﻿96 
  

  

  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  GEOGRAPHIC 
  MAGAZINE 
  

  

  of 
  the 
  World 
  War 
  — 
  are 
  poking 
  their 
  

   newly 
  painted 
  noses 
  into 
  every 
  harbor 
  of 
  

   the 
  world. 
  

  

  Look 
  at 
  a 
  Shipping 
  Board 
  chart 
  and 
  

   see 
  how 
  our 
  lines 
  encircle 
  the 
  earth. 
  

   With 
  a 
  trained, 
  alert 
  consul 
  in 
  every 
  for- 
  

   eign 
  port, 
  his 
  big 
  freighters 
  on 
  every 
  sea 
  

   and 
  a 
  navy 
  to 
  protect 
  them, 
  Uncle 
  Sam 
  

   has 
  indeed 
  fully 
  atoned 
  for 
  the 
  misfor- 
  

   tunes 
  of 
  the 
  sixties 
  ; 
  he 
  has 
  vindicated 
  

   himself 
  and 
  recovered 
  his 
  rightful 
  place 
  

   among 
  sea-traders. 
  

  

  But 
  to 
  hold 
  this 
  place 
  he 
  knows 
  he 
  

   must 
  fight, 
  fight 
  boldly, 
  skillfully, 
  and 
  

   doggedly, 
  with 
  all 
  the 
  deft 
  weapons 
  of 
  

   commerce 
  and 
  diplomacy 
  ; 
  for 
  the 
  war 
  so 
  

   upset 
  world 
  economics 
  that 
  he 
  now 
  finds 
  

   himself 
  in 
  an 
  unprecedented 
  international 
  

   position. 
  

  

  Other 
  nations 
  owe 
  him 
  more 
  than 
  ten 
  

   billion 
  dollars 
  — 
  three 
  times 
  his 
  own 
  na- 
  

   tional 
  debt 
  in 
  1914. 
  A 
  swiftly 
  rising 
  im- 
  

   migrant 
  tide 
  flows 
  to 
  America 
  in 
  a 
  human 
  

   stream 
  from 
  all 
  the 
  lands 
  of 
  Europe. 
  

   Every 
  week 
  our 
  factories 
  turn 
  out 
  ship- 
  

   loads 
  of 
  goods 
  above 
  our 
  own 
  require- 
  

   ments, 
  for 
  which 
  we 
  must 
  find 
  markets 
  

   abroad, 
  in 
  competition 
  not 
  only 
  with 
  our 
  

   late 
  allies 
  but 
  with 
  other 
  nations 
  now 
  

   struggling 
  desperately 
  for 
  economic 
  life. 
  

  

  THE) 
  STKLLAR 
  ROLE: 
  OF 
  THE} 
  AMERICAN 
  

   CONSUL, 
  IN 
  THLv 
  DRAMA 
  OF 
  TRADE) 
  

  

  And 
  now, 
  as 
  in 
  that 
  keenly 
  competitive 
  

   commercial 
  era 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  Venetian 
  

   traders, 
  no 
  actor 
  plays 
  a 
  more 
  interesting 
  

   or 
  adventurous 
  role 
  than 
  the 
  consul. 
  

  

  In 
  this 
  war-after-the-war, 
  this 
  big 
  bat- 
  

   tle 
  for 
  world 
  trade, 
  our 
  consuls 
  are 
  scouts 
  

   and 
  reporters 
  in 
  foreign 
  lands. 
  They 
  

   keep 
  us 
  informed 
  by 
  mail 
  and 
  cable 
  not 
  

   only 
  on 
  every 
  phase 
  of 
  our 
  own 
  foreign 
  

   business, 
  but 
  on 
  the 
  activities 
  of 
  world 
  

   competitors, 
  so 
  that 
  we 
  may 
  shape 
  our 
  

   policies 
  accordingly. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  State 
  Department 
  at 
  Washing- 
  

   ton 
  there's 
  a 
  big 
  map 
  of 
  the 
  world 
  bris- 
  

   tling 
  with 
  colored 
  pins, 
  like 
  a 
  war 
  map 
  

   of 
  the 
  general 
  staff. 
  This 
  map 
  shows 
  

   where 
  our 
  consuls 
  are 
  posted. 
  There 
  is 
  

   a 
  dense 
  flock 
  of 
  pins 
  covering 
  Europe 
  and 
  

   Latin 
  America 
  and 
  thin 
  patches 
  over 
  

   Africa 
  and 
  Asia. 
  

  

  These 
  pins 
  indicate 
  how 
  enormously 
  

   trade 
  is 
  ruled 
  by 
  the 
  peculiarities 
  of 
  the 
  

   map 
  and 
  the 
  distribution 
  of 
  various 
  races 
  

   and 
  industries. 
  

  

  