Page:The National geographic magazine, volume 1.djvu/42

 of a wide usefulness for geography, when its forms are systematically studied and its principles are broadly applied.

A final word as to terminology. The material common to geography and geology may be included under the name physiography, as used by Huxley. It is, I think, a subject that is destined to receive much attention. Physical geography, as ordinarily defined, does not cover the ground that it might fairly claim. It is too largely descriptive and statistical. Geographic evolution, as defined by Geikie, is the general preparation of existing geography by geologic processes. It does not consider the general scheme of topographic development or the natural classification of geographic forms.

It is not easy to change the accepted meaning of a term, and I would therefore suggest that a new term should be introduced to include the classification of geographic forms, as advocated here, rather than that any old and accepted term should be stretched over a new meaning. As the essential of the study here outlined is the systematic relation of form to structure, base level and time, the new term might be Systematic Geography.