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0444 The Pulse of Asia : vol.1
The Pulse of Asia : vol.1 / Page 444 (Grayscale High Resolution Image)

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doi: 10.20676/00000233
Citation Format: Chicago | APA | Harvard | IEEE

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almost impossible to assign limits to the influence of phy-
sical environment upon character.
The philosophical historian recognizes more or less com-
pletely that history is the record of human character as
expressed in action. A migration is not a mere unrelated
event: it is the expression of a spirit of discontent, or of a
desire for something unattainable under existing conditions.
Probably no leader, however gifted, has ever persuaded a
thoroughly contented people to abandon all that they love
and migrate to the unknown. The wars of Rome, her wide
conquests, and her laws loom large in history; but after all,
they are outward signs. Rome was invincible and her lead-
ers were great in war and peace because her people, her
average men, were strong in body, resourceful, brave, tem-
perate. When they became cowardly and self-indulgent,
Rome fell. The people of the United States do not speak
English to-day solely because England lies on the European
border of the Atlantic Ocean. Spain, Portugal, and France
also lie in highly favorable positions. At first they dominated
America; but there was something in English character, a
tenacity of purpose and a degree of energy, which out-
stripped all rivals. In these and countless other cases his-
tory is fundamentally the expression of human character.
In these instances, as in Central Asia, the development of
character has probably been deeply influenced by geo-
graphic environment. Therefore geography must be reck-
oned with in attempting to understand not only the outward
details of history, but the great events which express the
character of races.
It may be said that if character is so profoundly influenced