830 THE AMERICAN NATURALIST. [VoL. XXXIII. 
In the discussion of the subject of environment versus race, Pro- 
fessor Ripley asks if the student of social phenomena should acquaint 
himself with “the nature of the human stuff of which populations 
are compounded,” or if these investigations are of merely academic 
‘interest. He points out some of the errors and even absurdities 
that result from the attempts of the ‘“anthropo-sociologists” to 
classify social phenomena on an ethnic basis. ‘Contact of mind 
with mind is the real cause,” and the appeal to the social geography 
of different countries at once discloses the contradictions that exist 
in the distribution of social phenomena amongst the different races. 
In the section upon social problems it is shown that the segregation 
of people into localized communities and of others into castes is a 
thing of the past. ‘ Under the pressure of modern industrialism 
and democracy ” both these forms are breaking down, and the geo- 
graphical cleavage of locality and nationality as well are threatened. 
Economic and social attractions draw the country populations to the 
city. European cities are growing more rapidly in population as 
a result of this migration than are the urban centers of America. 
This is accompanied by a corresponding decrease in the population 
of the country districts. ‘The fact is that western Europe is being 
gradually transformed into a ‘huge factory town.” The inert seden- 
tary character of the Alpine peoples prevents them from migrating in 
any great degree to the cities, so that the pressure of social forces 
tends to accentuate the mental differences now existing between 
Teutonic and Alpine types. But urban selection is more complex 
than the mere migration of a racial element toward the cities, and 
physiological and social rather than ethnic selection seems to be at 
work. 
The closing chapter deals with the problems of acclimatization, 
and is of especial interest to every American citizen at this time. 
The questions that present themselves are, first, “ can a single gen- 
eration of European emigrants live? and, secondly, living, can they 
perpetuate their kind in the equatorial regions of the earth? 
Finally, if able permanently so to sustain themselves, will they still 
be able to preserve their peculiar European civilization in these 
lands?” After a brief consideration of the physiological peculiari- 
ties of race, Professor Ripley concludes that “ the almost universal 
opinion seems to be that true colonization in the tropics by the white 
race is impossible.” And again, “ Authorities in favour of the view 
that complete acclimatization of Europeans in the tropics is impossi- 
ble might be multiplied indefinitely.” 
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