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

serve lnP OtInlllC bnbub VI NHtlE
under all conditions. We are far from saying
that in northern Europe there are not many
red haired and even fair-haired jews with
blue eyes. The percentage OF brunetteness
among them, however. Is greater than among
their Christian neighbors In Germany to-
day ~ per cent OF them are pure brunettes
in a population which. on tho average. con-
tains only IA per cent. Of the dark type. As
one goes south the difference tends to disap-
pear. In Austria the Jews are less than 10 per
cent darker than the general population. and.
finally. in tho extreme south OF Europe they
IRE even lighter than the populations around
them. Tho inference Is that. in spite Of climate.
augmentation is n fixed racial characteristics.
III.
Let us pass to variations OF stature. consid-
cred ne indicative OF race. According to DR..
Ripley. the average stature OF man. onsidercd
by racial groups. appears to lie between the
limits OF 4 feet inches and feet 10 inches.
The great majority OF the human race how
ever. Ia found restricted within much narrower
bounds As n matter OF fact. there are only
three or four groups OF real dwarfs less than b
feet tall A map showing the distribution OF
human beings according to stature dscloses
considerable area inhabited by the diminutive
Bushmen in South Africa. Another large body
drmarkaton In the first case between the
yclowish Bushman and the true negroes
Is very sharp; but, In the East Indies.
the very tall and light skinned Polyne-
SLAMS dwindle almost impcrceptiby IN
stature through the dark skinned Mela-
nesians into the stunted Papuans. Other rep
resentativcs OF true dwarf races occur sporadic
cally throughout the Congo region and In Ma
laysia, but their total number is very small.
cent OF the human species ls above tho aver
age height OF five feet and one inch. Among
savnges it 10 easy to localze the influence OF
environment upon stature. inasmuch as this
agency acts directly through limitation of the
food supply In general the extreme statures
OF the human species are found either in re-
gions where naturally short race like the
Bushmen OF South Africa are confined within
an extremely infcrtile district like the
Kalahari desert: or on the other hand
where naturally tall race like the
pOlynesianS in the Pacific Ocean enjoy with
scarcely any 'lbor all the material bounties
which nature has to bestow. DIR. Ripley deems
it probable that the prevalent shortness Of the
EsquimauX and the other inhabitants OF the
Arctic regions il largely duo to the deficiency OF
the food supply He also thinks it likely that the
miserable people of Terra del Fuego are much
shorter than the Patagonians for the same
reason. Scarcity or uncertainty Of food limits
growth. Wherever the conditions Of existence
are. in this respect. i'm proved. the influence OF
environment reveals itself in a helghtening Of
stature. Thus the Hottentots. physically OF
the same race as the BuIhmen. but inhabiting
n more fertile region, and possessed OF a reRu-
larfood supply in their focks and herds. are APP
rreciably taller than their conGeners The
American nborCines dwelling in the Misss
sippi Valley were taller than their kindred
nhahitng the mountains on either side. Even
among civilized people the effect OF food sup
ply on stature may be- detected. or Europe
generally it may be said that the populations
OF mountainous districts are less tall than
those which ENJOY the fertility Of the plains
and river basins. This law has been clearly
established all along the Apeninnes. Partly
for the same reason the Inhabitants OF the
Vosges Mountains and OF the Black Forest a re-
characterized by relatively short stature.
Along the Carpathian Hills and in the Aus
trian Alps a similar shortncss OF stature
has been observed among the noun
taneers. The testimony Is not all unani-
nous. however In the Bavaran Alps the
| mountaineers are appreciably taller than the
peasantry In the plains. and along the north
| crn slopes Of the Pyrenees in France SINH
| lar phenomenon has been remarked In these
exceptional cases 1t seems probable that. in OPP
position to the direct effect OF environment
sclective process has been at work. Only thus
can account for the fact that. while the
| populations at moderate attitudes seem to be
physically depressed by their surroundings.
| III" natives Of greatly elevated regions seem to
| be rather above the normal stature. The in
| ference is that only human beings OF decided
vicor are able to withstand the rgors and pri-
vations incident TO life in very high mountains
| the result being that an abnormally tall. Sc
| lrrt"d population is left.
| The relation between stature and health ia
brought to n concrete expression in the armies
! OF Europe through rejection OF all recruits
| that fall below a certain minimum standard Of
height. generally about five feet The result Of
/ the application OF this standard Is to preclude
the possibility Of marriage for all the fully devel-
! opcd men during their three years in barracks.
| while the undsrsized individuals exempted
! from service are left free TO propagate the spe-
cies meanwhile. 1t is obvious that the effect
OF this artificial selection is to p, n distinct
premium upon inferiority Of stature in 30 far as
future generations are concerned. This en-
! forced postponement Of marriage for the normal
| man. which Is not required Of tho degenerate.
| implies not merely that the children Of the
| former will be born later in life. but that there
will be fewer OF them. Herein lies the great
Archaeological significance OF conscrption.
Standing armies tend to overload succeeding
| generations with inferior types of men. Tho
"loct of the artificial selection made operative
| by conscript!on is akin to the influence which
Dalton has suggested as partial explanation
forthe dense mental dark ness OF the earlier Mid.
die Ages. This darkness Is mainly attributed
| to tho beliefs and customs by which all the finer
minds and spirits were withdrawn from the
field of matrmony by the Church. the entire
future population being thus made dependent
| on ba lnina ~ a phyaino1lv "A I'd
venturous hut thick headed portion Of the
community; mind spent itself in a single gen
Grafton upon the search for knowledge: each
succeeding generation was the outcome oil
rrogcnitors mentally inferior.
Considered as an index OF race. stature ap-
pears TO lie an untrustworthy witness
physical trait so susceptible to disturbance By
circumstances outside the human body is cor.
rcspondngly invalidatcd us a criterion OF