Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-04-09
THE o N PROPAGANDA
TOLD OF BY HASKIN
Daily Letter by Frederic j. Haskiu

WARRINGTON. April 9.-When a
scientific theory succeeds in climb
ing Capitol Hill and entering the
.ousy brains OF congressman, when
cabinet officers dllude to it in
speeches, and lady novelists embody
it in best sellers, that theory must
have some powerful appeal to the
minds of men, and it is worth care
tut consideration.
Such has been the career of what
Is generally known as the theory of
blond, or Nordic supremacy. The
Immigration bill as reported by the
House committee was frankly based
.upo nthe theory that we should
seek to derive most of our innmi-
grafton from those countries which
are supposed to be inhabited chief
ly by blond people, the idea being
that all blends 7 descended from
the same racial strain, known as
the Nordic, and that this strain has
an inherent superiority.
The secretary of labor. in his
speeches on the immigration ques-
ton, alluded to the fact that Amer
lea has always taken pride in being
Il nation OF Nordic blood, and the
chairman of the House committee
admitted that one of the objects of
The measure was to secure balanced
immigration" in which there should
be a large percentage of the blond
type. As is generally known, the
bill eeeks to accomplish this result
by basing the quotas CT immigration
on the census of 1890. Prior to that
year most of our immigrants had
come from England. Germany and
Scandinavia. BY admitting 3 per
cen annually of the number of each
ice present here in 1890, we would
let in all who wished to come from
the aforementioned countries,
while immigration from the south
ern and eastern countries of Europe
would be greatly restricted, as those
countries were but sparsely repre-
scented her in 1890.
So far as the immigration bill is
concerned, no doubt the Nordic
theory is to a great extent a blind
for the political forces which want
a restricted immigration. But at the
same time the advocates of blond
supremacy are evidently sincere, and
the theory will have n real influence
on our future immigration policy.
And congress is not the only place
where the blond idea has been ac-
cepted. Several works of pseudo
science setting it forth have been
widely read in recenJ years, and a
novel has been published this spring
in which the heroine is described as
resembling a Nordic princess, and 1t
Is suggested that the state of civil
ization in America is due to the pres
ence here of inferior racial stocks.
Advocates Have Plausible Argument
1t seems worth while then to in
quire carefully into the facts behind
this theory. What are the authorities
and what the arguments for it? 1t
may be said in the first place that
many eminent authropologists are
not in accord with ii, while most OF
its strenuous advocates are not pri-
marily anthropolOgists. An emil
| nent man of science in the employ
Of the government ridiculed II
rather severely in an interview, but
did not care to be quoted on the
subject because ho did not want &c
antagonize congress. At the same
time, the advocates of the theory
make a plausible argument. Two
sides of the question may be brief
ly set forth as follows;
The believers in Nordic supre-
macy argue that all OF the great civ
lilizations of the western world, al
least, have been established by the
blond type of man. This type o.
man is native to Scandinavia and the
Baltic region generally. There h,
evolved and developed his typica
qualities, which are great stature
physical strength, blond hair anc
light skin, together with unusual in
telligence, ~belligerence and organic
ing ability. His blondlIess Is due L
the fact that he grew up in a cold
cloudy region, where he did not neet
p~igmentation to resist the rays of tn
sun. Farther south we find the ma
with olive skin and darF hair, and IL
the tropics, where the suns rays ar
most persistent and penetrating, tn
negro type is the only one that ca
survive indefinitely.
In this cold northern region lii
was hard and the Nordic developer
his unusual physical and menta
qualities in order 20 cope with hi
hostile environment Farther soutl
life was easier. ana SO a more gen
tie and indoleut tvpe of man wa
fostered. The fierce blond norther
men, so runs the argument, hav
been overlooking and moving sout
for hundreds OF generations. The
established the great nations of an
J ltquity-Greece, Rome. Carthage an
all the rest. 1t seems to be n fax
that many O fthe patTicians of thes
lnations were blond. 1t is argue