The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1908-11-30
ABOUT COMPLICATIONS.
After ALI, Blends Are No Better Than
Brunettes.

II is pleasant to lie able to turn
from the turgidities Of an exceptionally
strenuous political campaign to an aea-
demic discussion of the influence OF
complexion upon the human tempera-
ment and morals. For a recent contri-
button upon this important. subject we
have to thank Surgeon Major Charles
j.. Woodruff Of the United States army
who has come to the rescue of the
nalicned brunette and undertaken TO
show that the blond is morally no bet
ter than bis brunette neighbor aud that
the color of a mans hair or eyes is no
sufficient evidence either of his guilt or
his innocence. Superficial readers of
Major Woodruff's article have apparent.
~ misconceived his purpose and jumped
10 the conclusion that his statistics tend
to absolye the brunette and TO place
upon the blond the entire burden of
guilt. All that he seeks to do. how
ever, is to counteract the injurious inn
preston created by those popular au-
thors who have depicted their VILLAINS
as Hblack.eyed," black bearded" or "tall,
dark men"
Major WoodrufTs explanation Of the
arigin of this widespread misimpression
is Ingenious, interesting and logical.
The drift OF immigration in past ages
has always been toward the South. The
hardy blond races habitually overran
the Southern countries and overcome
the darker types, becoming the govern.
ing class, the upper layer" as it were.
Thus the poor peasant, he explains,
chad always an overload of lighter COM
plexion than himself. The lady in the
castle was more blond than the peas
ant woman in the hut. Centuries of
these conditions have had the effect Of
creating the curious impression that
what is above us is blonder that we
are and that which is beneath us is
darker Art and literature have been
1t work Tystalizing it in printing and
story"
Naturally, in the old days crimes
were generally imputed to the lower
ayers If the king could do no wrong, |
his barons were not so prone /
10 error as their underlings. The peas
,nts became the goats" 50 to speak, /
ind the prisons were filled with them.
Hence the impression OF brusneet Grim
nality had its origin and the writers
md painters passed it along through +
he ages.
From statistics secured at Clinton
,rison, where the worst of New York's
riminals are said to be confined, Major
Woodruff finds that Of 279 white men
chose coloring is mentioned. "144 had
,lue eyes, forty gray, hazel and light
,rown and only ninety.tive dark shades
4 brown or black" Out of 4,631 OF
enders imprisoned at Elmira, he finds
MY sixty eight with black eyes and
nlv sos with dark brown. Even in.
luding the light brown eyes" he adds,
oil of these dark types constitute but
no fourth the total. the medium types
K gray and slate are one-fftn, and the
irht.eyed more than half" In Sing
ing. 43 per cent. Of whose population
! foreign born, he finds that the bru
cites furnish large proportion Of first
TENDERS, though less than their share
{ hahitual criminals,
Lest his findings should be regarded
3 bearing too hardly on the blends,
faior Woodruff is careful to declare
hat Complexion Of itself has nothing
D do with criminality." These studies
{ the complexion of criminals are valu-
BILE because they have revealed few
lcts Of considerable interest as to the {
fleets of lights in producing nervous
tates" that in many cases lead to n
rime. So that, if the blends harbor
scret resentment against the Surgeon
Iaior because he helps to destroy the
ID ideas concerning their superior vir-
le they have at least no reasonable J
round for denouncing his conclusions I
! cruel and slanderous As contributor |
ward their rehabilitation in the popu- q
II view. the bniuettes, we take it, are
nder somewhat heavy obligations to {
he soldier savant, who has given them /
,e right to demand fairer treatment a
ON the writers of popular novels and s
,e conpounders Of lurid melodramas.- {
ew Orleans Times Democrat.