The National Geographic Magazine 



agency has come the migration of na- 

 tions; the transfer of power, whether 

 economic, industrial, or political ; the 

 development of mankind, and the 

 growth of civilization. 



The work of geographical explora- 

 tions has usually passed through three 

 distinctive phases : First, commercial 

 purposes ; second, advancement of 

 knowledge ; third, scientific explora- 

 tions. Prolific as have been the earlier 

 stages, it is the last named which has 

 been the most potent force in the de- 

 velopment of America, especially in the 

 past, and which is so rapidly changing 

 Australia and Africa at the present 

 time. All and any of these methods 

 liave been, it is believed, fully success- 

 ful only as far as there have been con- 

 joined therewith moral forces as ad- 

 juncts to physical efforts. 



In his quaint history of Muscovia, 

 the immortal Milton, passing beyond 

 the common features of geography — 

 as to mountains and rivers, as to longi- 

 tudes and latitudes — argued that its 

 higher scope included broad phases of 

 earth conditions and human relations 

 well suited for the efforts of a learned 

 and judicious mind. It is notable that 

 with his high ideals the blind poet, 

 clearly discerning moral relations, 

 sharply discriminated between explora- 

 tion for gain and that for nobler pur- 

 poses. 



Following afar this great master of 

 English speech and forceful fashioner 

 of human thought, it is well to make 

 clear the essential points. 



As material results are classed those 

 where the outcome is mainly pecuniary 

 and physical, most frequently in the 

 form of commercial or industrial ex- 

 ploitation, in mining gold, silver, or cop- 

 per, etc. The moral results are asso- 

 ciated with the generous assimilation 

 and liberal development of discovered 

 regions, under conditions whereby the 

 civilized world benefits in the aggre- 

 gate, and primitive folk are raised 



higher in the scale of humanity. In 

 such cases the natural resources of the 

 country and the mental activities of the 

 people are made to increasingly sub- 

 serve the new regions involved and by 

 reaction similarly improve the rest of 

 the world. Intelligence, justice, tem- 

 perance, tolerance, fair dealing, and 

 educative methods along the higher 

 moralities are essential qualities of the 

 true explorer. Their practical and suc- 

 cessful application is an important fac- 

 tor in the evolution from uncivilized 

 materials of a modern state, so as to 

 justify its admission to international 

 comity. 



We will now consider failures, satis- 

 factory results, and striking successes, 

 especially along moral lines. 



THE POLO BROTHERS 



Probably the greatest failure to util- 

 ize geographical exploration of an 

 epoch-making character is that asso- 

 ciated with the journeys of the Polo 

 brothers. Not only did material inter- 

 ests suffer from closing for five centu- 

 ries and more commercial traffic across 

 densely poplated Asia from the Medi- 

 terranean to the China Sea, but its high 

 moral possibilities were absolutely 

 neglected. The three Venetians, 

 through years of service, attained 

 great power and influence at the court 

 of Kublai Khan, the great emperor of 

 China. Inspired with a desire to dis- 

 place Confucianism, Kublai Khan com- 

 missioned, on their departure, the Polos 

 as messengers to ask the Pope to send 

 missionaries to his people. Ecclesias- 

 tical quarrels then engrossed all Chris- 

 tendom, the Grand Lama intervened 

 with Buddhism, and later Islamitic 

 proselytism closed China to western in- 

 fluence for centuries. It bewilders one 

 to imagine the potent changes which 

 six centuries of Christianity as a state 

 religion might have wrought in the 

 Chinese Empire. 



