New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-09-06
MANS AGE AND BIRTHPLACE.
EUROPE OR ASIA7



"oRIGIN OF THE ARYANS''-SOME OF DIR. lsAAC
TAYLOR'S ARGUMENTS ANSWERED.
TO the Editor OF Tho Tribune.
Sir Since you are mainly responsible for my
having to read DIR. Isaac Taylor's 'Origh vi ."o
Aryans.' will you not permit me to caN at'eh'loo
to what seem to two serious defects III his are"
ment2 This in general claims more thah IL PtV>es'
but on two points. the antiquity OF man III Europe
and q non-Asiac origin of certain races. II Chains
almost everything and proves almost nothing except
Is against rapidly lesseninG school OF learned men
who trusted too much to Sanscrit and too little to the
general tradition OF humanity.
That DIR. TAYLOR is himself not altogether sure OF
the independent origin OF his AryanS is shown bE his
remark In chapter ., section I. that "if 1t can
be shown that the races who inhabited Europe at
the BEGINNING Of the NeOlithic period were the an
cestors OF the races who now nhabit the Same
regions, We may leave undetermined the question
whether they originated in Europe whether
they emigrated from Asia or from HI1r'I
That the tribe tribes which spoke the eaShen'
Aryan language were numerous either as to lhdi.
vduals or gentes Is CratuoS assumption diScred1cd
nv the fact that the great OF those VINO, since
tho historic period have used one or announcer oil 'hc
derived languages we're and are cohleSseui! '""
Aryan In origin. and by the fact that those WHO '"
speak what seems the nearest approach to the prh'-
tive Aryan namely. the Lithuanians. are compare
lively an obscure and unimpoytdnt people WIN 'i'S
point in view II will be thai the argument LOT
the European origin OF the Aryans based on the larI
that there six wclldcfined DIVISIONS Oh so-'au
Aryans in Europe and only two SUBDIVISIONS ho
Indo Iranians, In ASIA fills to the ground Moreover.
II the problem is compile ,ted with that OF Moneo ana
J,ral Altaic migratons, the inequality Of numbers
would prove to the advantage of the Asia'lc uan'-
tiopalsts rather than the European theorists. 'h
this question of the mongoloid affniticS OF Aryah
speech DR.. Taylor's argument is strong anu
valuable one but it bears most strongly III Ia'or vi
IN minion like that of Pictremcnt. pushed further
than he seemed willing to co. namely. that region
in Asia like that around Lake Balkash and the Aata
would answer in fauna and flora TO the proDaDic
cradle OF these allied races
On the point Of the remote antiquity Of the h"m'"
race In Europe Dr. TAYLOR is even less SATISFACTORY
What the science Of caniOOgy TO prove Is 'ha'
NJ tho most remote period reached in the lnvc>Ga
ton Of European primitive relics. the varieties OF Tue
skull were substantially wla; they are toNaN 10
an eclectic scholar who tries 10 hold the scales even
between opposing schools. and to accept Wha' e''"
has proved regardless of mere speculation specimens
like the Ncandcr,hal skull are practically vaiueesS
because nothing lie inferred from them that can
not be Justly disputed. 49, A. 49,. -.
cranioloey before their eyes would necessarily have
to reSeae unnHmbcrcl age, to reach polnt Of be
ff ne possibility tis' tAsy May b. right ms is
Of course admitted; the tc>mo,y -, OF ,,on ,ns
fsSe son ahn a M Dr. Tayor has prntcd the
III this ntra glacial paeo,nir eoh9 ;pSr ns nm
Ms Development into me Eropesn Of hsoT nr1@s
YIN ns the 'c Of n sss SS % o asr IN
Europe gve to the bronze aTe and the bonz+ aSe
these INA" sses % stand G side by side Extraordinarily e"s
long periods Thus farmer, III Portugal lii a% r. an
used on i.r-t learning agriculture and in the North
western United states the earliest \ryal habit Alton
Of Europe came through sem,i, Glanps so ais" dd
those Of the classic world. ana Dr. laEio linus iIe
4,
shIy mode Iessna; ' sGD "S S hx
Ali these changes arc practically within the limits OF
the lsotic historical period and the, Afford E9od rea
stupendo,s Hgircs which put the primcva maker OF
flint fake relics back Inar'er OF m,lon OF yeai cn
the Aryans long from the nomaac to the asr
ss;s.a Sd s s "'
something like that known to history but r Is It
s s.s pssn %sT' Ssn liz
s " e on nit" Epos q the scat D"
Of Greece, which was probab, no, earlier than the
}xefE century before Christ. was we'll nigh forgotten
concise memorial Of the transition from mast to cereals
Is food Thus Ciaudian in his ProscrPina mak %s
cause he kept erect but gave him no better 1000
the food Of ,,H nS ,e scs e p OF
the lines: e"N'~ 40 ,,,, .,,u
Erexisse caput. pccudum s. more pecr rTtn p,
Avia 81 frangunt. communal pabnla. gahdc>
And thcv state as concl>ey is possible the fact
WINGED by the stores Of nuts near the lake village ~
Znrienf SWITZERLAND. He owed what hc sad u 're"k
{radition which he may himself have considered
fable. The inference !, Jus, one a, ac,e W VA lime
ke necessity Of the no great dlneipi'c vi nm
Sewccu the Doric invasion. and the change from
nuts to rye. barley. or wheat as 1000 ,.,. ,,s
Humanity owes to Africa primitive a. u aiWan> la>
hccn the origin Of all the vOl family Among H>,rm
mcnts oi music II 10 America ~" stiaer NIL
izaton OF MFN1, and Peru and TRADITIONAL i'rrd,c
M extraordinary Interest IL owes u A.a All ieIou
ideas of value and 10 Europe as We Know J. a,niU
svcrvth cI,c But IN the Europe cf the extremist
In archaeology and geology il owes nothipc IS nov ,s
fact suflcicnt to show that the data on Ehn al '
excessive figures are ba>cd shouu oe rc''''''
New. York, Sept. .. ls"O.