Ogden Daily Standard | 1914-04-08 | Page 9 | Maps Being Used by General Public

IPS m USED Bf ME1 PUBLIC Use of maps by the general public is becoming more common each year, according to Mrs. Florence I. Shafer of Ogden, geographer for district No. 4 of tho forest service, who has recently re-cently returned from a visit of several sev-eral months in Washington, D . C, where she studied may making. For references, she said she had at hef disposal one of the largest collection collec-tion of maps in the world the collection col-lection in the Library of Congress. One of the most common uses to which maps are being put, she said is that of directing strangers In tho larger cities. In Boston, she said, thc idea of placing maps in public places for the use of strangers was scouted at first because of the prevalent pre-valent opinion that maps were too technical for the average person. Mrs. Shafer said that a try-out of the map system for a short time convinced con-vinced the Bostonians that the plan was a success. After a careful study of thc maps provided, she said, it was easy to find one's way through even thc twisting and numerous streets of Boston. "There are many old and rare maps In the Washington library," Mrs. Shafer said. "Some of them were made in the sixteenth century. What surprises the modern drafts man In these old maps is the largely amount of ornamentation and the lit- ? tic Information. These maps impress !' one with tho Idea that the early carte- grapher had much artistic skill, great ? patience, but little information. On a map of North America, for In- stance, where the land waB shown by c a narrow strip on the south, east and 5 western coasts, the remaining space ? on the chart was a mass of draw- j! ings of strange creatures, supposed, (' perhaps, to inhabit the unknown '! country Modern maps are simple, 5 easily read and businesslike in ap- pearance. 1 "The United States forest service is producing maps fully up to the modern standards. Much of the I country untouched by the general J land office is being cruised by train- ! ed men under the forest service and 1 maps are produced based upon their ! Investigations. But few of tho na- tional forests have been completely J covered up to this time, but work i is being pushed rapidly." nn I