New-York tribune., 1907-01-29
AZ EPOCH IN ETHyOLOGY.

There could be nothing more Joyous and in
spring than the announcement which comes
hot fOot-Or hot wire-frOm San Francisco
that the Board of Education of that city has
secured conclusive proof that the Japanese are
MOngOllanS II shows with what prodigtous
leaps and bounds the learning OF the twentieth
century is advancing There was a young man
In college, they say. who was asked by the pro
fessOr Of something or other, "Mr. Blank. what
is electricty?" 'Why-er- professor,
really forget" What a pity, Mr.. Blank" re
spOnded the professor. for you to have forgotten
something which nobody else I'm the world has
ever been able 10 find out :" That youth is far
Outdone by the San Francisc5 Board Of Educa
ton. 1t has not only settled surely and for all
time what has hitherto been a much cOntro-
verted point but il has secured the proofs and
will not forget them. but will present them In
open court for ell the world to see.
What welcome accession OF triumphant au-
thority the board will bring to those ethnOogIsts
who have hitherto Contended that there were
some remote traces OF MOngolian origin, or at
least Of admixture, in the japanese OF to-day.
Others. probably the majority, have failed to
recognize such n trace but have believed tho
japanese 10 he mixture OF Alnu, Malay, Poly
neSan. NeGrOd and nOn-MOngol Tartar. and
been unable to discern true Mongols outside Of
the comparatively narrow bounds OF the East
Mougols of Mongolia. raEgut and Northern
Tibet. the West Mongols Of Sungar!s, Turkestan
and Russia. the Burlats of TranshaiSsla rnd
the Hazaras and Almalls OF Afghanlsren. Bur
now 10 here comes this Board OF Education. at
one mighty bound outleaps their years o. weary
plodding. and with the chippPr cocksureness OF
a bluejay on a corncrih roof proc!air,s To m
awakened world that the Japsnese are all Mon
gOls sure as you're alive, and that all the simon
pure lneal descendants OF Budantssr, Yesukai
Genghs Khan. 11mour Leng and Baber src set
tied right there in Toxic excepting such are
in San Francisco clamoring for admttance 10
the public schools
Truly, It Is IN epoch in ethnoIogy and phi
lology. We shall be most interested 10 learn how
the Board Of Education found II out and what
the proof OF 1t Is. They could scarcely have
found It written some Jap's pocket haadker
chief, because. as a pretty girl says in The
Aikado" the Japanese don't carry pocket hand
kerchiefs. We cnn hardly imagine that some
Jap has been blabbing and has given the whole
thing away" because the Japanese are proven
baIy close mOuthed. and, OF course the fact that
fhey are all descended frogn a blue wolf or from
the famous widow Is the very last thing they
would think Of revealing. II is all very puz
zling but nj the same time II wonderfully pro-
vokes anticipation. We shall certainly sit up
o nights from this time until we learn how
the Board OF Education found il out and why
II was that all the ethnOlOglsts who have been
studying the matter for generations have failed
10 find II out before and 10 settle the contrO-
versy which has been waged over the matter. It
will be Of interest 10 II the board rests con-
tent with this achievement or goes on to solve
some Of the other questions which have long
vexed the studOus world