Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-01-11
"On Board the
Good Ship Earth "
BY Herbert Quick
Changing Our Quarters on Shipboard
By Herbert Quick

So. too. as to the equatorial belt
amIdships, the temperature has pre-
vented its being the quarters or very
dense communities of people. There
are some exceptions to this, but on
the whole the torrid zone is too hot
for successful human life. The peo-
ple there are lacking In both numbers
and energy.
The best place on the ship is in
that strip each side of the equator
where it has cooled off to just the
right temperature: and here, princi-
paliy on the north side of the hot
belt. the passengers are mostly found
quartered. So dependent are the
lords of creation" on the mere mat
ter of heat and cold.
But almost as powerful is the
factor of moisture. Where it is too
dry, the dead matter of the decks
Of the good ship Earth does not read
lily fuse into the protean shapes of
life. The force which works through
that mighty slime called protoplasm,
works with water as a tool-and
whole continents are in a measure
united by lack of moisture for the
occupancy of man. So he must ever
be herded into those places where the
tyrant spirits of heat and moisture
allow him to live. His quarters on
the ship are determined by them.
A third of us are crowded into
southern and eastern Asia. Fifty mil
hons of us are in the few small
islands of Japan, because of the
f.f hn ri a
Three hundred millions more are in.
China, and swarms equally numerous
in India and her neighboring hives.
In the continent of Europe. there
are well toward four hundred mill
lions of us. And in North America,
we have about a hundred millions.
These and some islands are the
densely populated places. Here are
most of the passengers CHARTERED.
No captain has sent men to these
quarters, except Captain Necessity
and Captain Power They have
fought like beasts for them, and the
decks of the ship have run red with
blood by reason of migration of pas
sengers from one part of the deck to
another. In past ages these surg
ings back and forth have been blind
and mostly unobserved save by those
engaged In the fighting. But lately
we have found out how to put
thought on paper and multiply the
papers by machinery, and we send
thoughts along wires in notime at
all, and we have ways of travelling
over the watery places on the decks.
so that all these conglomerations of
peoples called nations have come to
know about each other, and to watch
each other; and in some sort of way,
to understand each otheT-though not
very WELL
And the wise ones among men are
wondering how we in the ages to
come shall occupy this land. They
of the crowded spots want to move
over into the places which are not
crowded. Shall they be permitted to
move? Have they the right? Who
shall decide?
They who abide in the sparser
places do not like to have people of
other religions, colors and languages
coming among them in large num-
bers. Some nations are more intel
ligent than others-or think them
selves so-and desire to keep out the
inferior races All, without excep-
ton, think themselves the best peo-
pie in the world. So the nations
stand in their various quarters of the
globe, each armed to keep others from
intruding, and so divided by color
lines, lines of race, religion and Ian
guage, that the good ship Earth is
like q captainless vessel, the occu-
pants of which are ready to fly at
each others threats. And things
some slow, some quick-are happen
ing which make it more and more
difficult to keep the crowded nations
cooped up where they are. Thus the
future lowers dark with problems
and for the first time in world his,
tory, the people are wise enough to
see the problems.
And to solve them? Perhaps. But
If they solve them-they must do 1T
by thinking about them. That is why
this is written.
See Mondays Evening Star for an
nouncement of the next article in this
great series.