The times., 1901-06-16

Mason. OF the National Museum.
DR.. Otis T. Mason. one of the curators
of the National Museum. has re
Gently Translated for the Smith
sonian Institution a monograph
10y Rudolf Virchow. on the people
Of the Philippines. which viii add much
to the information already in hand con-
ceruIng the newly acquired territory.
Since the days when the first European
navigators entered the South Sea. the dis
pute over the source and ethuiC affiliations
of the inhabitants Of that extended and
scattered island world has been unset
tied" says Virchow. The most superb
cial glance points out a coutra-iety in ex-
ternal appearances. which leaves little
doubt that here peoples of entirely differ
ent blood live near and among one anoth-
er. And this is 50 apparent that the path
finder. Magellan. gave expression To the
contra.iety in his names for tribes ana ISL
ands Since dark complexion was observed
in individuals in certain tribes and IN de-
nneG areas, and light complexion in oth-
ers. here abuudaEtly, there quite eNcep-
tional. writer's applied Old World names
TO the new phenomena without iurther
thought The Philippines set the decisive
example in this
Fernando Magellan first discovered the
islands Of this great archipelago IN l9--'
March Is After his death the Spanlarus
couDletod the circle Of his discoveries Al
this time the name of NcgroS was liked
which even now is called lslas de los Plh-
tados islands OF the culored Peopies'- me
people were divided into TWO groups the
Little Negros or NegritCs, and the lnalos
II is quite conceivable that involuntariiy
I hn q
had close relationship with the African
blacks and the Indios with the higher
commissioned inhabitants Of India, or al
least. Indonesia-
However. it must be said here that
the theory of a truly African origin OF the
N,gritos has been advanced but seldom
ana then in a very hesitaung manner
The idea that with The present ConilSu-
ration of the eastern island world, espe-
cially with their great distances apart, a
variety of mankind that had never mani
Tested any aptitude for maritime enter
prises. should have spread themselves
over this vast ocean area. in order 10 set
tie down on this island and on that Is 50
unreasona ble that il has scarcely found
defender worth naming. More and more
the blacks are coming TO be consiueJed
the original peoples the 'IuGios' to be
the intr1ders. For this there is a quite
reasonable ground. in that on many isl
ands The blacks dwell in the interior, diff
fcult OF access. while the light complex
ioned tribes have settled The coasts To
this are added linguistic proofs which
place the lighter races OF homogeneous
speech in linguistic relation with the
higher races. especially the Mayiays-
Dramatically it has been said that oIlgl-
Hrrfs. q on
tfreiv by the primitive black population,
but afterward, through intrusions from
the sea. these blacks were gradually
pressed away from the coast and showed
back into the interior.
The problem, though il appears simple
enough. has become complicated more ana
more through the progress OF discovery,
especially since Cook enlarged our knoWI-
edge Of the oriental Island world a new
and still more pregnant contrast then
thrust itself TO the front in the fact that
the blacks and the Lghter-COlDreu peoples
are each separated into widely differing
groups While the former hold especially
The immense, almost continental, regions
of Australia (NcW Holland) and New
Guiana, and also the larger archIpeiaEcS,
such as New Hebrides, solomon Islands,
Fiji Archipela ago-that is, Ghe western
areas-the north and east, Micronesia and
Polynesia. were occupied ny ilghLer-cJiOr-
Cd peoples So the first division into Mei-
come TO be OF value. and the dogma once
fixed has remained For the POiynesians
are by many allied to the Maylays. while
the blacks are put together as q special
chronological race.
The result of the war between Spain
and the Americans has been the destruC-
tion Of Spanish power. and the Treaty Of
Paris has brought the entire Philippine
Archipelago into the possession OF the
United States Of America HencefOrth
the principal interest Is centcTed upon the
department OF the Insurgents, who have
noJ only outlived the great war between
the Powers. but are now determined 10
assert. or win. their independence from
the cOnguerOrs. Those insurgents who.
for breyity. are called Filipinos. belong
10 the light-colored race Of so-called IN
dos. who are sharply differentiated from
the Negrit0s. Their chronological posi-
ton Is difficult 10 fix, since numerous
mixtures have taken place with innl-
grant whites, especially with SpaniITdS.
bUJ also with people OF yellow and brown
races-Jhat Is. with MOnguls and Chinese
In this connection Is must not be over
looked that al these lmmjgratl0us, how
ever many they may be supposed to have
been. must have come this way from the
west Indeed, noteworthy migration
from the east Is entirely barred out. u
We look no further back than the Chinese
and japanese. On the contrary. all signs
point to the assumption that from " Old.
long before the coming OF Portuguese and
Spaul-ruS, Il strong movement had gone
out from this region % the east. ma that
the great sea way which exists between
AindlDao and the Sllu Islands on fhe
north and Haiwahera and the I0luccaS
IN the south was the entrance road along
which those tribes. or at least those nav
igatCrE whose arrival pegnie1 The Poly
nesiau Islands. found their way into the
Pacific Ocean But also the movement of
the PolEueslaDs points TO the west. ana
il their ancestors NAV have come from
Indouesla there is nu doubt THAI ~ their
long journeys eastward they must have
L4aH I. 20 f4H Ff Ia
their way, especially the Philippines
P0lynesial iuyaslpuS Uf the Philippines
are not supposed 10 have closed when a
migration Of peoples or Of men passing
out 10 the Pacific Ocean laid the fguuda-
ti0u Of large faction of the archipelago.
II IS known that NOW and then single
canoes from the PalaWan or l-adFone Isl
auls were driven upon the coast OF LII
zOu. but their Importance ought not 70
be everest timatcd. The migration in this
way from the vest must hEuceiorlh re
main as the point Of departure Tor ali
gEg nations OF this Eastern elhuDlygE-
Nov how are the local difference OF
various tribes 20 be explained when, on
the whole the place q origin UaS the
same Is there here secondary Narla-
ton Of type. something brought about
through climate. food. circumstances II
f. d large theme. which. unfortunately Is
too often dominated by previously formed
theories The Importance Of environ
ment and mode OF llfe upon the body
development Of man cannot be contested.
but the measure of this Importance is
very much in doubt Nowhere is this
measure. at least in the present consider
alton, less known than IL the Philippines.
IN spite Of wide geological and biological
difference Cl. these islands. there exists a
close agreement Of the IEdiDs in ne CHIEF
characteristics, and the effort 10 trace
back tribal differences that have been
marked 70 climatic ami aiimeUtary causes
herited ppculiaritics is also rightly here
III assume 1lat the luQTHi.