, 1867-02-15

popular OF English superstltlons. 1t is
not o pleasant idea, nevertheless, that
the worse the weather the more manly
one ought 10 be, particularly as one isn't,
and we feel very much inclined to ques-
ton whether it has any true or solid
foundation. There is a confusion in it,
we fancy, between the effects of bad
weather and the effects of that strife
with difficulties, when carried on for
generations, which undoubtedly strength
ems the character of any race submitted
10 it. We English are all accustomed to
say, with that love for avenging oneself
on Nature which is so permanent a char
acteristic of human beings, that the deni-
zens of bad climates are always stronger
than the races which "bask" in or other
wise enjoy sunshine, but it is not true.
The great races of earth, the races which
have done things, which have thought
and fought and taught with permanent
effect, have lived in almost all climates
except the. very cold. Most of our ideas
of theology come from a small knot of
clans belonging to one race which lived
in the hot valleys and on the vine-grow-
ing hill sides of the seaboard Of Syria,
where weather, at all events, is not hard.
Grapes of Eshcol dislike grey skies.
Half our knowledge comes from the in
habitants of islands and small peninsulas
bathed in the eternal summer of the
Eastern Mediterranean, where the olive
grew without cultivation, and sky-colour-
ed eyes meant eyes Of blue. The strong
est race which ever lived, the true Ro-
man patriciat, lived under a sky for which
Englishmen crave in vain, q sky which for
ten months in the year is the very re-
verse Of grey, which is, indeed, either
blue, deep, perfect blue, yielding enjoy
ment through its mere clearness, or blaz-
ing like molten brass. We never could
quite make out, indeed, in q proper the
oretic way what the Roman had TO fight
in the way of nature in such q climate and
on such "a soil as his but of course he
had something, or what would Mr..
Kingsley do? The most energetic of
Asiatic races, the Arab, was produced
under a sky which knows not of grey,
which is every colour but grey, a vicious
sky, q malignant sky, scorching the souls
out of men, but always, if you could only
look up, possessing in calmness its own
blue beauty. The only climate on earth
exactly like that of England, or differing
from IL only IN OelDg signify more equaI,
that of Tasmania, produced the lowest
race of savages who ever came In contact
with civilized man and died of the meet
ing. On the other side of the Atlantic
our race grows great in all climates, pro-
duces under the hard grey weather Yam
KEGS proper, under a really beautiful eli
mate the men of the West, and under
tropical skies the Southerners, whose
special fault is certainly not want of
"grit." The theory of greyness seems
to be as baseless as the counter theory
about light. For all a priOri reasons
light ought TO influence brain, but it does
not, the English being in acuteness even,
and certainly in inductive power more
than a match for Bengalees, aud inferior
TO Athenians, with their yet more cloud
less atmosphere. Indeed we question if
mere greyness Of sky does even produce
fortitude, the "hardness' Kingsley writes