| Show THE IS SOURCE the recent controversy over the source of the father of waters will which h has been going the rounds of a the C press in certain portions of the country and which was carried before the recent international boog geographical graphical raph ical congress which met in switzerland has shown another danger to which the american love of notoriety and the constantly seeking after new things which is part of almost every americans nature has exposed the youthful student in our common schools we lve ail all know that this generation and the past have been taught from their geography that the B appi river rises in lake itasca and fews south etc this fact was decided by the explorers nicolet and as tar far back as 1832 1839 when they surveyed that Bec section tion of the country lake itasca the headwater head water of the great river lies 1575 feet above the sea level and is fed by five small creeks the largest of which baa has it rise ina in a pond some six air miles distant these facts were ascertained by nicolet and schoolcraft on the 0 occasion cc aion of their visit sometime prior to 1851 1881 one capt glazier on a pleasure trip claimed to have discovered another source to the father of waters in a lake lying at seven feet foot higher altitude and some ten miles away from the accepted source of the river he claimed to have been shown this body of water by an indian guide and succeeded so far in the assertion of bis his claim an as to induce an eastern publisher of geographical textbooks text books to publish his discovery as the head waters of the mississippi giving atthe it the name of lake glazier and thereby gaining considerable notoriety the question was referred for settlement to the international geographical congress made up ot delegates from the united states england germany france and switzerland they appointed a committee to investigate the matter this committee reported utterly refuting the claims of glazier thus bringing ingine br the hasty action of the american publisher into the glare of the strong light of 0 ridicule and caiti casting tig another blur upon american publishers of school textbooks text books booke americans desire to be foremost in the march of improvement and investigation but the trait often proves the truth of the old adage haste makes waste the minnesota press laughed at glaziers statements from the ing with good reason that after the thorough and exhaustive work of the state geographical board in the territory of the headquarters of the mississippi it there was any terra tea incognita in the state it was not in the vicinity of lakes itasca and elk and the smaller bodies of water among which the mississippi takes its rise |
