264 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLI. No. 1051 



not long ago of a serious and careful vol- 

 ume on the development of western civiliza- 

 tion, which nevertheless exhibits an utter 

 dearth of geographic data and principles. 



We are safe then in saying that most au- 

 thorities in these sciences of man recognize 

 environment as fundamental, but the 

 greater part, in a sort of absolution of con- 

 science, name the subject and take leave 

 of it. 



We need not therefore expect the histo- 

 rians or the sociologists to develop in any 

 full way the principles of environmental 

 action. They admit the need of these prin- 

 ciples, but have not the time, perhaps not 

 the will, to develop them. It remains for 

 us to put content into the word environ- 

 ment, so that it can not be overlooked or 

 slighted and so that its meaning may be- 

 come available in plain terms to all. 



In his "Eacial Geography of Europe" 

 Eipley asserts that 



To-day geography stands ready to serve as an 

 introduction as well as a corrective to the scien- 

 tific study of human society. 



This was written about twenty years ago, 

 and yet it is to-day not so valid or truthful 

 a statement as we could desire it to be. 

 Our convictions are in the right place and 

 much has been done, but we still suffer 

 from a dearth of limited, local, special and 

 proven data, and a surplus of generaliza- 

 tions announced with the enthusiasm of 

 fresh discovery, or rediscovery, unsup- 

 ported by adequate evidence. We are sub- 

 ject to Marett's criticism of certain gener- 

 alizations of Ratzel and La Play — "too 

 pretty to be true. ' ' ' We are awaking to 

 the importance of our field and this is well, 

 but it is equally important to make haste 

 slowly and to give human geography a con- 

 tent satisfying to ourselves and convincing 

 to our fellow workers in adjoining fields. 

 The pursuit of our theme is as difficult as 

 OR. R. Marett, M.A., "Anthropology," 98. 



it is important. Professor Cramb in a re- 

 cent book^" comments on the causal idea so 

 common in our modern thought about his- 

 tory. His word is equally good for us. He 

 says: 



In man's history nothing is more difficult than 

 to attain to something like a just conception of a 

 true cause. 



Universality and necessity are the criteria 

 which he proposes. A stiff application of 

 these principles would be a tonic for some 

 geographical theorizing. 



Here is an individual, X; What is he? 

 He is first a bundle of anatomical charac- 

 ters. How did he get them? Why is he 

 different in these matters from some other 

 man? A single example will show how 

 little we know. Professor Boas well says 

 that "haphazard applications of unproved 

 though possible theories can not serve as 

 proof of the effectiveness of selection or en- 

 vironment in modifying types. '"^ He 

 calls for comparison of parents of one en- 

 vironment, with their children reared in 

 another. He has made such investigation 

 upon children of immigrants in New York 

 City and concludes that distinct changes, 

 as of head form, took place.^^ He has done 

 well, no doubt, all that one piece of investi- 

 gation permitted. But he does not analyze 

 the factors of change nor show what any 

 factor does. Alongside of these apparent 

 changes in one generation we may put an 

 opinion of Professor Myres, who, referring 

 to a common belief that Alpine man origi- 

 nated in the Alpine region in response to 

 environment, states his conviction that the 

 time since the glacial period would not suf- 

 fice for so great a change of head form.'^ 



10 J". A. Cramb, "Germany and England," 113. 



11 F. Boas, "The Mind of Primitive Man," 52. 



12 F. Boas, "Changes in Bodily Form of De- 

 scendants of Immigrants," Sen. Doc. No. 208, 

 61st Cong., 2d Sess., Washington, 1910. 



13 J. L. Myres, ' ' The Alpine Kaces in Eu- 

 rope," Geog. Jour., 28, 538. 



