able success. The fundamental feature in the New York Subway plan, is the coöperation between the city and private enterprise. This combination was brought about by circumstances somewhat analagous to the ones which surround the Pan-American railway project, namely: The timidity of private capital to venture singlehanded in an undertaking of great expense and comparatively new in character. On the other hand, the city needed the transit lines badly enough for its own development, but was prevented from assuming the entire expenditure required for the project, by constitutional impediments; hence the coöperative plan. Under this plan, the city constructed for its own account the subway structure corresponding to an ordinary railway as to the graded roadbed with its bridges, tunnels and all other works pertaining to the stability thereof. The cost of this construction was met by the city by a special issue of bonds (Rapid Transit Construction Bonds), the interest and amortization of which was to be paid from the earnings of the railway.

The subway structure, so constructed and owned by the city was leased to an operating company for a term of fifty years. The company to equip for its own account, the railway complete in its entirety, which included construction and installation of power stations for furnishing the electric motive power, rolling stock, repair shops, and all other necessary appurtenances for operation. The operating company met this cost by its own issue of bonds (Equipment Bonds).

A Public Service Commission appointed by the Governor of the State is in full control of all operations which begin with the laying out of the routes, planning the construction, letting of contracts for the construction, supervising the construction of the same, approving the operator's plans for the equipment and finally of all the essential features of operating the railway, which concern the safety and convenience of the travelling public.

It is thus seen that the principal business features which go to make up the framework of the organization plan for the proposed Pan-American railway, are founded on actual and successful business practices in the American metropolis.

SOME ADVANTAGES OF THE PLAN

The feature of coöperation which has been applied to the project is real, not nominal; it calls for a material and constantly active participation by all the nations involved in all the affairs of the railway from its first stages of its existence, through all the subsequent stages of organization, surveys, location and construction, to the last act of operating.

The community of interest which will thus be established among all of these nations, will bear good fruit in that it will bring them together with great frequency in conference on matters relating to the railway, an object of common interest to all. They will learn of other views on vital points in one's life, get to know one another better, and learn to respect and tolerate their neighbors' views, and thus the sessions of the Railway Commission in themselves will exercise a wholesome educational influence on all.

The proposed railway will be under the mutual cooperative Protectorate of all in preserving its character of neutrality, thereby assuring an uninterrupted service, placing it beyond the bane of foes of law and order. The railway thus becomes the guarantor of peace throughout the countries traversed.

The railway will be a great factor in the development of the resources of the Central American Countries, indeed it will prove to be the key to what Humboldt so aptly called the "Storehouse of the World."

In its location through the Republics of Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua, the railway runs along the border of the Gulf of Fonseca in its entire extent. To appreciate fully what this means, the following description of the gulf, is quoted from the Report of the Intercontinental Railroad Commission of 1898:

The Gulf of Fonseca is without question the finest harbor on the Pacific Coast of America. Its extreme length is from 50 to 60 miles, and its average width about 30 miles. It contains a number of islands, is well protected and its extent is such that it is capable of sheltering the combined navies of the world.

As our administration at Washington has secured by treaty with the Republic of Nicaragua the right for the establishment of a naval base on this gulf, the railway becomes of considerable strategical importance in the defence of the canal.

The railway will provide easy means of intercommunication among the various countries from one end to the other, promoting business and social intercourse among them, enlarging and broadening the business as well as the patriotic views of their people until gradually sectionalism with its baneful influences among the Central American States will be entirely overcome, and their union so long sought for and ardently desired by all Central American patriots, is finally obtained.

THE ADAPTABILITY OF THE WHITE MAN TO

TROPICAL AMERICA

By Ellsworth Huntington, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Geography, Yale University

The tropical portions of America and Africa, as every one knows, are the richest unexploited regions in the world. If ever they are to be developed the work must apparently be done by people of European origin, for the native races seem incapable of doing it alone, and Europe and America are scarcely willing to leave the task to Asiatics. Yet in spite of innumerable attempts during the past four hundred years the problem of the adaptation of the white races to a tropical environment still remains one of the most serious that has ever confronted mankind. Shall the white man forever be an outsider, a mere exploiter, or shall he become a permanent denizen of the regions which he develops? This question has been debated so often and so vainly that the present discussion would scarcely be warranted, were it not for two reasons. In the first place, certain phases of the subject do not seem to have received due attention; and, in the second place, recent investigations suggest a new way whereby at least a part of the truth may be discovered. The question to be solved is briefly this: Modern medical science is rapidly enabling the white man to combat the diseases which have been so deadly in tropical regions. In other ways, also, we are learning to overcome the disadvantages of a tropical environment. Does this give us ground for believing that races of European origin can dwell permanently within the tropics and retain not only their health, but the physical energy and mental and moral vigor which have enabled them to dominate the world? The success which has thus far been attained in this attempt can scarcely be considered encouraging, but is that any reason for discouragement in the future?

In order to make our discussion concrete, let us limit it. to South and Central America, and to that portion which lies within twenty degrees of the equator. By taking this latitude as a boundary we exclude Rio de Janeiro and the southern part of Brazil, where most of the strength of that country lies, although far the greater portion of the actual area lies within our boundaries. We may also exclude the City of Mexico, although it lies slightly less than 20° from the equator. This leaves southern Mexico, Central America, Colombia, Venezuela, Guiana, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and all except the most progressive part of Brazil. These countries have an area of nearly 5,000,000 square miles, or fully one and one-half times as much as the United States. The population is estimated at only 35,000,000 or 40,000,000. In this vast area the number of genuine white men, that is, people of pure European race, is only a few million, and most of these are confined to the seacoast, or to relatively small areas among the mountains. An area of 4,000,000 square miles is today practically untouched by the white man, except when he comes temporarily in the character of an exploiter, or as an official of one of the South American republics. Nowhere else in the world does there appear to be so vast an area which at the same time contains so few people, and has such enormous latent wealth. It is no wonder that travelers grow enthusiastic over it, and that those who believe that through the elimination of disease the white man will be enabled to live here, are convinced that a wonderful future is in store for it. This is probably true, but before these countries can rival those of temperate regions we must know vastly more than is now the case as to how man is influenced by his environment. Today the most advanced regions within the limits here defined are typified by southern Mexico, with its happy-go-lucky peasants and banditti; Guatemala, with its unchanging, stolid Indians, who literally will not work so long as they have anything to eat; Nicaragua and Honduras, with their constant revolutions; Ecuador, with its callous indifference to the direst plagues in its own ports, and Peru, where in spite of the culture of the small number of Spanish inhabitants,