The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-10-23
CrTRRENT TOPICS.

o,o+refaqes upon Anthropology science which |
be claims has been founded. by Buffor. NJ de O., |
the professor of the Natural History oil Man ae
the Museum, in the course of his labors, mas pro-
foundly studied the following questions: Inc
position of man in the creation; the prlitiVe par
ttioA of the human race; migrations acciinlat'on,
antiquity of man, characters OF the prini''e ",iU
prehistoric man; origins OF the European opu'"
tions: development of mixed races. Id pceiunine
the second part of his report which relates u .ho
actusr status OF the science, the professor taAes
occasion to protest against tho peculiar trammels
that snrround the anthropologist when ne at
ter,nt. ;mnsrtially to declare the results OF his
,oao.rchos He saws; Dogmatism and antidoS-
m.t;sr, have possessed themselves OF TINS soiencs
.l,o.,ro for their debates Whose wishes to
.or,o;n man of science and nothing else, can
hardly mako himself heard IN tne HnusV oi 'hose
,,..s;onste disputes Almost inevitably he is sus-
rected by both parties, and at the same ume Is
treated as impious by the one, and as mystical by
the other Man. continues NJ. do Quatrefages,
sonlx considered in his organization, Is nothing
bnt an animal. but the anthropooglst, without
touchng on the domain OF philosophy is led TO IN
ou;ro II there are not certain phenoasns pecuilar
to man, by which he is as legltlmateiy separae'a
f,om an animal as he has been, oy tne zooiose''
from plant SuoE characters e1lst; tney are uo-
rived from the faculties for pelig6n ana norailty'
the double privilege that man enjoys Of beheVing
in something superior to himself, and in positive
dist,poton between good and evil. On this ao-
count the author Of the report unhesltatngy
admits q human kingdom, and in 80 doing has ex-
posed himself to lively opposition in the bosom OF
the Anthropological Society ITSELF The neAt Inoso
arduous question is that Of determining wnether
the distinctions between existing people marx
differences of race or of species. This problem Is
resolved in different manners by the monogamlst
and poIgamist who have alternately claimed re-
lirious sanction for their doctrine. Thus IN l6oo
IN payrere asserted that he could deduce from
Genesis the theory of polygamism, which has
since been frequently 0onaldered the corolary OF
all anti-religious systems. Now tho species Is
10 ensemble of individuals more or less similar 10
one another, who are descended, or who can be
supposed to have descended, from q single pair,
by an uninterrupted series OF famihes but the
race sis the ensemble OF individuals who have re-
ceiysd and transmitted the characters OF priml-
tive VARIETY" In connection with this definition ia
to be noticed the fact that among animals, hybri-
dation. or union between individuals OF different
species results at least in one two generations
in sterility, while nothing Of the kind is noticed in
the multiple unions between different races of
men. They, on the contrary, offer complete
analogy with the results OF tho crossing OF two
races belonging to the same species, which is al
WAYS fruitful. The natural conclusion from this
fact is that already admitted by Button and La
marck that human groups constitute. the divers
races OF single species.
NJ. ]. MANNER has just publish ed a new statisti-
cal map of two parts, the first entitled 'La France
sachant ecrire," presenting the several depart
ments classified according to the number of coI-
pies who in 1866 were able to sign their marriage
act It is painted in five colors. There are eight
departments in the most light-tinted part-where
the proportion Of those who couid not write their
names is between and per cent. Of the whole
number of couples married during the past year
LIE Bas Rhin, Il Meuse, les Vosges, la Haute Ma
rue, Ia Meurthe, le Haut Rim, Ia Moselle, and lie
Doubs [It is remarkable that nearly all these are
of German origin, and many OF them still in the
use of German as their vernacular.] Next came
eight departments, where the population is limit
ed between and 10 PEI cent; next eight others,
where the illiterate vary from 10 to 20 per cent.
six from 20 TO 80 per cent, and So departments in
which the proportion Of couples married in 1856,
who could not sign their names, is from 81 to rs.
This part of the map is painted black, and extends
over two-thirds of France. In twentyone of these
departments, those who cannot write are over 30
per cent. of all the couples married in 1866. The
general average for 1866 is, OF one hundred mar
IL aog, ,xyI>1
write their names. The second table is entitled |
ssLa France saoAdnt hre." In this the author olas
sifed the conscripts Of the present year, and the
dark colors have less area. Thus We find nine |
cantons, where the proportion Of those who could
neither read nor write was from to 4. There are
fourteen where the illiterate are from B to per
cent; seventeen where they are from 10 to 20 per
cent, and twsnty-four where the iliterate number
from so to 81 per cent. The general aver
age is 29 per cent. On comparing the two
maps it appears that the class Of oonscripts for
1867 is better educated than the couples who were
married during the past year. From this we learn
that primary instruction is progressing among the
Young; for these have but just passed their 20th
year, while the men married last year, it is more
than probable were for the most part considerably
past that age; moreover, ignorance is much |
more common among the women than among the |
men. .,.,
DIR. s. g. Howe, OF Boston, who is on his way |
home from Greece, writes letter to the Boston |
Advertiser from Switzerland, from which We make |
a few extracts: "The country is covered with |
network OF telegraph wires; and the whole ia
,,v dar coDfrol ~ tho Eadarol Gnyernmant In the l.
chief towns an large villages there is telegraph
bureau connected with the post Office. In smaller
places, where there is no bureau, the postmaster
receives and forwards your dispatch to the nearest
turesu. These bureaus are light, clean, slightly /
places, kept open all day and good part Of the
night, and furnished with every convenience for
the public. The clerks are intelligent and civil
officers, who take your dispatch, whether in
Erenoh, German, English, or Italian give you
csipt, and forward it promptly to any part of the
country. The charge is 20 sous (about 40 csnts)
for 20 words 40 sous for so words and 90 sous for
LIDO wordsl You have right, moreover, to uso
any telegraph on the railroad limos by paying ten
SOUS extra. This system has worked 80 well, and
SO manifestly promotes public good, not only by
facilitating business, but by promoting instruction
and social relations, that the Federal Government.
cautious and economical is, has resolved that
nter January 1, 1858, prices shall be reduced fifty
per cent. Then despatch may be sent to any
Dart Of the country for half cent wold?
The METHOD of visible signs, mmicking or
pantomime, was rather hastily adopted in France,
thence carried to England and to the United
States, and there is known as the French method.
.Rhe Germans, who are more philosophical than
the French, adopted the method of teaching mutes
tb articulate; that is, to initiate our speech by
wctching the movement of our lips and features
b. the eye, instead OF watching them mainly by
the ear. Experience has proved that this is
rlnn;hln &c, In ifzarland |