The Savannah morning news., 1901-01-28
Copyright, 1901, by y. s. shaler)

Modern inquiries concerning the effect
OF environment on animals and plants
have naturally served to direct atten-
tfon 10 the influence Of nature in various
countries on the fate Of man. Thus the
question has often come to me, as it
likely that mankind will fail to maintain
itself in North American" or in another
form: rs this country to prove as well
suited to the needs of man as the lands
of the old world?" There Is undoubtedly
measure of doubt in the minds OF
some inquirers' whether or no our species
Is or is Likely to become so reconciled
40 this continent that II will find on it a
fair field for development.
In judging as to the fitness Of this land
for the uses OF man il is well to have
clearly In mind an outline of the history
of the creature IN other parts of the
world. So far as concerns our inquiry,
the story may be briefly told: AS regards
his origin, man clearly belongs to the
tropical part of the old world. Ali the
groups of apes which in bodily or mental
characteristics show any near kinship
with him are found in that part of the
world. The monkeys of America belong
altogether to lower groups which lie far
away from the path of advance that led
to mankind. There seems good reason to
believe that the first creatures entitled
10 be called human appeared IN Southern
Asia, or possibly in a land now beneath
the sea hat ley between these areas. All
che species of the natural order to which
man De4ongs are natives OF the tropics.
OF the hundred or more of these forms,
rome range to regions where freezing cold
often occurs In fact, no other equally
extensive group of mammals is so COM
pietely limited to the torrid zone.
Man Originally "a Creature OF the
Tropics.
While the distribution Of his lower kim
dred shows clearly that man first found
himself In the tropical realm, the fea-
lures of his body equally attest this field
Of origin. Ills naked STATE untitled h.fn
Tor life IN the colder zones. Until he
had learned 30 c.ethe himself in skins ami
use Of fire, arts that must have been
Slowly developed, he could not have lived
far away from the equator. Further
more 1t is in the tropic, even at the pres
ent> day, that the ANIMAL, man, is m 81
successful. There he takes in the great
est range OF var ations in form and color
s. the least dependent on his arts for sub
sisteHce, Is in all respects most com
plettly natura,ized.
We do net know at what stage In his
history certain varieties or races Of man
left their tropical birthp.a ace for higher
ATTITUDES; nor indeed what manner of
man they were. They must have been
relatively far advanced In the arts for
they could not have moved any distance
polarwards before they were abe to meet
the novel conditions. We may fairly
presume that the movement took place
ages after the species was established
and that only the more vigorous races
shared I'm the migration, which was in
the end to make their kind the most
widely diffused species in the vertebrate
type OF animals. Even these stronger
fox could not have accomplished the task
unit. their brains and hands had made
them in a measure independent of the
trials that vigorous climates imposed on
them.
The Spread of the Human Rnce.
When man accomplished the reconcilia-
ton with difficult conditions which cloth
ing and fire made possible, a tolerably
distinct division of the two species in o
two groups took place.
The one retained the tropical habit be-
ing with some exceptions incapable of
abiding in high latitudes the other in
cludng the seve al diverse varieties COM
monty known as Caucasian which can
no longer maintein itself in its best estate
within, the equatorial realm. This intol-
erance of torrid conditions which is So
striking a feature of all the European
peoples, is apparently shared though In
less degree. by the Semitic folk and
these we term Chinese. 1t appears to be
generally true that varieties of men that
have never known frozen earth cannot
well reconcile them selves to 1t, while
those who have adjusted themselves to
winter lose their vitality when deprived of
the tonic cold.
So long as the world of man remained
in the stagnant or slow moving state
these differences due to climate were
unnoted; none Of the tropical peoples
showed a dispos ton to wander to high
1atitudes, and those of the boreal dis
frict rarely sought to COLOMBO the edua-
torial lands II they entered on them
they ceased to prosper IL they main
tained Themselves at all. they appear to
have done so by intermingling their stock
with that of the indigenous folk In our
own age, owing to the forthgoing motive
of the European folk with it's desire to
hold all lands and to drag the dwelers
of the torr!d zone about the earth that
they may serve its civilization. this adj
5ustment of races to climate has come
10 be matter of ve~y great Importance
1t has TO be reck n with In all our
plans for new empires and our forecasts
OF the future of our own.
South America an UnfnyOrnhIe Lnnd.
Recognizing that the torrid region is
90 general untitled for the use of the mas
terful stock 10 which our people belong
and that their part of the earth lies be-
tween the tropics and the Arctic circles,
we are prepared to see how the American
cpnuhents are suited 10 their needs. TAX
ing, first. the southern of these twin
lands we perceive that IN larger measure
than any other Il is by lis position un-
ntted for the use OF Europeans. About
two-thirds OF II lies within the storrid
zone. OF the area thus placed, only
small part has its temperature in an eff
fective degree modified by its hight above
the sea; and this. the Andean section,
IS generally sterile. South of the tropic
of Capricorn there is a considerable re-
glon, which. so FAR as the temperature is
concerned, IL web suited for the develop
ment Of vigorous branch of the Euro
pean stock. Considered as a whole, south
ern South America may fairly be regard
cd as the most favorable part of the
southern hemisphere for the nurture Of
an Aryan population. The agricultural
value OF the district Is probably greater
than that OF South Africa or Australia
and the area "a for the pillow larger than
either OF those lands Yet as compared
with North America, It is OF very limited
promise
Considered in relation 10 the needs OF
our race. North America has several sig