The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-07-26
MAKING A NATION.
Temperament and Character are Founda-
tons, Not RAGS Environment or Hs.or.

temperament and Character are Founda-
tons, Not RAGS Environment or History.
DIR. Chamberlain spoke on Race
heredity and civilization" and said IN
substance: There are now two schools
of philosophers, one of which says en-
vironment is everything, and the other
that race heredity is so strong that
environment does not influence to such
extent. A large number of American,
English and Russian anthropologists
hold the first, and most German and
French writer's hold the latter.
There is a middle school which recog-
nizes that races are perpetuated
throughout all time, but environment
Shapes even these stronger. Environ
ment has played on men for ages and
done very little to change the physical
conditions. Racial characteristics are
nothing but acquired traits. Lornbroso
points out the fact that even where
races have been modified greatly, where
even the race has passed away, the pop
ulatlon of that country preserves the
traits of their predecessors. There may
be sort of halo around given area
which perpetuates the characteristics of
race after the race has passed away.
There is a species of environment of
class and professions that is as strong
as race. There is some ground for Lom-
broso's statement, that when a race is
abolished it leaves behind another en-
Vlronment in which footsteps the sue
ceeding race must follow.
Race has come to be with some writ
ers almost the only thing in the world.
Thera is much danger of narrowness in
this. II 1t is hard to classify races ac-
cording to the good things they possess,
1t is harder to classify them according
to the transitory characteristics 1t is
possible that race differences should
exist without the slightest differences
In moral or mental qualities. There is
no specific type of degenerate, nor any
specific race type of degeneracy or
criminality.
One is sometimes puzzled to say
what is race. Compare the Quaker with
the American citizen of today and one
is almost ready to say these are two diff
ferent races. Take the docile French
men of the beginning of the 18th CEN
fury and compare him with the wild
creature who sat in the convention If
you found this difference in savages
you would say that they not only be-
longed to different races, but of differ
ent mental types.
In religion again. differences come to
the same race. Brahmanism, Buddhism.
Christianity, have all failed in the coun-
tries where they were born. 1t seems
that religion fails to convert it's own
people unless it converts it en- masse.
Chinese Buddhism is not the Buddhism of
India, nor is the Buddhism Of any race
like that Of India. The races took the
great religion of Brahmanism and Bud
dism and changed them to suit their
own ideas.
In spite of the simplicity Of Moham-
medan faith, the Mohemmedanism of
Persia is far different from that of
Arabia. Some of the faiths took on a
new god for every religion with which
1t came in contact. There is hardly a
single factor of religion that somewhere
race has not put its foot upon it.
Christianity was seized upon by
many races who found in this religion
much that was like their own, and the
Catholic missionaries had little trouble
in establishing their church. In Mexico
the symbol of the cross was known long
before America was discovered, and the
Mexicans took readily to Catholicism.
The normal way to Christianize the
heather nations Is by taking what is
best of their religion and not breaking
down to build over. We can see how
religion follows changes rather than in
augurates them.
One school of Germany believes that
there were but two races in Europe,
one tall and the other short, and all
the races of Europe are but the ming
ling of these two races The primitive
people of upper Europe, it was thought,
were the tall people, developing into
the Teuton, the Saxon and the Eng
lish. The short. dark men dwelt IN
France. The French have always
wished to be governed, while the Eng
fish all wish to govern. Take those
people who lived in the little island of
Denmark. When they appeared again
on earth they were in the little island
environment of England, not in CONT
mental Europe. Leaving England
again, they came to the island Of Amer
lea, and in the little environment
known as Massachusetts developed into
the people of America The environ
ments in which they succeeded were
narrow environments, and this seems
to be what has shaped Angles Saxon
civilization. There is remarkable sim.
ilarity of environment between Japan
and England, and these are two me-
lions which have become great.
The difficulty is to say whether Eng
land and Japan are great on account of
the environment ORION account of the
race. But in both cases, England and
Japan We're touched by other races.
Should we say that English-speaklng
people shall rule the world, when that
little race which has sprung up in the
west has exactly those things which
made England what it is? Not race nor
environment, nor history, but tempera-
ment and character make a nation.
THE EVENING RECEPTION.