The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-06-26
Liberal Viewpoint
by DIR. HARRY ELMER BARNES


TTITIER may have charmed Mussolini, but
Il 4 he fails to convince scientists in his nom
senscal theories Of race.
| The core of the cultural and social philosophy
OF Hitler and the Nazi is the revival Of the
threadbare racial myth which was popular a
century ago.
Hitler announced his determination to build
up pure Aryan culture-Aryan IN religion ana
education and even in economies and politics.
Most Of his bigotry and persecution has been
/ justified extensively by the effort to create a
truly Aryan Germany.
This Nazi program rests upon the assumption
that there is real Aryan physical race, that the
majority of Germans aside from the Jews, are
Aryans, and that human behavior IS deter
mined primarily by definite racial traits
These assumptions and policies are examined
BY the master authority in the world today,
Professor Franz Boas Of Columbia university,
who contributes an article on "Aryans and Nom
Aryans" to the American Mercury.
He wastes little time in exploding the an
Gent myth that there is any such thing as an
Arvan race. He shows that the word "Aryan"
can be employed scientifically only in relation
ship to language. On this basis, any one would
be an Aryan who speaks Swedish. the modern
Hindu language, or the English Of the American
Negro.
MOST Communicating German Jews
lNl are Arvans in the sense of speaking and
writing an Aryan language, but not one Of
them is an Aryan IN racial sense because there
is no Aryan race.
Herr Hitler is confounded doubly in his
racial policy because there is not even such
thing as a German race.
1T is a fiction to speak of a German race.
| We should rather ask what types Of physical
build are represented among the Germans.
Here we encounter a complete lack Of unity.
Blends with long heads in the north, darker
people with short heads in the south; broad
| faces here narrow ones there; noses turned up
/ and aquiline, the general build tall and short,
! broad and slight.
There is no German race; there are only
! local types which are very different one from
another, each of which comprises individuals of
different characteristics, that representatives
of all these types may be found in any part of
Germany and of the neighboring countries.
The East German is closer TO his Polish
neighbor than to the Tristan, the Tyrolese
shows more similarity to the East Alpine Slav
| than to the North German the Rhinelander
more to the neighboring Frenchmen than oathe
German in more distant parts
National groups and local types have moth
! ing in common
The Nazi leader proceeds not only on the
theory that there is an Aryan and a German
race but that there is also definite Jewish race.
| Professor Boas disSpateS this legend.
Il.
D EFORE the Jews dispersed from Palestine
D they were highly mixed people in ply
| seal sense. This mixture has proceeded steadily
/ since 20 A. D. In spite of both Jewish and
! GENTLE taboos and prejudices, there has been
widespread intermarriage between the Jews and
Gentiles among whom they have dwelt. Fur
! Their, new environments have changed the bodily
| type Of the Jews since they have settled down
! in new homelancs.
There is therefore not an iota Of scientific
validity in HitlerS assumptions about an Aryan
! German or Jewish race. Even if there were, how
ever, some truth in these assumptions, they
would furnish basis whatever for Hitler's poll
| cieS which are based on the doctrine that human
behavior is determined primarily by racial traits
AS Professor BOas points out, human atti-
tudes and behavior are produced primarily by
the social pressures to which we are subjected
namely customs, fOlkways and social habits.
Only this could explain this Well-knoWn fact
Of the vast differences of behavior on the par
of people Of the same race when dwelling II
different environments and cultures. Likewise
behold the uniform behavior and ideals O.
peoples of many different races when subjected
to the same cultural surroundings and socia
environment.