The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1872-05-22
Who We're Our Ancestors?


Who were our ancestOrs-not OF
century or of FIVE centuries ago, but IN
the remoter ages, when the Eastern
inroads into Europe were forming conf
posite racesi 1t is still somewhat a
matter of dispute whether the Jutes,
Angles, and Saxons were Scandinavian
or Teutonc-nay, ethnologists have
arisen in recent years who say that
some of these tribes, at least, came
from what is now Mecklenburg, IA well
as from what are now Schleswig and
Holstein; while philologists decide that
the English tongue is sixty per cent.
Scandinavian, and others assert that
old Friesic is more like English than
any other known language. M. de
Quasrefages member of the French
Institute, has prepared new surprise
for the world-even for the world OF
ethnologists, who thought they had at
least exhausted theory, if they had not
determined generally-admitted fact.
In work, recently published in Paris
on "I.a Race Prussienne," he boldly
declares that the basis Of the Prussian
nation Thy which he perhaps means
Brandenburr and it's immediate sur
roundings, as we'll as Pomeranic) IS
neither Slavic nor Teuton, nor even
Aryan; that they are "Allophylian"-
that is, Finnish anterior to the Aryans,
and one step, at lest, nearer the aoor-
igines, if aborigines there were in Eu-
rope. His theory is that, "instead OF
being all driven north, like their rein
deer, when the European climate rs
sumed it's present condition: patches OF
them we're left here and there, and, by
their mixture with later races, explain
many chronological puzzles" We think
of Professor Huxley's Basques, and are
lost in a laby rinth of confused races
and Babel of confused tongues. M
de Quatrefages looks upon the Cells
Saxons, Teutons and Slaves as very
much the same family; the mixtures o.
the Allophylian blood with these, il
different quantities, account for the
varied character of the modern nations
The typical Teutonic German, accord
ing to him, is the Bayarian, who is tai
and we'll built; while the purer Alo'
phylian is short and thick-set-as are
the Prussians. The learned academ
lean seems determined to make tn
+ learned academican determined t.
, make Prussians non Teutonl c
and evidently exults to be abb
to say that Germany is ruled by non
. German power. His work may jus
possibly have been undertaken wit
b this maliciously ironical view. he
not content to prove the Prussians tn
n descendants of Finnish cannibals, bu
a he adds to this theory that they ar
q also largely French; for the Allophy
o liam admixture, which is weak in til
j. rest of Germany, is very strong
Prussia, and it is also very strong i
France. Besides, the revocation
the Edict of Nantes drove man
Huguenots not only to America an
It England, but to Prussia also, and ther
s was quite colony of them at Berlin
these, according to NJ. de Quatrefage
D who exhibits an admirable persistent
le in sustaining his view, infused then
t. selves into the best Prussian rank
as and their qualities have latterly bloom
a. ed out in the Prussian pluck and disc
I'd pline. After this, we may not be su
he prised if M. de Quatrefages demo
as strates that the stalwartframed b
be marck is Finn, and that Won Molt
III is really O Huguenot Frenchma
-[Appleton's Journal.