214 PROBLEMS OF HUMAN EVOLUTION 



with the worst. Turning now to English history we see some 

 remarkable phenomena which may, I think, be considered to 

 illustrate our present subject. The energy that characterises the 

 British race seems to centre now in one part of our small islands, 

 now in another. In Queen Elizabeth's time, an age of unsur- 

 passed energy, Devonshire produced a number of great men. It 

 is enough to mention the names of Drake, Hawkins, Grenville, 

 Raleigh. Exclude the men of Devonshire and there is left an 

 enormous blank. In the time of the Commonwealth the men 

 of eastern counties fought with indomitable spirit. The long 

 Napoleonic war brought a number of Irish and Scotch names to 

 the front. The energy of the race is found mainly now in the 

 north of England, in Scotland, and in those parts of Ireland 

 where there is a large admixture of English and Scotch blood. 

 There it has been during this century, and if we look through 

 the long lists of our men of action we shall see that Scotland and 

 to a less extent the north of Ireland supply a number out of pro- 

 portion to their population. On the other hand, if we pass in 

 review the names great in literature, the superiority of the North 

 is not maintained, while Ireland cannot be said to show much 

 strength. In science, if we reckon by numbers of great names, 

 Scotland has still the advantage, I believe, but not so markedly 

 as when we reckon up the men of action. What is the explana- 

 tion of this phenomenon ? I offer one with some confidence, 

 while carefully guarding myself by saying that there may have 

 been other causes working in the same direction. I believe that 

 great physical strength and great energy are characteristics of 

 the population of those parts of the country which, whatever 

 advantage they may gain from a somewhat harder climate, 

 certainly owe more to the fact that civilisation has comparatively 

 recently brought to bear upon them the full force of its weaken- 

 ing influence. The poverty of Scotland has obliged her people 

 to lead a hard life and the result is that her sons have more of 

 the tough physique of an earlier stage of civilisation. Thus in 

 competing with Englishmen in campaigns or in the Indian Civil 

 Service Scotchmen have forged ahead through superiority in 

 physical stamina. At the same time Scotland has always been 



