The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-03
RACE TRAITS AND Tendencies.
Are A~rro-Amcrican Coiorcd People Physically
Wcnhcr Than Hinck rcnpicI

~ NCTS hNcresNlnS question IN vital stalls
tics has been raised by Frederick l.. Hufrn an
in a work or "Rayo Traits and Tcndcnrics." n
which he undertakes to prove that Afro.Amcs
leans arc physically weaker in every way than
Anglo Americans, and that the inCrCa sCd NOR
ta'ity among the black aud the yellow people
since tho war is due to constitutional weakness
instead OF G~anitury conditions and modes Of
living, making certain the gradual extinction
OF the race hy the ravagcs Of disease. He
further concludes that, while tho pure black
is physically wgrkcr than the white, the mu.
latto. or mixed Afro.Amci lean, is weaker than
either OF them. Prof. Nclly Mile, OF Howard
University has undertaken to break the force
OF Mr.. ~llotNmBn'5 statistics and arguments in
n pamphlet published by the Negro Academy,
one of whose objects is tho defence OF the
negro against vicious assaults" such as MIR.
Hoffman has undoubtedly made.
NJ. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS with an insurance
corporation, in fact, statistiCian to IL. and IN
that capacity has during tho past ten ycaru
been gathering vital statistics OF tho AFRO
American population. The data seemed to him
of such Importance In their bearing on the
future or the Afro.Amcric race and the
social economy OF the country that the whole
was incorporated in II bulky volume. which han
attracted attention In this country and Europe.
Mr.. Hoffman would have us believe that his
labor vas purely in the interest OF science and
free from the element of race antipathy, In
the preface to his work he says: Being Of for
eign birth, a German, / was fortunately free
from a personal bias which might have made
an impartial treatment of the subject difficult"
But, however this mny be, it is evident all
through Mr.. Hoffmans work that he intended
TO kill the AfrO.Aincrican race by statistical
showing, and when this was not available, by
Inference, supposition, and conjecture, II 10
this fact which neutraliZcs the mass OF statis-
tics he has gathered and breaks the force of tho
proposition he started out to establish.
but. ignoring MI. Hotiman's II ierences, sup
positions, and conjccturcs, let us deal with the
statistics he has gathered, as they relate TO race
Mr.. Hoffman says he used the term "colored'
oftener than negro" because the type of the
pure negro is rarely met with. The race is so
hopelessly mixed that ii is difficult TO arrive at
a clear detinition.' Again: The infusion of
Widespread, and the original type Of the african
has almost completely disappeared" MIR.
Hoffman thinks that this is q great pity. Thar
While in the main, races of similar culture and
physical and psychical development can inter-
marry to mutual ADVANTAGE the rule does not
hold good at all where the black and the white
races are concerned. as such marriages lower,
he thinks tho pphnysical, mental. and moral
exists sufficient to prevent Wholesale amalga-
nation lis sufficiently proved by the fact that
White women OF this county do not show and
never have shown a decided inclination to
marry, Negroes u conclusion, entirely lust.
fact that the races do mix, in spite OF the cf-
feet OF the law OF similarity which makes inter-
marriage Of such rare ocenrrencs, This
show no such disinclination as white women
do to preserve the purity OF their blood" ID
is some satisfaction to know that the unlawful
relations of black women ana white men are
less general than they have been and that there
Is ground for believing that they are growing
NJ. Hoffanm appeals TO a vast array Of
medical authorities 10 provo that tho blacks
are physically superior to the mulattOcs and
that the latter are very, generally "scrofulous
cOnlparaIiyp physical InPn GllrCuirhlts arc a Fair
test of physical power to withstand disease, but,
for the reason that the facts were against him.
MI. Hoffman attaches less value TO them in the
case OF the blacks than of the whites. For in
stance. he found in the matter of weight that
the average for the white man Is his pounds;
full black. ING; mulatto, HIS.
In chest measurement the average %circunl-
35.l mulatto. "a .96. In lung capacity. which
MI. Hoffman declares tho most important test.
i inc mef f IIFI bIacE. les + '% mn iE.ti'S' 1875 i5Stiot e This
is undoubtedly a bad showing for the mulatto.
and power to resist disease. The mixed race is
also at n disadvantage in the important matter
a Minute; pure !H black. i7.3 4 mulatto. 40 ! .
While figuring il. out, that the nulatto 10
P %Eistr N oy Tsak 20 c ahsR b fhs PURE f%TIo s1aG i n "na the
Mr.. Hoffman declares that he cannot be morally
superior to the black. although he is compelled
to admit that. in the absence Of comparative
statistics. il Is next to impossible to prove this
assertion" The only point Of superi9rity he
that. intellectually. the mulatto is nndoubt-
eddy the superior OF the pure black" Prof.
Kelly Miller. who is n pure black, win not
allow this conclusion at ali, which Mr.. Hoffman
bases largely on cranial measurement and facial
angle. at j. rather unusual at this late day
says Prof. Miller. TO base intellectual capacity
upon the shape and size of the skull. Investi.
cations have shown that facial angle and capac-
ity of Uranium and ~cephalic index afford no
certain criterion OF thought power or snscepti-
bility 10 culture" The point will have to RE-
main a controvertcd one for the present, al
least. and perhaps II does not matter, as Mr..
Hoffman is reasonably certain that the mu-
latto is IA dying race. Mr. Hoffman gives
the following table, compiled by DR.. Hunt,
which is. in its way. n curiOsity:
WEIGHT OF BRAIN OF WHITE AND oLoRE