Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-06-21

back and tied down with a bandeau,
which process leaves his entire forehead
bare. To prevent its adhering to the
plaster such hair as will be exposed to
the mask-as the eyebrows, beard and
that bordering the forehead-is creased
with soft soap. The entire skin of the
face is next covered with a thin oil
and cotton Is placed in each ear.
Plaster mixed with certain ingredients.
determined by the special requirements
OF each case. IL then applied gently upon
the face. like cream. 1t lie first spread
over the mouth. chin and taw-the most
movable parts OF the face-and as soon
as it has so far hardened as not to BE-
disturbed by the subjects swallowing or
moving his lips. the sculptor works his
plaster up to the top OF the forehead.
being always careful to leave openings
at the eyes and nostrils The process
has been reduced TO such a fine art
that there is absolutely no distortion OF
features and the most nervous subject
suffers no displeasurable sensations
After its removal the hardened mask
is halved down the line OF the nose, Is
backed with a stout supporting base. il
filled inside with modelling clay and is
later lifted off. a half at time. After
lifelike reproduction OF the face has
thus been made in clay. the modal sits
for the head, neck and shoulders, whose
accurate reproduction is assured by care
full measurements. Several sittinEs are
required before such bust Is satisfac-
tory. Upon its base is placed the name.
age and generation-record OF the SUBJ
ject.
THE series OF Indian busts has now
been completed and that OF the negroes
is well under way" DR.. Hrdlicka con-
tinued For the American series we still
need a newborn girl and man Of sixty
five. In this series it has been difilcult.
with the more aged. to secure normal
subjects in whom there has been no
fntermixture of foreign blood nearer than
the Observation-Disclosures. In few more
generations such an undertaking would
probably be beyond hope. SO fast Is the
old American stock dissolving into the
new American nation. Their marriage
with whites of foreign birth are steadily
increasing.
and Indians. Less than a fifth of WASH
ington's $1,000 negroes can still be re-.
garded as of pure blood.
More rapidly still is our Indian race.
IS known to the white pioneers. disap-
pearing. This is due not alone to in
creasing death rates and advancing
interbreeding with other races. but also
to great changes in physique caused by
altered modes Of life and by advancing
civilization 1t is almost impossible now
to find specimens of full-blood Indian
men and women Of many types. Even
where blood remains relatively pure
the facial features and expressions of
adults as well as of children are under
going marked changes. Under the in
fuence of clothing and of life within
doors the skin of our Indians is grow
ing decidedly lighter. Their faces are
growing fuller and less expressive;
their bodies stouter and otter form
less. The 1.-THE. strong. fleet. sharp-cut
young Indian of the past Is now sell
dom seen. except among mountain
tribes who still live their own life. The
same is true of the impressive. heavily
wrinkled. serious old Indian men. and
Of the strong. healthy Indian women.
Within fifty years-certainly within
three or four generations-our Indians
will have assumed the features and
physiognomy partly of the white man
and partly Of the civilized Japanese.
Manchurian and Korean.
ITO save for posterity enduring rec
ords Of all of these three vanishing
types-the old American white, the
pure blood negro and the Indian full
are insufficient.
and it is for this reason that we are
striving to reproduce them in plaster.
No similar systematic undertaking has
as yet been made in any country or By
any institution.
..The three series Of busts when COM
pleted are to be exhibited at the PAN
anna California exposition at San
Diego in 1918, and will later become
the property Of the permanent museums
of that city"
Copyright 1914. by John Elfreth watkinsl