HOMO MILITANS 



brother, Homo ignorans. Whosoever wishes to become deeply disturbed 

 by the manner in which, through ignorance and thoughtlessness, 

 man himself is engaged in undermining his terrestrial existence should 

 read the recent book by Fairfield Osborne, 'Our Plundered Planet'. 

 In this treatise, dedicated 'to all who care about tomorrow', the famed 

 President of the New York Zoological Society demonstrates how man, 

 in consequence of the alarmingly rapid population increase, has re- 

 sorted more and more to a rapacious exploitation, and thus has 

 gradually become a geological force that even now is rapidly chang- 

 ing the once flourishing appearance of our planet into something 

 akin to the desultory landscape of the moon. 



In this connexion it is instructive sharply to focus on the data con- 

 cerning the growth of the earth's population. It is estimated that in 

 1630 the total number of humans amounted to 400 millions; that this 

 number was doubled in 1830, and again in 1900. In 1940 it was cer- 

 tainly in excess of 2,000 millions, and, if the present rate of increase of 

 1 per cent annually is maintained, it will have reached 4,000 millions 

 by about 2010! 



One might be inclined to conclude from these figures that man has 

 managed pretty well in his struggle with non-human life. But one 

 would do well to realize that it are exactly the problems incident to 

 this enormous increase in human population that will increasingly tax 

 the activity of Homo militans. 



In beginning a survey of some enemies of mankind one may be apt to 

 think primarily of animals, besides the invisible single-celled organ- 

 isms. But those who are familiar with life in tropical jungles will real- 

 ize that products of human culture may also be subject to continuous 

 attack by higher plants. 



Many whose privilege it has been to sail, as I did, from Holland to 

 Insulinde prior to 1940 will cherish the powerful primary impression 

 created by the grand virginity of its mighty tropical growth. During 

 the voyage from Padang to Tandjong Priok, at that time still occu- 

 pying two days, nothing struck me as much as the dense and luxur- 

 ious green vegetation that covers Sumatra's West coast and the small- 

 er islands we passed. Not a trace of human habitation was to be ob- 

 served; and even though rationally one had to infer that here and 

 there man must occasionally have penetrated, it was evident that he 



395 



