154 THE HUMAN FACTOE 



consider these causes briefly, though any elaborate 

 analysis of the foundations of national character 

 would be out of place here. 



The factors in the formation of national character 

 are usually divided into three groups, viz.: — 



1. Race. 



2. Physical environment, including climate, soil, 

 water facilities, etc. To this group may be added the 

 presence or absence of widespread and debilitating 

 diseases such as malaria, hook-worm, guinea-worm, 

 etc. No doubt such diseases are susceptible of pre- 

 vention and cure at the hand of man, and are not 

 quite of the same class as the factor of climate which 

 is not susceptible of material modification by such 

 means ; but for practical convenience it is desirable 

 to include them in this group, since the effect of 

 their operation over centuries is similar to that of the 

 climate. 



3. Institutions, including religion, education, gov- 

 ernment, and the many and diverse social customs 

 which surround us. 



In estimating the part which any one of these 

 groups or factors plays in the moulding of national 

 character, the difficulty is that when instituting a 

 comparison between the peoples of various countries 

 with a view to consider how much weight must be 

 attached to any one factor, it will usually be found 

 that there are more variants than one as between any 

 two countries. Supposing, for instance, the problem 

 is how far race is accountable for the difference of 



