Indigenous Races of the Earth

XGN23N881857 225

TilE l\fONOGENISTS AND My final corroboration of the Jiumboldts' doctrine bas to be drawn from the antipod s. Stmugc! Whilst amid the civilizations of Eu­rope and America no ind pendent Ethnologic serial has hitherto boon able to survive, far less to remunerate its editor, mankind'!'! most "proper study" bas found, for some ten years, asylum and patronage at Singapore ! 37 The merit is due to the ge11ins, acquirements, and enterprise of an ind ividual. If each of tho eight zoological realms over which Agassiz distribuL s the various groups of mankind could boast of poss ssing its Mr. LooAN, English science would not have to de-plore tho continued absence of that true spirit of ethnological investigation, coupled with perfect knowledge of the instnuncnts to be employed, in n n.l'ly all but tho :Malayan. "Ethnology, in its etymological and narrowest sense, 38 is" -accord­ing to Logan's judgment-" the science of nations. It investigates tho characteristics and history of the various tribes of man. The time seems to be nlroady come when we may venture to dc:finc it more comprohcnsi,,cly as tho science of Lho Human Race. From tho inv stigation of tho peculiarities and histories of particular tt·ibcs it rises to the conception of mankind as one race, and combining t.hc truth which it gathers from every tribe, presents the whole as Lhc science of the ethnic development of man. Those who may consider it premature to unite all nations in the idea of one race, can still accept the definition as indicating tho science that results from a comparison of nations and their developments. Whether all men arc descended from one stock or not, may be placed apart as an enquiry by itself, for those who think it worth while to pursue it in Lho present sLate of onr knowledge. All arc agreed that man is of one l ind. If tho millions who now people the earth had some hundreds of progenitors instead of a single pair, tho science which tho defini­tion compri cs will remain unaffected." * * * * "I may s~ato . here, once for all, that ethnology can only be pur­sued as a scwntlfic Rtudy by viewing the IIcbraic religious develop­ment, and the lie brow records, in their human aspect; that is, as entering into the ethnic development of tho Arnmroan race and of the world. The supcrnaLuJ'al clement, and all tho discussions reap ct­ing Lhe li~its of ~nspiration and the methods ofintcrprctatio11, belong to theological sc10nco, and amongst all tho discordant systems of tho- 37 The .Journal of the Indian A1·chipelago and Eastern Asia, 1817-50; edited by J. R. LOGAN, mgapore. ~8 Journ. of tlle Ea&t. Indian Archip., vol. iv., 1850; "Tho Ethnology of the Indian Ar­chtptlugo; embracing inquiries into tho continental relations of tho Indo-Pacific Islunders ·" pp. 262, 268 note: and vol. vi., 1852; p. 678-9. ' TITE POLYGENISTS. 419 ology, that can only be true which is in harmony with the truths established by the observation of God's works." * * * * * * "There is a deep-rooted source of error in Bunsen's ethnic spccu­lations/ 0 as in those of many other German philosophers, the Schlcgels amongst them. It is assumed that the ethnology of the ancient Hebrews, as preserved in their sacred books, is a full rcfl.oo­tion of that of the worlu. I have, in another place, protested aO'ainst this resumption, in ethnology, of the system that has im­p~ dcd the progress of every branch of knowledge in succession, from Astronomy to Geology, that of endeavoring to bind down the human mind to the science of the ancient !Iebrews. Thoro has been no divine revelation of Ethnology any more than of Geology, Zoology, or any other purely-mundane science. . "We might as justly refuse to recognize tho existence of plants, animals, and planets, that arc not mentioned in the Bible, as base our Ethnology on that of a people who were perha~s the lca?t ethnologic of all great civilized nations that have existed. I~ IS obvioaR that any ethnic science that docs not embrace every t!'lbe and language in the world must be needlessly imperfect, and th:t an exclusion of large sections of tho human race must render It grossly so. Now it is certain that the lie brews were ignorant of so Allnding probably to tho Chevalier's paper, "On tho results of recent Egyptian re­searches," &c.-Three linguiatic Dissertations; Report of tho Dritish Assoc. for tho Adv. of Science for 1847; London, 8vo., 184.8 :-bocnuse the Outlines of the Philosophy of Universal History (supro., note Hi), 1854, could not have arrived at Sing~pore four year.s provionsly. And, while on this subject, lot me repudiate tho prcpostorously-rmsnnmcd Tura~tan theory, ~8 applied to tbe Aborigines of Amel'icn I Conceding, to tho. lcnrncd Egyptologrs.t an~l cln.ssi­oal scholn.r, tho highest admiration for his acquirements m such arduous studres, Jt would have boon prudent in him, porhn.ps, by withholding an endorsement of SouooLORHT's Uistory of tile Indian Tribes of North America (already five volumes, elephant quarto 1), not to hnve exposed himself to tho charge of discussing themes upon which ho possesses little or no knowledge himself, and his authority, save in tho capacity of recorder of tho hnbits of such living tribes as oflicial peregrinations ltffordcd, but a trifle more. Chev. Dunson labors under singuhu delusion, if he considers tl11tt this "groat mttional work" ( Or~tlints, II, pp. 111-13), crtrrios any weight among men of science in this country. AmonCitns fool proud, tlmt thoir Logisl>tturo should have generously voted "$80,856.50" (cost of the £rat three volumes alone! soc tho Nortll American Review, Doston, l 863, Art. XI, on Pnrts I, II, and IU, p. 246), townrds the promotion of knowledge; Philadelphia mn.~ justly boast of the beautiful typogr>tphy, splendid pap!'t', and superb meclmnical cxeou~ro.n, o~ tho work i and it likewise contains scvoru.l contributions of a high order from dr stmgurshed men: but'[ will frankly state, from persona~ acquaintance with scientific sentiment, during fifteen years that'[ have visited tho best-educated States in tho Union, thnt, in the opinion of those qualified to judge, a twmty-five-ccnt pamphlet could easily cond~Mc a~l tho knowlec~p;e paraded, in these five big volumes, by its industrious a~thor: W1th thrs res~ootful hrnt to Chev. Bunsen and Prof. Max-Mi.iller, I postpone spectfion.trons to a more su•tablo occa­sion; because, nt present, with regard to this and other WMhingtonian litcrnry institutions, Nm1quam concessa movtri Camarina (Virgil, ./En., Ill, 701).