The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-02-25
WHAT OF HEREDITY ?
VIEWS OF CURATOR HOLMES ON THIS
INTERESTING SCIENCE.

The STUDY Oh Heredlty Discioses MANY TO-
culiarities-The Color of the Skin Is Not
Always Positive Evidence-Cannot Study
Men as You DO Horses.
Heredity plays an important part In the
story SONS and Fathers" The title itself
intimates as much, and the author has
treated his theme, not from the standpoint
of a romancer, but from that of the scien-
fist. In Edward Morgan Is found man
who has inherited a fortune and who APP
parently does not know his own father or
mother. His heart is captured by a beauti-
full girl, and life begins to look its roslest
Then comes the suspicion, horrible to him
because of his new social environments
and the heart catastrophe which must in
| evitably follow a confirmation OF 1t, that
| he has negro blood in his veins. On the
surface he is as white as The bluest blood
ed of tho naughty southern men and wo-
men around him. He realizes that If even
the finger of suspicion points to him he is
a social outcast until no proves, with evil
denoe that cannot be controverted, that no
negro blood communicates his. For time
the secret is his, but soon 1t Is given to the
world and he must submit proofs. The
only witness on whom he could call Is
dead. How Is he going to prove that his
|
ancestors all were pure white, assum-
ing that such is the fact.
The following hypothetical question was
put to Curator w. III. Holmes OF the de-
partment of anthropology of the Field Co
lumbar museum: "a man Is suspected of
being the son of an octoroon. She is dead
and, SO far as the man knows, this is also
true of every one who might confirm the
facts of his parentage. Now, how is he
going to prove that he is the son of a
white father and a white mothert What
physical evidence can he bring forwardi
What physical evidence could his enemy
produce to prove that he has negro blood
in himy"
Professor Holmes shook his head as he
said: 81 doubt If any man can answer
that question. An octoroon Is one-six-
teenth black and fifteen-sixteenths white.
That Is whiting down the negro In the
person to a very fine point. A pure negro,
! through some disease that would act upon
the color element of the skin, might turn
pure white. We will assume that. There
would be no difficulty, however, in such
case, to prove by the shape of the head
, the proportions of the limbs, the foot, the
features, the hair and a number of othel
: ply steal characteristics that he was pure
blooded negro. The veriest novice could dt
that. take 1t there would not be mucf
trouble in seeing the black blood in I
, mulatto, simply from the general appear
, ance. Many quadroons are so nearly whit
that northern man, seeing them on tn
, street, would not suspect they had negr
: blood In their veins, yet quadroon ha
|, twice as much black blood as an octoroon
: An ootoroon is the offspring of quadrool
. and white person. Suppose the quadrool
|, mothers skin was almost pure white ant
: the white father was blond. The natura
), inference would be that the child woul
= be white. But it would be nothing strang
. II the child should have face as black
Z coal and woolly hair, thick lips, fat foo.
a fat nose, with wide spreading nostril
and, In short all of the physical character
= istics Of full blooded negro.
81 say there would be nothing strang
q in that, for such cases are not rare. Heret
), ity works the other way sometimes. Br
q that child, on the other hand, might [
q the living image of his father, with abs
g lutely no trace or sign of black blood
! him. Assuming that your man In II
question you have asked me is Of the LATTE
"a class, I do not sec how any physical exam
4 ination, no matter how infinitely mad
= would show that he had the least strain
the negro in him.
50 .'Physical anthropology has not receive
4 the attention which 1t deserves. ca
y imagine no study more fascinating tina
n the study of the human family, but yo
N cannot study men and their families as
A. horsebreeder studies his animals. A hor
breeder, by judioious selection, can tran
NIT those physical and mental characte
istics of sires and dams to offsprings whit
r. will give speed, strength, beauty and ap
o. itude for certain gaits Certain breeds
" horses have physical qualities and cha
acteristios which arc recognized ut ono
I They are the result of breeding, which d
become science. 1t might be that here
so ity In horses, cattle, dogs and plants Is a
or TO the same laws that govern heredity
the human family, and that assumption
accepted as fact by many, but is that sol
"it would be unscientifio to take 81
a., one feature In man and say that he n
-. negro, Indian, Chinese or Malay blood
~ his veins. The color Of the skin can Do
- evidence, for the swhites' Of northern
-. yiea and southern Europe are dark skinnt
III A 49, ~ 4