The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1894-03-08
CLIMATE AND RACE.
HqN People are Affected by the Country
} " in Which They Live.

Are English-spealSing people destined
to rule the world? They have multi
piled so rapidly that some writers think
, that they may yet out-number all other
y peoples combined.
In the year 1900 they were about
twenty millions; they are now nearly
SIX times as numerous; and there is no
apparent check in their rate of increase.
Should 1t continue for another hun
dred years there will be about seven
hundred millions of them in the world,
Or nearly half as many as the worlds
present total population.
AS the neutrality-suspicious. politically
own great territories, including all
America north of Mexico, and the whole
q continent" of Australia, their posi-
bic skiold increase during the next
century need not be stopped for lack of
land.
No wonder, then, that many writer's
y ,contend that the ideas, if not the phys
/ical force, of the English-speaking
peoples are destined to rule so general
ly that the peoples of other European
languages must, as compared with
them, become minor nations. 1t is
even argued that all nations will be
compelled to learn our language in or
der to share in commerce.
This prospect is fattering to people
OF the English-speaking nations. They
can see much reason to hope that their
language may greatly prevail They
would like to think that their ideas
and ways also will become those of the
world at large.
But the opinion that this can occur
through the mere spread of the Ian
guage is sharply contradicted, not only
by the fact that the increase in the
p number of those who use it is partly
accounted for by it's adoption as the
common language by persons of other
. than Anglo-SaXon race, but also by
q observations of the effect of climate on
~ race.
The peculiar characteristics of Amer
leans and British, the two great En-
glish-spealing nations are largely due
to climate. These peoples have had to
work hard in order to live comfortably
where nature gives little except to toll,
and where long winters compel massive
building as well as the storing of much
food and raiment.
Thus they have become among the
most Industrious, prudent, thrifty,
steadfast and moral of all peoples. Gil
mate forced them to strive. Striving
increased their talents, energies, self
restraint, knowledge and acquisitions
from generation to generation. But
what climate produces climate can de-
stroy. For instance, it is now asserted
that the Australians of English de-
scent, though they retain much energy
through one or two generations from
the original settlers, distinctly show
- the results of living in a warm, equable
" climate, without fear of long winters.
They are said to be moe care-free
or less preoccupied, easier of temper,
more vivacious, extravaganza and in
dolent. The same is alleged of the
progeny of English-speal1ing settlers
in all warm climates If it be true,
the enormous warm countries political
ly owned by English-speallers may not
be destined to induence the world
toward the qualities and ideas of the
northern English-speakers.
~ A doubt is also thrown against the
z hope that the white English-speakers
of Australia and other warm countries
will greatly multiply. 1t is said that
they incline to leave all arduous bodi-
ly labor to hired Africans, Asiatics,
and natives of the Pacific islands.
These races multiply on the land and
will, it is predicted, ultimately practi-
cally own it and consume nearly all its
n product. In short, the tendency Of
- English-spealzers in warm climate is to
multiply only enough to live by direct
ing the labor of darlz-skinned races.
a. According to this view the future
may belong much more to the English
language than to people closely resem-
bling in character and blood the pres
ent users of our tongue. These and
their progeny will certainly long weld
great influence, but that they can WELD
the world into something like unity
seems against an ordinance of nature
in favor of great variety of national
temperament.
It has been said that the destiny of
the present English-speallers is to pro-
duee the foremen of the world, and
this seems more in keeping with facts
than the opinion that they can control
all climes and lands to the mainte-
nance of one general English-like type
of men and minds. - Youths Com