The Color Line: A Brief in Behalf of the UnbornSmith, William Benjamin
History
The Color Line: A Brief in Behalf of the Unborn
Smith, William Benjamin
African Americans
What must be said, then, of such as proclaim: "This fable [of Negroid
inferiority] has been repeated and gladly believed.... But there is
absolutely no physiological basis for it so far as the best studies of
brain structure go.... The arrogance of Anglo-Saxon and Caucasian
supremacy must find its justification, if anywhere, in the bare will
and brute power to have it so, rather than in any conclusions of
science"? 'The Apostle' has already shaped the answer: "I bear them
witness that they have a zeal for _man_, but not according to
knowledge."
(6) As "minimizing this difference still further," it is observed that
"the Eskimo even shows a brain weight and development well above the
average of whites. Here again, however, the material is too scanty to
permit of generalization." Altogether "too scanty," it would seem.
Hardly half a dozen such brains (we speak under correction) have been
weighed or examined. Besides, no one would maintain that weight alone
is sufficient. That large brains generally go with great minds by no
means implies the converse, that great minds generally go with large
brains. If the Eskimo brain be really heavier than the European, which
is by no means proved, and yet the Eskimo mind inferior, the meaning is
that in some other unknown respect of organization the Eskimo brain
falls so far behind the European as more than to overbalance its excess
of weight. Such a state of case is no way improbable.
(7) "If we admit a real difference between the brains of Europeans and
negroes," it is still impossible to grade the intermediate races
satisfactorily. But this means nothing more than that numerous factors,
known and unknown, enter into the final product in some complex fashion
not yet understood. It is very far from meaning that the obvious
factors, constated and admitted, have not the general significance
commonly claimed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account