The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1885-08-19
Selected.
The March of the White Man.

Among the lttle-noticed but most m
portant facts In the history OF the world Is
the enormous recent increase IN the ham
Der of white men i'll it. 1T Is barely Two
centuries (l6e3) since those races, though
even then the most energetic OF MANKIND,
formed but u small fraction 10 the total of
humanity-probaoly ten per cent. OF the
whole-and were by no means certain that
they could defend themselves against the
remainder. The white races In ana out OF
Europe, under the influence oil some still
mysterious call upon their energies, nave
multiplied nearly threefoid, and are to-day,
as Mr. r. Gtien has shown i'll his recent
address to the Statistical Society, APO, 000,-
600.
As there is p, evidence of any correspond.
ing increose in the dark races, ard as, in
deed, such increase has been, outside of
India, nearly impossible, the white men
are now, by the best calculations, one
third of the entire population OF tn world
instead of being, as they were only TWO
centuries ago, u little more than ten pei
cent. They have, moreover, II anything,
increased III physical strength, ana nave 80
deyeloped in brain and consequent power
of organization, that it may be douoted II
the whole remainder of mankind, even Is
all wee reduced to equal weapons, could
seriously iujure the white third, which
again, if it choose to act together and EN-
ploy the weapons its intelligence mas ana-
Died it to construct, could in few years
reduce the remainder of the world to an
uninhabited desert. They hive lately Ia
ken to cuuqucriDg Africa, and are entering
il at hundred points at once; seizing, al
most silently, certainly WITHOUT serious
effort, huge slices like French Africa,
S puth Africa, Madagascar, the VAST Vailey
OF the Niger, and the still more extensive
region drained by the great syst OF rlv-
ers called the Congo. NOR Is lnefe ihu'n
reason to believe that the process VIII soon
be checked, tor the white men are urged
ferward by an irresistible spur 'Ver which
they have no control. The Increase OF the
yellow race, which must once have been so
incredibly last, has stopped, and that OF
the dark rae, of India, which for a cen
fury has been amazing, is being checked
by recurrent famines; but that OF the
transport of huge army every year across
the Atlantic makes DO impression on their
numbers, and ut their present rate OF IN
crease they will in 1884 be thousand MIL
lion, or much more than half OF then eX-
listing mankind.
The world is the heritage OF the white
man; that is the first lesson OF Mr. uinen =
figures, but there is another, also, when
Euglishmen will do well TO think over pa
tieutly, and, If they can, WI gut hatred IN
their hearts. They have uo flgnt to anger
with the visible will OF God. IL Mr.. dh-
ien's figures are correct-snd, SUBJECT to
some arrest of existing law, they must be
as correct as /! they were merely unap
piled calculatious-therei is but one race on
earth with whom il behoovts Inc 1euloD'
in all his branches, to keep 1rlenus. inis
supremacy of the white man VIII III the
eLd-and, recollect, children may be porn
Today who will see the end, and then be
younger than ST. Moses Montehore-oe
the Joint supremacy of the Teuion and the
Sav, In 1884, when the world contains
DOC, 900, 900 of white faces, 60O,00O,0O0
of these will be English and Germans, and
300, OoO, 900 will be Slav There will prac-
tcally be no other white races, the French
not increasing, the Spaniards Increasing
slowly-if, indeed, as in Mexico, they 90
not rather suffer absorption In DARK peo-
ple-the Scandinavian having stopped ab-
solutely, and the freshman, true to his
destiny, helping only to swell the power OF
the race he processes to detest. ii the
Teuton and the Slav can Keep friends, the
world is theirs; and If not, there VIII De
the most terrible struggle recorded IN MIS-
tory since the white barbarians fought the
white Roman aud their darker allies. VIC
are not sure that an agreement Is possloie
until great fight has taken place, for Slav
and Teuton seem unwilling to comprehend
each other, though there is not between
them the internecne hatred sometimes OBJ
served in history; but if their statesmen
could arrange terms on which the conflict
could he permanently avoided huge mass
of misery might be saved to our Immediate
descendants. To avoid the quarrel Will be
difficult, for the Slav Is just now stranded;
and to reach the open water, and so take
his natural part in toe greater movement
Of mankind, he must pitch himself on
somebody, be it on Turkey, on Enghnd or
China; but the means of avoidance are
worth the study aud patience OF years
London Spectator.