The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1917-07-09

+ relationships. III numDly accept
what it finds in the newspapers an
permits those who sit in high place
to lead it, or to mislead, at will.
Understanding the Mind Of German
| wish now to explain the mind o
Germany and to indicate the differ
ences which mark it off from the min,
of the other peoples of Europe. TIL
subject Of international politics an,
of national character is not at all diff
ficult, if you proceed to study it in tn
right way The beginning of al
knowledge of social progress lies il
the study of geography. If we frs
study geography with reference to the
location and the contents of the sol
of a nation, and second with refer
ence to the processes by which peo
pie produce the necessaries of life
we shall have a key not only to social
change but to racial character
How People Differ
| recall that when | was a boy, liv-
ing some 10 miles back from the shore
of Lake Erie in Ohio, I noticed that
there were marked differences be-
tween the people of the lake shore and
THE people of our township. Similar
ly there were differences between our
iselves and the people of "Hardscrab-
ble," who lived farther back in the in
terror. People on the lake shore were
richer than we were. People in
| "Hardscrabble' were poorer than we
were. The difference was so marked
as to be perfectly evident to allWhen
| | later returned as a teacher of his
tory and government, using scientific
methods, the causes of these differ
ences were perfectly apparent. The
people of the lake shore possessed
rich soil because their lands had once
| been lake bottom That soil was
easily drained because it had a sub
soil of sand The great lake kept
away the late spring frosts and the
early autumn frostS, which SO often
destroyed the crops of our township.
Finally, the people of the lake front
were located so near a great sity that
they marketed their vegetables and
fruits directly to the consumer thus
saving the enormous profits of the
railroads and the middlemen We have
here three primary causes of their
wealth, our comfort, and the poverty
of "Hardscrabble." In our township
we had clay loan, upon which we pro-
fruits and vegetables to the acre, but
fifteen or twenty dollars worth of hay
or grain. In 'Hardscrabble" the loan
on the clay was so thin that much of
the land did not pay the working |
Hence the extreme poverty. On the |
lake front the people paid their |
preacher $500 year. We paid ours
$500 a year. In "Hardscrabble they
the poor man took it out mostly in
sour milk, pumpkins, and last years
dried apples. On the lake front the
school teacher received SIS a month
They had a high school and nearly |
every boy and girl was prepared for
college. In our township the school
teacher received $50 a month and
very few were prepared for college.
In "Hardscrabble' the school teacher
received $50 month for six months
in the winter, and nobody was pre-
pared for college.
How Geography Works
Geography had marked the
three populations with relent-
less thoroughness, not only as
regards their minds, but as regards
their bodies. On the lake front they
were all stand-pat republicans. In
'Hardscrabble" they were mostly pop
llists. On the lake front people
we're healthy and vigorous In Hard :
scrabble" they were lean. angular and
much afflicted by dyspepsia, rheuma- :
ism and consumption. 2
Originally these were exactly the :
ame sort of people who had come out :.
If New England into the Western Re-
erve of Ohio and settled the three
districts Now they represented
hree different social types. Take the :
jeople from the lake front and put ?
hem in "Hardscrabble' and in10O ;,
ears you will have ''Hardscrabble"
eople again. Take the people of q
Hardscrabble" and put them on the .
AXE front, and in 100 years they will l,
'esemhle the lake front people OF u
oday So you see that physical ge-
graphy is an absolute monarch, rul-
lg over human bodies and human a
Kinds. F
Why Turkey Falls Apart r.
Now let us apply the same method s.
} the life of Europe. The empire of u
arious parts. Turkey has no indus1- G
-ial system to unite those parts If Io
he had modern mines, factories, u
ailroads and banks she would become o.
great nation Without these means OF
modern life and power her raveling e.
dyes have fallen prize to her neigh el
ors. Now finally her capital, Con- m
-antinople, so long the subject of u
,alous greed on the part of great II
walls powers of Europe, is clutched
once by Russia and Germany
Russia Needs an Outlet 4,
Both Russia and Germany need 81
onstantinople. for commercial and i'm r
erialistic expansion Russia looks fl
ut upon the world and sees that n
ithout a warm-water Atlantic portic
he cannot become truly great ma m
on. She is backward not because W
ar mind is less keen than the mind re
Germany or of France; She is back r.
ard because her geography has made ne
ar backward. CIVILIZATION could or 81
inally develop only in those coun- AZ
les which have had seaports and w
"a commerce. Now we have come to he
lie day of railroad civilization. Riv- m
: steamships and railroads have per- in
tilted the United States to become
reat nation. Russia had to await
e building of railroads. Today her fu