Where We Live | Page 2

in his study of his surroundings.
Milton C. Cooper, Superintendent of District Nine, Philadelphia.

INTRODUCTION
Geographical knowledge should progress from the known to the unknown, from the familiar to the unfamiliar. The world is the home of mankind. We can best understand the larger world by a preliminary consideration of our own small intimate home. We therefore begin to study geography with an account of the child's immediate environment. The school stands for the common home of the class. From the school we gradually widen out our teaching to include the immediate neighborhood with its buildings, and finally the whole town or community.
We study the various types of people whom we meet every day, and the industries in which they engage in their efforts to obtain the three main necessities of human life,--food, clothing and shelter. The animals and plants sharing the world with man and contributing to his sustenance next focus our attention.
The home neighborhood has its physiographical features distinguishing it from other places and influencing the life of its inhabitants. The land and water divisions in the immediate environment are studied as types, while those not closely related to our home are reserved for consideration as each one occurs in its local geographical place in the course of study.
We must know something of direction in order to conveniently locate the streets, buildings and physiographical features near our home. Finally, we will try to realize the great size of the earth, of which our home is but a small portion, by a consideration of the relationship of our community to the rest of the world and to some of this world's great diversities.
As geography is a study of cause and effect, the early lessons should be mainly oral. Later, in order to obtain a broad knowledge of geographical data, not one but many books should be read. This little book aims to serve as a bridge between the oral lesson and the descriptive text-book. The presentation of many questions leads the pupil to think out cause and effect, and to connect his present knowledge with the realm of the unknown. Special care has been exercised to present facts only when facts are absolutely necessary, and only after allowing the pupil the opportunity to first exercise his own reasoning faculties in obtaining the information.
The excursion is an essential part of every geography course, and every effort should be made to use this effective means of teaching.
Four types of valuable exercises may be suggested in the use of this book:
1. The pupils may read the questions orally and give the answers orally.
2. They may read the questions silently, answering them orally.
3. They may read the questions orally and write the answers.
4. Finally, they may silently read the questions and write the answers.
All definitions have been carefully avoided as tending to hamper the free acquisition of ideas.
PART I
TOPICS
1. Our School. 2. The Streets and Roads. 3. The Buildings. 4. The Town as a Whole. 5. The People. 6. Industries and Occupations. 7. Animals and Plants. 8. Transportation and Communication 9. Physiography of the Neighborhood 10. Direction.
PART II
1. The Earth as a Whole. 2. The Seasons. 3. The Zones. 4. North America. 5. Countries of North America. 6. Trips.

PART ONE
[Illustration: THE CAPITOL AT WASHINGTON.]

WHERE WE LIVE--A HOME GEOGRAPHY
CHAPTER I
OUR SCHOOL
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What is the name of our school?
Where have you seen this name?
[Illustration: A TOWN SCHOOL.]
Why was this name given to our school?
On what street or road does our school stand?
How long have you been attending this school?
See how much you have noticed as you came here each day. Tell what you can remember of the different parts of the building which can be seen from the street or road. Describe each of these parts:
Walls Roof Windows Chimneys Doors Fire-escape
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As you look at the school from the outside what materials do you see that the builders have used? Where have they needed stone, slate, glass, tin, iron, steel, wood?
Now let us think of the garden and playground. Tell about the different parts and the materials that have been used in making them.
What great numbers of workmen were needed before a school like ours could be built! Who procured the stone and the slate? Whose work was needed to obtain the iron, the steel and the tin? Who made the glass? Which workmen shall we thank for the wood?
Can you think how the bare lot looked before the school was built? Many men with shovels and pick-axes dug out the foundation, and numbers of horses and wagons were needed to carry out the earth. Then came the builders. How were so many materials brought here?
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1. We will go outdoors together and look at the school building.
2. We will stand north of the school, south, east and west of it. Notice the position of the parts, their number, shape, size