_ 220 Aristotle_ distinguishes between ἀπολαυστικὰ and κάρπιμα. (Rhet., I, 5.) _ 221 Humboldt_, Essai politique, súr la N. Espagne, IV, 9, in which he estimates the relation of the culture of the banana to that of wheat, in respect of mere quantity, to be as 4,000 to 30,—“probably the best gift of nature to awakening man, and the object of the most ancient cultivation.” 222 It was said that in Easter Island, three days’ labor sufficed for a man’s maintenance through the whole year. A similar gift of nature to tropical lands is the date tree. It is turned to so many different uses that the Arabs of the coast of the Persian Gulf say that it is possible to construct a ship, rig it, supply and freight it, from date trees. Houses are built of palm wood, covered with palm leaves, furnished with palm mats, lighted with palm chips, and heated with palm coals. The whole architecture of these countries is fashioned by the date tree. Date wine is the favorite intoxicating beverage. There is a proverb current there that a good housewife can vary the preparation of the date for her guests every day in the month. Even the pulp is eaten. Each tree yields an average of 50-250 lbs. of dates; and a tree may last over 200 years. An acre may contain more than 200 trees. The labor of cultivation is very slight, although it demands more care than the banana. Compare _Ritter_, Erdkunde, XII, 763. An acre planted with the sago-palm yields as much nourishment as 163 acres of wheat land. (Reise der Frigatte Novara, II, 113.) 223 See _D. Hume_, Discourses No. I (On Commerce). While in hot countries “the sun does more work for man, it diminishes human strength itself.” (_M. Wirth_.) That, however, such people, to their surplus of the natural means of enjoyment and the consequent laziness and absence of care, add the bright side of a joyous disposition, is well shown by _Goethe_, Werke (16 mo., 1840), XXIII, 246. 224 Noticed even by _Thucyd._, I, 2. See also _Euripides’_ comparison of Sparta and Messina, in _Strabo_, VIII, 366.