Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1866-01-24
Occidental and Western Negroes.

AssOCldtiOn iof Tue ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE
The author of the paper is Mr.. Craw-
ford.
BY the term negro, in so far, at least
as it IS applicable to Africa, we understand
human being with the hair of the head
and other parts OF the body always black
and more or less of the texture of wool
with black skin of various shades, DARK
eyes, fiat face, depressed nose, jutting
jaws, thick lips, and a large mouth, with
oblique incisor teeth. To this is added the
peculiar odor OF the skin, offensive to anC
unknown in the other race of men. The
form of the skull, in so far as it is the brain
case, cannot, think, be insisted on as
criterion of the African negro, for do no
believe it has any characters by which i
can certainly be distinguished from tn,
skulls OF nearly allied races, such as thost
of the Abyssinians and of the Orienta
negroes. The true African negro is O
average stature OF Europeans, and per.
haps even of h ir average physca
strength, and in this last quality is the on
ly race of man that is so. The wore
negro is obviously corruption of the Lat
in adjective for "black," and in its present
sense was probably first employed by the
Portuguese to designate the race of men
TO them new, which they found on the
western coast Of Africa in the prosecution
OF their discoveries in the fifteenth centu
ry. To the people Of Europe, both o.
antiquity and the middle ages, the negro
was as little known as the Hindoo or The
Chinese but he was immemorally knowr
to the Egyptians. the Jews, the Arabs, anC
the Persians-most probably always &
slave. The continent Of Africa, reck onine
on its western side from the southern lin
its Of the Great Desert to the tropc q
Capricorn, and on the eastern from the
Equator to. the 33d degree of the soutI
latitude, is inhabited by the negro race
To the south of the limits mentioned, we
exclude the sqnab yellow Hottentots, al
though with woody hair; and to the north
the Ably s>inians, the Samauli, and the
Gala, who have crisped long hair anc
elevated features, albeit of du>ky or black
complications. Although all African ne
groes partake Of the general character
have now aSCribrd TO them, there is still
much diversity consisting chiefly in the
greater or less predominance Of the typica
feature above enumerated. Thus the pro
Inherent jaws, the fat nJse. the thick lips
and black color appear in their most ex
aGgerated form in the negro of the Guine,
coast, but in greatly mitgat4d one in tn.
~" flirS OF the eastern. Quitting the con-
tlnent OF Africa, the first considerable de
Walton from the general negro character,
Is found in Madagascar, an island abou
three times the extent of Britain. Th,
native of Madagascar, is slenderer in per
son than the continental negro. He ha
usually woolly hair, but not unfreqrentl,
hair that is long and crisp. After thi
brief account of distribution and of tn,
physical form of the African negro, | shall
endeavor to sketch his intellectual charac
ter by comparing it with that of the othe
races of man. As we know nothing I,
the contrary, we may assume that all tn,
races of man are Of equal antiquity, OF
that, in so far as mere time is concerned
every race has had the same length o.
time for making advancement in civiliza-
ton. The great diversity of social con-
ditions in which we now find them mus
therefore depend on qualify OF race, or or
difference of opportunity.
The negroes of Africa are unquestiona
o'J '"o mool duNdhceu Oh all tue Woody
headed races. They have been immem
orally in almost exclusive possession O.
the greater part of vast continent, most o.
1t within the tropics, but a considerable
part also in temperate climate. The
region they inhabit is certainly not, com
pared TO some other parts of the globe, pc
cu!larly fitted to foster an early civilization
Tor II is too unbroken mass, having a
broad desert to the North, and a wild On.
sheltered coast far from civilized man to
the South. Yet it is not without its adj
vantages. In the interior it has some
great navigable lakes, and on its western
side, although not its eastern, il has sever
al good navigable rivers, although these
indeed be, in magnitude and length of
course. far from equaling those of Asia. of
America, or even Of Europe. The negroes
OF Africa, ever since they have been known
to civilized man, have been in the posses.
SION OF the OK, the sheep. the goat, the
horse, the camel, the hog and the dog
As long as we have known them. thew
have cultivated millett. puisse and rice
and since the discovery of America. while
The cotton plant is indigenous to their
own country, or time out of mind was in.
troduced from India. Wherever they
pave been seen by Europeans, they have
been found in possession, however rude,v
exercised, of the art of iabricatino MALTA
bic iron, and gold is the product of several
parts OF their country. On the western
coast the negroes have been in commnn;
cation with the civilized nations of Eurona
'or iour hundred years; on the eastern
side with the Arabs and Hindoos immem.
orally. Let US therefore note the kind NJ
civilization which has grown I'd with the
African negro under conditions far NOR.
advantageous than with many other races
IL would be needless to compare the civil
cation OF the negro with that of the rooo.
Of Europe. They have not even reacbed
the civilization of other races of their own
continent. They baro