New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-08-26
PROBLEMS IN ETHNOLOG1.
THE ORIGIN OF PHYSICAL TRAITS AND OF
CURIOUS EMBLEMs IN RELIGION.


op,rxrAI STUDIES A Selection OF Papers h ssa
netore the Oriental Club Of Philadelphia. 1917
1891 Pp. 21s. Green & Co.
Ananerby Professor NJ. w. Easton on the physicai
geography OF India opens this interest'hs 'ou
He is not inclined TO believe that the physc'' see
raphv Of any land ever afford n ciew ~ ''7
,r =, tbe characteristics OF a people. Then ne
,rrr. N what he calls 1.-THE unwarrantabiy oiscreu
tod study OF genea!oges and pedisree'' anu ro''
out TO what an extent the blood OF a 10" 'hu''
/. dinused among the people OF Great br''a'" Oh"
.u.r,co The rneasur- Of this diffusion can ohS
he known TO those who have studied the subject pu
no daems 4, great enough to warrant the BELIEF tnat
the common physical traits OF a whole people m's''
be due to a single pair OF ancestors ne H'A''
this without reference TO the opinion mat "ah'""
are all descended from Adam and Eve. trao'''on
which he is inclined 10 doubt on eVo'uto"",'
grounds. The care he supposes drawn from the
analogy OF genealogical tables Is one IN winch 'ne
DESCENDANTS Of A given pair have multiplied. whHe
families in the same surroundings but without the
same blood. have decayed and disappcar'u i"o
presumption would be that the persistent VIta"'y VI
the later generations was exclusively Que 10 '"e
one pa,r from whom al claimed descent rather than
from other ancestors whose direct line had dSap-
peared. II those who shared descent from the one
p,,r wore widely scattered and subiec. 10 many
yarct.e. OF environment and still throve the case
would be all the stronger for descent would th'h
be the only Uniform fact - be considered Inc
physical surroundings 10 be examined would n''
comprise n continent but might be found WITHIN the
rarrow bounds OF some secluded valley hardly large
enough for A homestead. where was fixed the
special character OF some SINCE FAMILY, att"r"ar'
10 become. not indeed the whole ancestry nut one
OF the progenitors Of every individual in the nation
II physical geography decided the traits OF people
the authors description OF India leads one to inrer
that there II anywhere. humanity would be pat
termed upon a single model bu, as nothing could be
further than this inference from the truth he Is
convinced that race and tribal origins must be
looked for in the way ne ind!cat'e
Another paper xcla,ing to India Is that By Pro-
lessor Hopkins. OF Dryn Mawr College on The
Holy Numbers OF the Ris-vedn-" Mr. Hopkins DIS
regards the protest Of Professor r. Max Muller
against the OF the words solemn" and sacred
in reference the number seven. which. Whatever
II may be elsewhere - more sacred than any
other number IN the veda" The seven rivers were
not a mystery. but a feature Of geography. and
neither they nor the opinion that the god % 60 ma
seven fame. treasures. that seven logs were used
H. certain sacrifices that s"vsn horse' dr'" IN" sun
through the sky tina; Inira destroyed seven cities
or that the R!shis. Ike the sases o: Greece NUM-
berel fsv.n prove TO Professor Muller that s"ven
wss more rev-red than three or Ave or ten. AL OF
which were used IN the Veia In very similar
way" Professor HOPKINS. on The other hand as
tlngulshes three and seven az the mcIt reVere1
cardinals OF the Rigveia and dcvo;es his paper
mainly TO the antiquity o. their sacred character
In almo. every Instance where tho number three IL
Used IN the Rig-ved, he found that II had divine
OF riualisic application. II recu-s In nature Ne In
Earth air and sky and numerous other triads: hut
FOR the origin ~ the sacredness Of the number seven
Mr. Hopkins think only Of tho constellation OF
stars and the seven rivers. lie does not suf-
gsst the number OF the planets. and Professor
Muller says tina. ,hcsc out OF tho Quo6ron In
ancient India II Is rather curious that Mr. Hop
kns takes the fancy about the suns seven rays to
account for the number OF the Ad!iyas or gods While
Professor Muller refers them TO the Nedc week OF
seven days Bu, Professor Hopkins has not forgot
ten the question about the seventh day lie suggests
that the Jews may have owed 1t 10 the Hindoos and
that 1t the origin OF all the mysticism among
the Semitic races about the number seven. Appar-
emily modern people owe their reverence for this
number ~ the semites. Neither Greeks. Romans
Tcutons had any divine use for the number
seven In the earlier times. Professor Muller true
to his views OF Aryan unity. thinks the IIlndoos
were equally Indifferent Professor Hopkins at,rb-
utes the mystical aspect OF seven. as he finds II In
tho Vedlc writings to the indefinite completeness OF
the number as an equivalent for many" The his
tory OF all the supers,itons on this number would
be Interesting and conclusions about the theme can
hardly be drawn until that history Is written
paper containing much curious Information Is
that OF Mrs Cornelius stevenson. Of the Museum OF
Archaeology, University OF Pennsylvania. on The
Feather and the Wing In Early Mythology" II be-
however,
ism A f-nther was. among the ancient Egyptians,
the hierog:yph Of light and truth. Among the old
Iranians the feather OF certain bird. the Warren
CANA. was OF magical value 10 the man who pos
se-sed H. Tho later Persians attributed equal ef
ncacy to the feathers OF the mythical Sm0rgh ard
there were Roman natura.ists who believed that
the feathers OF other birds consumed when
placed near those OF eagle. The feather could
hardly have attained huch meaning the bird Itself
had no, already become sacred Even 10 the rudest
races the phenomena OF the sky and the clouds sug-
gesied the thought OF bird. Zulus and Kaflrs be
icve that thunder IN caused by the Tapping OF the
wings OF the heaven-bird. In New-Zealand the
Creator represented In the form OF bird and
In many parts OF America the thunder bird Played \
remarkable par, In savage superstitons. Among the
Alaskans the Creative Spirit Is represented In the
form OF crow and IN South America the Lupls be-
ueye themselves to he the offspring OF the bird
which causes the lightning The ancient Mexicans
described the god Que,zalcoat as blrd-serpent
His voice was thunder. his weapon lightning. With
the Pcruvians the condor was the herald OF the
Storm which also deemed bird. The Chinese
represent the spiri, OF the storm In human form.
but with the beak and wings OF n bird. In most
cnses these mythical winged figures are associated
with Are and with implements OF stone This fact
not only suggests the antiquity OF the legendary
heaven-bird. but also, In Mrs. Stevensons view OF
the matter solves that puzzle Of archaeology. the
winged sun-dsk The bird which had once been the
whole heaven became the messenger Of the sky god
In the completely humani1ed mythology Of the
Greek. he sits beside the throne Of his master. In
the less tractabe visions Of the Orient he first sits
behind the anthropomorphic deity who has sup
planted him. and then In the syncre.ism OF sun
worship becomes Incorporated with him In single
figure the winged circle. adorned later with the
archer who speeds his arrow as he flies. Finally,
among the Egyptians. he Is reduced to mere men,
DRY In the form OF feather the head OF Shu: the
god OF the luminous air. or Maat. the goddess OF
truth and justice. preserving In the one case his
ancient Office OF nr. and light brlnger. and In the
other adding the highly refined conception OF the
light OF reason and conscience within man himself;
DR. Irinton's short essay on the alphabets OF the
Berbers hints that these strange characters may be