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0050 The Pulse of Asia : vol.1
アジアの鼓動 : vol.1
The Pulse of Asia : vol.1 / 50 ページ(カラー画像)

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doi: 10.20676/00000233
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the west to China Proper on the east. Other evidence, which
has not as yet been investigated in detail, indicates that
the parallelism applies to all the historic lands of the Old
World and possibly to the New. As we look back into the
past, we are forced to the conclusion that whatever the
motive power of history may be, one of the chief factors
in determining its course has been geography; and among
geographic forces, changes of climate have been the most
potent for both good and bad.

In the last chapter of this book I shall consider this
conclusion in its broader outlines as part of the philosophy
of history. For the most part, however, I shall confine my-
self to a statement of the phenomena which have led to its
adoption. Briefly restated, the fundamental idea of this
volume is that geography is the basis of history. The phy-
sical features of the earth's surface limit the organic inhab-
itants of a given region to certain species of plants and
animals, including man, which live together in mutual de-
pendence. The world is naturally divided into geographic
provinces characterized by definite organic and inorganic
forms. Among primitive men the nature of the province
which a tribe happens to inhabit determines its mode of
life, industries, and habits; and these in turn give rise to
various moral and mental traits, both good and bad. Thus
definite characteristics are acquired, and are passed on
by inheritance or training to future generations. If it be
proved that the climate of any region has changed during
historic times, it follows that the nature of the geographic
provinces concerned must have been altered more or less.
For example, among the human inhabitants of Central