The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1922-08-08
DAILY THOUGHTS
By r. L. H.
Climate and Man

{ Climate is about the most influen-
! tial factor in determining the char
acter and temperament of people.
| History everywhere both past and
current shows us that neither ex-
tremely warm or extremely cold eli
mates bring out the best in man, al
though the most is on the side Of the
more frigid zones.
1t is no mere chance that the white
race has become predominant over
the inhabitants of the tropical coun-
tries.
1t did not just happen that the great
part of the worlds advancement in
the scientific and intellectual realms
took place in the more temperate
zones.
The torrid rays of the tropic sun
are Supplying and devitalizing. They
lull one to sleep with soft indolent
grace and leave him in languid care
free attitude of mind and body.
The tropics are bounteous in the
production of foodstuffs and other
AfricaneednOt worry about the NOR
Africa need mt worry about the NOR
row nor exert himself much to get
his wants for today satisfied. Nature
supplied him with all that the stomach
could desire and the balmy climate
made fuel and lodging questions as
Stunning very minor position in his
scheme of life.
With never care to bother his
mind, no cial to store up for the whit
er, no need to lay aside some food for
consumption in the winter, with
nothing to provide for except his
meager daily wants which could be
satisfied at the nearest cocoanut tree
or banana grove it is no wonder the
African savage remained savage.
He was not Obliged to use his mind
to outwit nature in order to exc out
an existence. Why should he worry.
All that was needed was at hand. Con-
sequently he never bothered himself
about anything new, never discovered
anything and never invented anything
except the crudest weapons to protect
himself against his enemies and the
wild beasts.
He lived in garden of Eden or
nearly as such garden could be az
proximated. And it had the same eff
feet upon the savage as free goods
would have upon society today He
could get what he wanted without
working muscle or brain and he was
loathe to venture outside the pale OF
daily wants.
But while the man of the tropics
stood fairly still in progress, the man
of the temperate and colder zones adj
vanced He was a fighter by necess-
ity and it took fighter to wrest
from nature as he knew her the
things needed to keep his body with
life when the autumn sun had jouiti-
eyed southwark for long soiourn
while he remained back in the COLD
% exist in winter time meant :ha.
Tx, man Of the north mus use every
conceivable means in his power MT
to provide for his daily necesi'ti"s
Ert also for his future necessities
wien winter came. He had tt build
habifations TO protect himself against
the icy ilasts of winter, he had to
store up food and raj ment and fuel
to stave away the wolf and keep his
body warm enough to maintain life.
He was forced by his surroundings
to become a conquerer. Nature was
against him He had not only to pre-
pare for life during the winter but he
had to wrest everything he got from
nature COCOdHuJS, DdHdHdS dllu tIOp-
ica1 fruits and vegetables did not grow
in his land He had to cultivate the
soil, guard his flock against the dep.
relations of wild animals, Stay the
beasts for meat and use their furs for
clothes. Wherever he ventured he
had a scrap.
But the very fact that he had to
conquer nature and the things about
him, made this man of the temperate
zone an investigator. His being like
that of the hottentot longed to enjoy
the good things of life, but the good
things he did enjoy were wrested away
from his environment. And it was in
this acquiring by force of the things
he desired that he made discoveries,
inventions and became a thinker. He
what he had to learn