the first place, an account of an historical event lacks, to a certain
degree, reality in the minds of the pupils if they do not know something
of the place where it occurred. Accordingly, in studying or teaching
history, reference should be constantly made to the map to give a local
setting to the story. The voyage of Columbus, the operations of Wolfe,
the coming of the Loyalists, are made more real if they are traced out
on the map, and are therefore better understood and remembered by the
pupils. For this purpose, it is better, in most cases, to use an outline
map, which may be sketched on the black-board by the teacher or the
pupils, because on the ordinary wall maps there are so many names and so
much detail that the attention may be distracted. Many of the details on
the map are, moreover, more modern than the events that are to be
illustrated, so that wrong impressions may be given.

In the second place, it must be kept constantly in mind that many events
in history have been influenced by the physical features of a country.
For example: the lack of a natural boundary between France and Germany
has led to many disputes between these countries; the fact of Great
Britain being an island accounts for many things in her history (see p.
108); the physical features of Quebec and Gibraltar explain the
importance of these places; and the waterways of Canada account for the
progress of early settlement. The climate and soil of a country affect
its history; treaties are often based on physical conditions, and trade
routes determined by them; a nation's commerce and wealth depend largely
on the character of its natural resources.

Some easy problems may be given to the senior classes to be answered by
reference to physical conditions:

Why are London, New York, Chicago, Montreal, and Halifax, such