﻿98 
  

  

  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  GEOGRAPHIC 
  MAGAZINE 
  

  

  

  A 
  BLACK 
  FOREST 
  WOMAN 
  SPINNING 
  H£R 
  FLAX 
  

   Here, 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  Spreewald, 
  the 
  oldtime 
  spinning-wheel 
  is 
  used. 
  

  

  Our 
  merchant 
  fleet 
  in 
  foreign 
  waters 
  

   is 
  the 
  special 
  charge 
  of 
  these 
  consuls. 
  If 
  

   an 
  American 
  ship 
  "piles 
  up" 
  on 
  the 
  rocks, 
  

   the 
  nearest 
  Yankee 
  consul 
  takes 
  charge 
  

   of 
  the 
  wreck 
  and 
  cares 
  for 
  the 
  crew 
  and 
  

   passengers. 
  Mutinies 
  and 
  tariff 
  tangles, 
  

   quarantine 
  and 
  emigrant 
  trade 
  troubles, 
  

   are 
  all 
  aired 
  before 
  the 
  consul, 
  and 
  the 
  

   American 
  seaman 
  out 
  of 
  a 
  berth 
  in 
  for- 
  

   eign 
  parts 
  is 
  sure 
  of 
  aid 
  at 
  the 
  Sign 
  of 
  

   the 
  Eagle. 
  

  

  In 
  fact, 
  so 
  heavy 
  lias 
  the 
  consul's 
  task 
  

   become, 
  under 
  the 
  extra 
  burdens 
  imposed 
  

   by 
  our 
  enlarged 
  fleet 
  and 
  increasing 
  trade, 
  

   that 
  the 
  expansion 
  and 
  further 
  improve- 
  

   ment 
  of 
  our 
  foreign 
  service 
  is 
  imperative 
  

   if 
  we 
  are 
  to 
  protect 
  adequately 
  our 
  people 
  

   and 
  their 
  interests 
  overseas. 
  

  

  Many 
  countries 
  doubled 
  their 
  popula- 
  

   tion 
  in 
  the 
  last 
  century. 
  

  

  In 
  Berlin, 
  where 
  I 
  write 
  this, 
  the 
  theory 
  

   prevails 
  that 
  overpopulation 
  was 
  the 
  in- 
  

   direct 
  cause 
  of 
  the 
  war. 
  Ratzel, 
  a 
  Ger- 
  

   man 
  writer, 
  says 
  that 
  since 
  population 
  

   grows 
  while 
  the 
  earth's 
  habitable 
  areas 
  

   are 
  fixed, 
  the 
  earth 
  must 
  be 
  made 
  to 
  yield 
  

   more 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  feed 
  its 
  increasing 
  in- 
  

   habitants 
  ; 
  that 
  thus 
  land 
  values 
  rise, 
  and 
  

   states 
  are 
  led 
  to 
  fight 
  for 
  more 
  territory 
  

   and 
  to 
  seek 
  foreign 
  markets. 
  

  

  THE 
  NOMAD 
  YIELDS 
  TO 
  THE 
  FARMER 
  

  

  Nations 
  can 
  no 
  longer 
  measure 
  their 
  

   greatness, 
  as 
  the 
  Romans 
  did, 
  by 
  count- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  tribes 
  they 
  have 
  conquered 
  ; 
  to- 
  

   day 
  power 
  is 
  shown 
  by 
  the 
  use 
  a 
  nation 
  

  

  