The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-16

and Scandinavlans. The men OF the late Stone
Age were not, to be sure. as diminutive as the
modern southern Italians or the spaniards;
they seem rather to approximate the medium
height OF the inhabitants OF northern Africa.
The Berbers. and their fellows shading of. az
they do. into the negro race south OF the Sa-
hara. must be. In fact. regarded as having the
least departed from the original European
type InEurope proper the brunette long head
ed Mediterranean race 10 but slightly aberrant
from IT, Itmay have become stunted by too pro-
tracted civilization II may have changed some
what In facial proportions but on the whole II
has remained true to lite oncestral image.
We have seen that DR.. Ripley holds the Teu
tonic race OF Northern Europe to be merely
variety Of tho primitive. long headed type OF
the Stone Age. This theory Of unity OF origin
on the part OF the two long headed races OF
Europe Is not entirely novel. 1t was mooted
some twenty years ago. but only within the
last decade has 1t attained widespread accept
ance among the very best authorities il will
be at once observed that this theory. accepted
by our author as the best working hypothesis.
rests on the nssum ption that the head form is
q decidedly more permanent racial character
istic than augmentation. In so doing II
relegates to q secondary position the color OF
lnc uulT dIu eyes, WHicU 1uAlty,
and even Virchow have made the basis Of their
classification OF European peoples. With due
respect to these authorities. DR.. Ripley does
not hesitate to aver that the researches OF the
last ten years have turned the scale IN favor Of
the Uranium as the most reliable test OF race.
He believes that LinnRus's caution concern
ing the lower animals should be applied to
man. Nimiun, ne c''ede colori: do not rely too
much upon complexion. We know that bru-
netteness varies with age In the same indi-
vdual: that is one proof Of its impermanence.
In one OF his earlier chapters our author was
at pains to prove also that there Is a factor OF
the environment in mountainous or in I'M
| fertile regions which operates to increase
| the proportion OF blond traits among men.
| He did not seek. In those cases. to deter
! mine whether such changes were due to eli
| mate alone or to the defective nutrition which
| too often attends a poverty OF environment.
| Now. as regards the geographical distribution
OF the lower forms OF life II 10 well-recognized
law that $50 feet increase In altitude Is equiva-
| lent to one degrees remove In latitude from the
| equator. II this law be applicable to human
beings 1t should lead US to expect steady in
| crease OF blondness toward the north OF Eu-
rope. fact which is fully substantiated Ex-
| perience in coloniznR Africa to-day indicates
| TINT the present adaptation ofthe Teutonic race
| TO northern climate constitutes serious bar
to its re-entry into equatorial regions. May not
this adaptation be correlated physiologicaly
| in some way with the modified pigmen-
tation? May we not assume In other
! words that. as the primitive dark type
| OF the stone age gradually spread over
Northern Europe. envronmental influences.
| acting very slowly through scores Of genera
tions. ultimately induced a blond subvariety to
| emerge2 The differentiation OF this sub
variety would In such an event. be common
| surate with the distance from the original
| southern centre Of migration. II Is not pre-
| tended. however. that climate by itself suffces
to account for the phenomenal blondness OF
the Teutonic race. This blondness is some
| thing more than direct product OF the fogs OF
the German Ocean. This is proved at once by
| the fact that blondnsss decreases not only as
We proceed southwark from Scandinavia. butt in
an easter!y direction as well. In other words.
| the Russians at the latitude OF Norway and
| Sweden are far moro brunette In type than the
| Scandinavians. How are we to reconcile this
| fact with the environmental hypothesisi DR..
| Ripley answers that in the first place. the
| hordes speaking the Slavic languages are COM
paratively recent immigrants In that part OF
| Europe. They are physically allied to the
| broad-headed Alpine type. Consequently, COM
| parsons between Scandinavia and the lands
directly east OF It are vtiated. There is another
l
| expect the Teutons to be notable for blondness,
even in their own latitude. It is this: that the
| trait has been long so distinctive OF a dominant
race all over Europe that it has been rendered
susceptible to the influence OF artificial selec-
| ton. Thus a powerful agent has been allied
| with climate to exagxerate what may once have
| been an insignificant trait. There is abundant
evidence to prove that the upper classes in
| France. Germany. Austria and the British
Tel Iintt tlu inbt tn hair aud
than the peasantry. 1t is no mere coincidence
that caste and color are OF common derivation
| In the Sanscrit language. The classical Latin
! writers abound in testimony to the same effect.
| The Teutonic conQuerors OF historic times
we're Of a blond type. Tall stature and blond
ness together constituted the insignia OF noblo
descent. Since the time OF the Eddas the ser
vile ones have always been described as short
hrunettes. Borrow tells us in his bible in
SPAR" that. even in that dark Accomplishment
country. negro is an opprobrious epithet.
Gummere has collected from MEDIEVAL litera-
ture some interesting materials bearing on
this point The thrall Is invariably dark type
the opposite otthe fiaXen hal red blue yed jar
or earl. The contrast has been observed In
painting. To depict Christ as n blond, the two
thieves as notably dark, was long the invaria-
BILE rule In artistic composition. although UT
to the second century Christ had been pro-
trayed as dark, his Jewish origin being kept In
view. Let us suppose. then, that such an
opinion concerning the nobility OF hlondness
became widespread; suppose that it were in,
tcnsihed by the splendid military and political
expansion OF the TeutOns in historic times al
over the Continent. Suppose blondness to have
become the priceless heritage OF people more
or less isolated all over Europe. Is there AM
doubt that entirely apart from n natural choice
exerted by the physical environment, an arti
fetal selectvo process would be engendered
which in time would become mighty In its re
suits? Is it not permissible to ascrbe in som,
measure both the patent bondness OF tho Ton
tonic race and its unique stature also to thil
cause2 Such, at all events. is DR.. Ripley!
hypothesis.