Negroes and Negro "Slavery:" the first an inferior race: the latter its normal condition.Van Evrie, John H.
History
Negroes and Negro "Slavery:" the first an inferior race: the latter its normal condition.
Van Evrie, John H.
African Americans; Slavery -- Justification; Slavery -- United States
up by mongrelism. The Negro, being the predominant element, absorbed, or
rather annihilated, the lesser one, and the result is now seen in
numerous, almost countless, mixed hybrid or mongrel tribes and
populations spread all over that continent. It is certainly possible,
indeed probable, that there are two or three, or more species of men,
closely approximating, it is true, nevertheless specifically different
from the woolly-haired or typical Negro. One of these (the Hottentots or
Bushmen) with the true negro features but of dirty yellow color, it
would seem almost certain must be a separate species; but until some one
better qualified to judge, than those hitherto relied on, has
investigated this subject, it is only safe to assume but a single
species, and that the other and numerous populations of Africa, however
resembling or approximating to the typical Negro, are hybrids and
mongrels, the effete and expiring remains of the mighty populations and
imposing civilizations that once flourished upon its soil. There may be
also other species besides the Mongol in Asia, and beside the Malay in
Oceanica, and it is quite probable that some species have totally
perished. But it is certain that those thus briefly discussed now exist;
that their location, their history, as far as they can be said to have a
history, their physical qualities and mental condition, in short, their
specific characters, are plainly marked and well understood.
Nevertheless, and though all this belongs to the domain of fact, and it
is as absurd to question it as it would be to question the existence of
diverse species in any of the genera or families of the animal creation,
the “world” generally holds to the notion of a single human race. It is
not designed to expressly argue this point, for, to the American mind,
it is so obvious, if not self-evident, that the Human Creation is
composed of diverse species, that argument is misplaced if not
absolutely absurd. The European people rarely see the Negro or other
species of men, and therefore the notion of a single human race or
species (with them) is natural enough, indeed a mental necessity.
Ethnologists—men of vast erudition, of noble intellect and honest and
conscientious intentions—have devoted their powers to this subject, and
volume upon volume has been published to demonstrate the assumption of a
single race. Buffon, Blumenbach, Tiedemann, Prichard, even Cuvier
himself, have given in their adherence to this dogma, or rather it
should be said have set out with the assumption of a single race and
collected a vast amount of material—of fact or presumed fact—to
demonstrate its supposed truth. Nor is it an easy matter to explode
their sophistries or to disprove their assumptions. With great and
admitted claims to scientific acquirement and powers of reasoning, they
combine undoubted honesty of intention and seemingly careful and patient
investigation, and the amount or extent of evidence adduced, the
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