New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-02-18
GILLIAN CHRONICLES.
\ HISTORY or THE LAND AND THE
PEOPLE.
A HISTORY OF CHILE by Arson Uriel Hancock
PIP. Xxx. AL. Charles II. Sergel q co. U.atin
American Republics

HIsToRY or cHl TILE. y An ss Trsl H%ps9Gk
American Republics
1t may be that the author Of this work does
not care for the unity of history. 1t may be
that the unity Of purpose in the career OF Chill
is hard to discover to set forth. At all events
Mr. IIancock's book reads much like a chroni-
Gle. Yet Chilli merely considered geographic
cally presents questions likely to trouble the
philosophical historian. Think Of a republic de
clared indivisible in SO many words by it's Con-
stitutiOn. and, nevertheless. covering the utmost
diversties Of climate from the icecaps Of the
Antartic circle to the languor of the equator
If that mere strip Of land. forty TO one hundred
/ miles wide, stretching between the Andes and
the Pacific Ocean for 1900 miles. lay along some
isothcrmal line the problem would not seem
SO difficult. Attention would lie called to the
fact that migrations usually follow such lines
and that human beings. as rule. remain in the
climate to which they and their ancestors had
become accustomed But human nature sooner or
later contradicts every theory on which it's ac-
tons are accounted for and Chill certainly
does this for the notions az TO the influence Of
climate on politics. Theories were as nothing 10
a pressed between the mountains and the
sea. Perhaps in tracing out the matter the very
principle of Chilian unity would he found in the
fact that the country puts negative upon The
ordinary facts Of national life For climate Is
not altogether defeated in Chill. The better
/ soldiers. judged by the criterion of success are
drawn from the temperate section Of the coun-
try. and lot from its frigid torrd ex;remitics
! The cool highlands raise men more tenacious
and determined. and perhaps, more blood
thirsty than the warmer coast lands And this
is not only true now. but 1t has been true APP
parently ever since the country was first de
scribed. The Europeans who overcame with
CELEBRITY and case the Indians Of tropical and sub
tropical America found that they had occupa-
ton for n century or two when they confronted
the Araucanian mountaineers. Mr. Hancock cred
its these natives OF Chill with being the most
capable in military affairs and the most stub
born warriors in battle Of all the peoples found by
the Spanards in America. Against the white
man. against the ancient half-cvized Pc
ruvian. they presented an undaunted front.
yielding only foot by foot. And even now Il
IS the strong liquor Of the white man rather
than his strong which is laying them low
Meanwhile final defeat awaits only those Of un-
mixed blood Otherwise the aborgines have as
much share In Chill the invaders The
Spanish ancestors Of the present Chilian in
habtants." says Mr.. Hancock. "were hardy
pioneers. Basques and Biscayans the most
rugged and ndomitable Of Spanish races The
Indians OF Chill were the most waIlNc ana
persevering Of all the American races. From
these two sources came, by internarriage the
present virile. progressive race" 1t il TO this
mixture Of originally strong race elements that
he attributes the comparatively stable govern
ment Of Chilli its good credit and progressive
government
If the AraUcanians resisted the Spaniards more
strenuousy than other Indians did the modern
Chians showed the strongest hand in the war
with Peru and Bolivia. This superiority was
in accordance with ordinary views about the
effect Of climate. Chill has been most friendly
with Argentna-that is, with a nation on a
thermal level with her. rather than with peo-
pie OF different zone. II she quarrelled with
Argentina over the division Of Patagonia and
TERRA del Fuego. the contest was as easily set
tied as those between mountaneers and plains
men usually are. Mr. Hancock points out that.
compared with other South American republics
Chill has been remarkably free from internal
wars His narrative. however, gives the impress
sion that the country has rarely been free from
some disturbance. But the people have recov-
for that easy recovery In the past seems to
have been that they only felt secondary in
terest in the turmoil. For Chill Is essentially
aristocratic 1t is only within recent years that
liberalism has cut any figure in her politics Her
provinces are not AUTONOMOUS States but de-
tendencies Of n central government, which APP
points their officials The widest reforms are now