Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1866-03-22
From the London Lancet, February, 1861
The War of Race. ar.


1t is now more than fifteen years since a
well-known and eloquent scientific
anatomist somewhat startled the "brOad
brimmed philanthropy" and "dismal
science" schools by the popularity OF his
views, and the boldness with which he en-
forced them in his "Fragment on the Races
of Men" True it is that some of the opin-
ions of DIR. Knox were not only opposed to
the tenor of the thinking of the time, but
were expressed in manner which men
who were not enslayed by mere conven-
tional platitudes or the dread OF Exeter
Hall extremely regretted. There was evil
IDENTIFY also much more below the surface
than the witty and caustic writer chose at
once to expose, and this, too, rather of an
anti-thologic tendency than of q definite
scientific value. Hence it can scarcely be
wondered at that the "Fragment on the
Races of Men" is not as often referred to or
at least quoted as it otherwise might have
been. Other faults, no doubt, it likewise
possesses incidental to its Incomplete, dis
cursive, "fragmentary" character. But to
the rejecting, unprejudiced reader it's a
little mine of suggestive and interesting
thought. Amongst the more important OF
the principles enunciated by the once great
anatomical teacher was the doctrine that
human character, individual and national,
is traceable solely to the nature of the race
to which the individual or nation belongs,
and that so far back as historical evidence
goes, no change has taken place in the
races of men, nor, in fact, in any animal
form. ''Race," said DIR. Knox, ''is every
thing-literature science, art; in word,
civilization depends upon to-. With me
race or hereditary descent is everything; it
stamps the man." And these faces have
always been as they were at first; for ION
the banks OF the Nile still wander in con-
siderable numbers the descendants OF men
who built the Pyramids and carved the
Sphinx and Memnon On the tombs of
Egypt, the most valuable of all existing
records there stand the Negro, the jew, the
Cont, the Persian. the Samaritan, nearly
as we find them still. Different races of
men are skethed on the walls of the tomb
opened by Belzoni, showing that the char
acteristic distinction of races were as well
marked three thousand years ago as now.
The Negro and other races existed then as
they are at present; or If pure race has
appeared to undergo permanent change
when transferred to climate materially
differing from its own, such change will be
found on closer inquiry to be dclusive." If
these opinions met with little aCceptation
| from prevailing school of ethnolOgists,
the general public, knowing nothing about
the scientific facts--the "broad- -brimmed
school of philanthropy"-was indignant at
the idea that these races would for ever lie
| at war with one another, and that science
had been enabled to predict the coming
war of race against race which had cOnvuls-
ed Europe during the last two years" This
doctrine of a necessary result and contlnu-
ance of the war of race was the Keystone OF
one of the arches supporting the Edinburgh
D. al oni 10
maintained that such conflicting elements
could never agree. Il foretold," said he,
that breaking down of the iron despotsms
of Hapsburg and Brandenburg as neces-
sary result of a war of race; it came in AZ.
The gold of England and the sword OF
| Russia, either thought invincible, could not
amalgamate the dark-haired Fleming with
the Saxon Dutchman. Seven hundred
years of absolute possession have not ad-
vanced by a single step the amalgation OF
the Irish Celt with the Saxon English. The
Cymbri of Wales remain as they were.
The Caledonians still linger in diminished
numbers, but utunalterated on the wild shores
of their lochs and friths, scraping miser-
able subsistence from the narrow patch of
soil left them by the stern eli ate of their
native land ... The Orange Club of Ire
| land is a Saxon confederation for the clear
ing of the land of all Papists and Jacobites
this means Celts .... And now for the Ne
gro and Negroland, there is between the
former and the white man eXterminatinG
war; yet this despised race drove the war
like French from st. Domingo, and the
issue of struggle with them in Jamaica
might be doubtful but come it will, aud
then the courage of the Negro will be tried
against England"
TO these and analogous teachings the
public in general gave little heed. They
were, in fact, not only uncomfortable doc
trines, but worse still, they were not eX-
actly CONNIE il tdut, or such as were heard at
the "May meetings" Besides, it was per-
fectly astounding to. thorough going
Engiishman, with all his amusing nation
alities, that no amalgamation of races-if
there really were such distinct things
could be made to take place, even by an act
! of Parliament. Alas, no! as DR.. Knox said,
it has ever been and ever will be that race
will be pitted against race IN often erter-
miidtin1 war. 1t is only another phase OF
the Darwinian "natural selection" after all
Were DIR. Knox still living, what would he
not probably now say? Might he not point
TO India and portray the massacres OF
Delhi and Cawnpore as illustrations of his
argument of the war of race? Would the
| Scave in Russia, when he met the Saxon
and the Celt, be nothing to his purpose?- p
nor the redskins of the Mexican revolts
aud guerilla warfares lowering over the
whittier faces of their Spanish and French
invaders help him towards his truth? Ii
| he desired more, would there not be Aus
tralia, whittier we have been so recently
sending over few rifled guns and re-
volvers? BY the last Cape mail we are
told that "the war between the Free State
and the Basutos continued" and that
''the Transvaal army had advanced to
Harrismith." There has lately been lit
tie news from amongst the Celts in Ire
land and America, who are concOcting
a jetd' esprit with Fenianism and gunpow-
der to "hunt the Saxon from the isle" And
more than these things would be at DIR
Knox's service. He would have that latest
of all chronological puzzles 10 some--the
present '''insurrectiOn in Jamaica;" an In.
| surrection, however, which he, as we have
already seen, foretold upon scientific prin.
ciples, which Carlyle, in his tract on "ThC
Niger Question:" limited at assprobable OF
grounds of social economy, and which An,
thony Trollope, in his "West Indies and thu
Spanish Main," predicted from actual OBJ
servation would come to pass. Aud her,
tits In verify. In spite of the Negro beins
"a man and brother and in the. face n o
his freedom and all that he owes to Excite
Hall philanthropy, here he is preparing Il
murder all the white men first and after
wards the children: but to keep the whit,
women and thepumpkins for himself. Her,
he Is, at last cutting of the breasts OF wo
men, pulling out the tongues of men, dis
d ljointing the fingers and trailing about tn,