Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-07-06
The HQSkin Letter 81 e !; %:.a
QUEST FOR TYPICAL AMERICAN.

feature-many of the n women
are behind their due standard. Their
chests. their muscles, are not as well
developed as are those of the men.
The non-working women many of
them. are physically somewhat neglect
ed. which calls for an improvement.
Naturally this does not apply to the
farm girl or the athletic girl, or the
one whose development has been SUI
pervised and assisted in a high class
college; but there is a large proportion
who do not fall into these classes, and
it is these who show, sub-development.
But the American woman shows a
superior head. The size of her head is
somewhat above what it usually is in
relation to the average head of the
male. and it is also perceptibly above
that indicated by her stature. As the
size of the head means a corresponding
size of brain. we have here q highly
favorable condition. The form of the
head in the old American stock differs
widely, according to %parentaKe.
"a much greater progress in Amer
icanization' is shown by the face. This
has lost the prominence of the cheek
bones and that Of the angles of the
lower jaw. and in the well nourished
approaches a characteristic straight
sided. rather high oval. The nose is
variable. with tendency to convex
(acquiline) in males. and concave-
convex in females. The hands. feet,
mouth. ears are not large, but also not
small
Heredity Still In Evidence
In declaring that there is no Amer
lean type Of either man or as
yet, still there is an approach to such
a type in physiognomy. stature, build,
augmentation and in other directions.
DR.. Hrdlicka said that heredity is still
most in evidence, but is no longer
absolute.
The old Americans are to an i'm
p~ortant degree still the English. Scotch
or Dutch of their ancestry" said the
doctor. but in part they are already
something new, common. acquired in
this land-they are American. Were it
possible for this stock to breed ex-
clusively among themselves for several
more centuries. they. according to all
indications. would produce a national
as have the various older European
nations. But intermarriage with more
recent elements of the population is so
common that no hope can be enter
tanned for any rapid progress in this
Form of head. that was
supposed once TO show rapid changes.
was found under the new environment
be one of the most persistent of
characteristics.
Another prevalent notion that finds
no support in the results of these in
is that of any physical
difference between the old Americans
Of the northeast. the Yankees. and
those of the south. There is no differ
OF any importance. The people of
the south are not darker. the Yankees
are not taller. The only regional diff
ference in the old American stock are
as are due To different ancestry.
English. Scotch. Huguenot. etc. But
he whole strain shows n plain ten
iency towards darkening of hair and
of blondness."
The long governmental investigation
o determine whether there is such a
icing as the typical American did not
AXE into consideration those people
Who are to be regarded as the only
rue Americans-the Indians. or Amer
nds. as they are sometimes designated.
n type may be found. for the
characteristics of the Indian
ire uniform. Above the average /
leight. with a tendency to overweight
middle age, the Indians are al
most invariably of red or copper |
complexion. with straight black |
lair. brown eyes. high cheekbones and
ather boad faces. No one would ever
ook upon a pure-blood Indian and have
my doubts as to what he was.
AS the melting pot of the white
aces. however. it is not tn be ex-
,ected that America will develop a
lecided type Of men and women who
nay be readily identified as Americans
rom their physical characteristics. 1t
$ not surprising that it required eight
ears of research to find LOO in
Iividuals whose parents, grand parents.
nd great-grandparents had been born
n this country.
But there is one characteristic other
han physical which many Europeans
INSIST is ~distinctivelv American-boast- |
They say that we use super (
ntives only in everything we say about
and our country and our in
and national accomplishments.
even intimate that We have not
cen at all modest in discussions as to
tho won the world war.
The original Mason and Dixon line
II. =.