The times., 1901-05-19
! ! J ! Fry y 1Jl1l

mastery analysis oI floutTH society III
his Progress and Poverty'-but it is
not yet understood to what extent
his remedy can be applied with sue
cess. At any rate, the experiment of
New Zealand deserves close attention
whatever may be its results.
Large estates are discouraged by n
graduated income tax, which rests
lightly upon the man of small means,
but takes a great deal out of the rlch
ones The influence Of Henry George
is seen in a law of New Zealand which
eX@mpts Improvements and buildings
on farm, and taxes solely the Iand
itself Small farmers are altogether
exempt. Land worth $4,000 is taxed
one penny In the pound on the capital
value. The tax rises with the Nalue,
eliminating at three pence in the
pound on land of G2l0,e00 or more
value. Everyone votes in New Zea-
land. women as well as men.
We must not think of our New Zea-
land State Socialists as we do of those
in France and Germany, who deal al
most exclusively with theories so
blended with truth that the practical
politician has difficulty in using them.
The New Zeaiander is a practical Eng
lishman. who deliberately undertakes
experiments on new soil and under
favorable conditions which it would be
almost revolutionary TO attempt in
England or any other old country
where men are bound down by social
prejudice and tradition
Briefly, Mr.. BigeIow believes in the Eng
lishman as a controller of colonies and
the Chinaman as 4 Iaborer. For the Chi
nese he has nothing but praise, regarding
their ability to endure the extremes of
heat and cold, their aptitude, their facul-
ty for Iong-continued and arduous labor,
as the most valuable qualities of work
man: and he frankly says that in his
opinion there would be much more sense
in giving the Chinese the right of suffrage
it to the negro. He regards the negro as
most useful in the form of a soldier, be-
ing of the opinion that the race needs
above all things discipline, control and
a master to whom to be loyal. He de-
votes a considerable amount of space TO
the question of what shall be done with
the African. this question coming up nat
uraIly in connection with nearly every col
ony of which he treats; but he does not
come to any very definite conclusion either
on this point or on the general questions
of colonization. In minor matters he is
positive enough, but on great subjects he
is rather vague. This, however, is per-
haps the wisest course. since If there is
anything which is dangerous to a mans
reputation for judgment and Yeracity it
is to dogmatize on world-movements.
To put it Irish fashion, the only thing
can expect in international relations
is the unexpected. Even so lately as fifty
years ago. as MIR. Bigelow clearly shows,
the immense development of California
and Australasia was a thing totally outside
the calculations OF even astute statesmen,
and it is hardly likely that Nature has
spilled all the surprises out of her bag.
There are probably some left for the
twentieth century. The reason for this is
that the causes Of wOrId-movements lie
so deep, and are the result in their turn
Of prehistoric race developments so COM
pIex and modern, industrial changes so
important, that no human brain IS great
enough, even with the knowledge of all
these things, TO calculate what the result
tant of the forces will be.
one Of the minor matters on which Mr..
Bigelow is positive is the possibility that,
as he puts it, the white man and his wife
may life comfortably in the Tropics. This
chapter viii be of especial interest to the
American. who always likes TO take his
home with him, and whose interests just
now demand some settlements of white
men in the Philippines and the West In
dies. The author says in part:
1T is of great Importance to us to
note that in nearly all the West In
dian islands are lofty mountains emf
nently suitable for health resorts. In
most Of these islands white people
could live as comfortably as in Vir-
ginia or Kentucky, if the Government
did but open the high land Of the in
terror to settlement, as has been done
in South Africa. thanks to the Boers
and the Government railways.
of course, all extremes Of heat as
well as Of cold, are, in general, pre-
judicial TO happy life, and far be it
from me to advocate white mans mi
grafton TO places unsuited to his daily
comfort. But, as | have pointed out,
many places that were once universal
ly regarded as uninhabitabe, or. at
least, dangerous TO health, have
proved TO be suitable after d few years
of conlmon-sense administration. And
il Is equally clear that many places
which today have an evil name, not
ably Manila and Cuba. will, under
proper administration, become salts
factory places for white men and Wo-
men ! do not say that they will prove
merely equal TO New Orleans or Mar
seillcs-that would not be saying much
but rather that they will resemble
DU~ban in Africa, or Georgetown in
DeIlerara.
Tle present state Of life in the Trop-
les, where sanitary conditions are not
satisfactory, is apt TO produce com
munity, mainly of young men, who
lend themselves naturally to the doc
trine that whisky is a preventive OF
malaria. Indeed, il IS noticea BILE that
people who yield to an appetite usually
find a plausible pretext for so doing.
At any rate, nowhere in the world
have noticed so much promiscuous
cocktalllnB at all hours of the day as
in tropical colonies where, of all
places, water should be regarded as
the one safe drink Of course, in most
cases, the man who INDUCES remarks
that he feels the need Of something for
the sake Of his stomach. 1t is not by
accident that Arabs, Chinese, Malays,
and Hindoos. TO say nothing of ne
q HrsHH
drink. The universal use Of tea in
China arises from the pollution of the
water and the consequent necessity Of
boiling il first preventive against
enteric complaints. China and Japan
are not free from dysentery. but the
marvel Is, in China al least, that there
is any population at all, seeing that
the wells are nearly all contaminated.
Such as have studied the question of
white expeditions IN Africa assure me
that the worst water is better than
alcoholic drink; that in all cases where
alcohol has been kept from the men
the advantages have been fully ac-
knowledged subsequently,
Now, when a tropical community Is
composed, as it frequently is today,
mainly Of young bachelors with large
salaries and abundant animal spirits,
it is but natural that such communi-
ty should convince itself that after all
II is better to enjoy a short and merry
life than take any chances Of long
one. And, in many cases, thanks to
good sweat every day on the tennis
or polo field, the young men on tropi-
cal stations have not only known how
TO live n merry life, but a tolerably J
long one as well though the most Of
them have returned home with perIna-
nently enfeebled constitutions
Every white woman today, II she
realized the interests Of her sex, would
agitate politically for the sanitation
Of the tropical world, and the building
Of railways to the hills; for only when
that is done can something be accom-