Year: 1860

I


he supposed himself studying the whole hu-
man race, when he was only learning the
undeveloped genius of himself. Did you
ever read the life of some notorious crimi-
nal, commencing at the circumstances which
surrounded his early youth, and following
him step by step in his career of crime, i'm
agina yourself in his situation, until you
shuddered at the fate? Something of this
power of fself-impersonation is necessary in
the study Of human nature.


The student, like the surgeon, should pos
ses the cold d-blooded power of self-dissection.
We are too apt to judge of actions without
considering the circumstances by which they
were modified.


In the primitive state the lecturer con
tended that all races were nearly alike, SO
far as their moral qualities were concerned,
but greatly diversified in the mental and
physical developments.


The despot of ofDemarara sits with crouch
ing slave for his footstool, and from the pres
sence of the Tycoon of Japan, the subject
crawls. In Europe it is usual fo- the crouch
ing and crawling to be done fguratively and
the courtier only backs out from Royal pres
ence. In Bulgaria it is usual to hang all in
tellectual men in other countries, il is the
practice to merely muzzle them. There is
similarity between all races-an smoke,
dance, use narcotics, swear, and from these,
a superficial observer might argue that there
was no difference between them.


Certain races of men have always inhabit-
ed certain Zones. The white and heavy
bearded classes have always inhabited the
Temperate Zone. The lecturer then pro-
ceeded to demonstrate his proposition of the
permanent locality of the races, by instanc-
ing the Zones which each of the races have
inhabited during the historic period; con-
cluding this topic with the assertion, that
although the whole earth was subject to
man, there was now no such thing as a cos
mOpolitan race. Whatever may have been
the primitive state, there is now no such
thing as a race adapted to every climate
Those circumstances which the speaker con-
tended would tend to modify race, although
they could not change its distinctive char
acter, were next considered. Foremost
among these was, Climate.


In the tropical Zone, which I define TO be
that of permanent heat, an acre of bananas
is equal to twenty-five acres of wheat, and
ten days labor will support man = whole
year. 1t would be supposed, where clothing
Is unnecessary, except for ornament, and the
trees furnish man with hats and shoes, food
and clothing, from the natural aversion of
man to labor, that all men would migrate
thither. But such is not the case, and we
find them held in their proper Zones by q
law stronger than inclination.


That branch Of the subject relating to the
difference Of races was treated at great
length, particularly in regard to those races
which inhabit the North Temperate Zones.
Their various peculiarities of moral, mental,
and physical development were considered,
how they differed frem each other, and in
what respect one tribe differed from another
tribe of the same race when exposed to other
modifying circumstances. 1t was shown
that nature frequently produces the same
result by different means, es instanced in the
case of the Esquimaux and African, the lat
ter Of whom is careless because his means 68 68f
hfs own, and the former is careless because
even with all his effort they are uncertain.


Animal food, he contended, was absolute
ly necessary to muscular power, even in
tropical countries.


The Caucasian race was exalted by the
speaker 70 the nlghest pinnacle OF greatness,
and he contended that every achievement
made by man had been 1lore or less direct
ly the result Of fits efforts. He related num-
Der of instances which had occurred to him
self and other travellers in which savage and
uncivilized tribes had instinctively admitted
the white mans superiority.


The conclusion Of the lecture was made up
| Off large number of isolated facts and de-
| ductions. We note these as among the
most interesting.


The white race has two distinct physiolog-
ical qualities not possessed by any other race;
| it is full bearded, and has the power Of ex-
hibiting its emotions through the skin no
other race can blush or turn pale. Sardinia
is the most moral nation of Europe. A Mon
golian can distinguish a man eighteen miles
distant; Humboldt did the same.


In Africa the lecturer could travel on hall
| the quantity of water consumed by his Arab
guides. 1t is safe to transplant any race tC
any country where the mean animal temper
ature is the same as in their native land, and
! the lecturer thought that the American Re
| public was forbid by climatic laws to extend
| beyond the eighteenth parallel.