Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 3.djvu/12

2 that the skeleton does to the animal. The industrial growth of a community depends upon the opportunities presented for the making of a livelihood and the other features of social life, however varied their character or high their aim, depend upon the number and character of the population that is attracted.

A study of the social evolution, therefore, must lead to a study of the physical features of the locality; to the causes which lead to the discovery of its resources; to the characteristics and standards of life of the population that congregates; to the adaptation of population to environment and the integration into community life. Location relative to other centers of population, abundance and variety of resources, character, and standards of life in the population are all to be taken into consideration. The study of social evolution is also one of constant change. The elements of social life are continually shifting with relation to one another. New resources are always being discovered; more population is attracted to a locality; resources and population react upon one another in various ways; population is changed with relation to other centers by new facilities of communication; forceful individuals initiate far-reaching changes and unforeseen events bring into action powerful impulses to development.

In the social evolution of Oregon, locality alone has been responsible for much. Wide separation from the older centers of population has produced that slowness of growth and consequent spirit of conservatism which have characterized the development. Distance also has led in some degree to a sifting of the population. It has brought the vigorous and strong and eliminated the weak. It has kept away much of the foreign European population that has found readier access to the East and the states of the Mississippi Valley.