces, we cannot help knowing that we are going toward the east.
The part of the sky where the sun sets is called the west. The west is just opposite the east. If we walk so that the setting sun shines in our faces, we are going toward the west.
If we walk with the morning sun upon our right sides, we shall be going toward the north. If we should meet a boy walking in the opposite way, he would be going toward the south. ”

“ It is all around us, but it is so thin and clear that we cannot see it. When we look up, the blue that we see and call the sky, is really air.
When air moves past us wo can feel it, and then we call it a breeze or wind. ”

“ Let pupils visit some factory and tell what they saw. A shoe shop, a tailor's shop, a blacksmith shop, are simple factories. Discuss other occupations, and let pupils bring pictures of people at work in any of the loading industries.
Most people earn their living by doing some kind of work. We call people's work their occupation. Let us see what are the great occupations of the world.
We all eat food made from plants, and from plants we get cotton and linen for clothes. ”

“ The sun is all the time heating the sea and making vapor rise. That vapor forms the clouds. The winds drive the clouds from the sea over the land, and down they come as rain or snow. Put when the vapor rises from the salt water it leaves the salt behind. And so, the rain and snow are fresh. Some of the rain and snow is at once drained off by rivers; some sinks into the ground.
Where streams overflow mud is deposited which builds up a plain, as is seen in this view of the Connecticut river. ”