climate will, in the course of time, turn the skin brown, 

 whilst a hot humid climate will turn it black. As to the 

 capacity of Australians to develop pigment we need only 

 to visit one of our coastal beaches in the height of the surf- 

 ing season. Concerning the medical aspect I shall have 

 something to say later. Only the other day 1 a prominent 

 Sydney journalist (Dr. Ward), opposed any theory that "the 

 further north one went in Australia, the weaker the white 

 men were, and the further south the stronger they grew.'' 

 We may remark that, as regards the aborigines of Australia 

 it is perhaps admitted that the most vigorous of all are 

 those of the north," but may not this be partly due to the 

 ciivu instance that affects nomadic tribes so much, namely 

 the abundance of food produced by nature, in prodigal mood, 

 in the tropics, and the absence of rigorous cold in the 

 winter. These conditions would necessarily not affect to 

 the same extent civilised people of white extraction. The 

 contiguity to Australia of lands where coloured races occupy 

 the earth as already stated, renders the problem in Aus- 

 tralia more acute. 



Defence of Australia.— We may quote in this connection 

 and by way of exception, the recent trenchant remarks of 

 Senator Pearce, the present Commonwealth Minister of 

 Defence, who in a speech at Melbourne during last month 3 

 said that— 



"The whole national fabric depended upon our ability to keep 

 this country for the white races of the world Whilst lie believed 

 in arbitration, it was no use shutting our eyes to the fact that a 

 nation which cast envious eyes on Australia would not he pre- 

 pared to submit the future of this country to any arbitrament but 

 that of force, if it once made up its mind to attack it." 



' Sydnry Mn,,.,,,, //.,-»/■* ..f 2o June, 1910. 



» A writer in the Sydney Morning Herald of 8th July, states that "the 



f great endurance," yet becoming lazy 





