THE GEOGRAPHIC ASPECT OF CULTURE 169 



trious by the names of Koberval, Descartes, Desargues, Fermat and 

 Pascal, who in brief founded modern analytic and projective geometry, 

 and laid the foundations for the calculus. 



The latitude of England made it later in development than either 

 France or Germany, while its insular position also introduced an impor- 

 tant modification. Extensive commercial relations were developed, 

 which, as in the case of the Phoenicians, forced arithmetic into prom- 

 inence. The first advance consisted in substituting for the old Boethian 

 arithmetic, inherited from the Eomans, the more powerful algorism of 

 the Arabs, introduced by way of the trade routes between England and 

 Italy. In the hands of the English, however, arithmetic was soon 

 transformed into the practical art demanded by their commerce and 

 characteristic of their genius, the most notable addition being the inven- 

 tion of logarithms. So rapidly was this transformation effected that 

 within a decade after the invention of logarithms they had come into 

 general use. 



With the growing mastery of man over nature the effect of environ- 

 ment in modifying history becomes somewhat less apparent. Sufficient 

 has been said, however, to suggest the dynamic influence of geography 

 upon culture, and indicate the new light thrown upon intellectual 

 development when studied from the standpoint of physiography. 



vol Lxxvr. — 1! 



