The passing of the great race; or, The racial basis of European historyGrant, Madison
History
The passing of the great race; or, The racial basis of European history
Grant, Madison
Ethnology -- Europe
19 : 27–pp. 20 and 21. Beddoe, Broca, Collignon, Livi, Topinard and a
host of other anthropologists all affirm the existence of three European
racial types, which Ripley has discussed exhaustively. Deniker alone
differs from them in classifying the populations of Europe, from the
same data, into six principal races and four or more sub-races. See
Appendix D, in Ripley’s _Races of Europe_.
The three terms, Nordic, Alpine and Mediterranean, have now become quite
generally accepted designations for the three European races. The term
Nord, rather than Nordic, has been chosen, perhaps more wisely, by some
authors. In the present book these names are applied with quite
different connotations from those usually understood.
It cannot be too clearly stated that in speaking of Nordics, the
proto-type was probably quite generalized, with hair shades including
the browns and reds. In the author’s opinion the blond Scandinavian
represents an extreme specialization of Nordic characters. (See p. 167
of this book.)
20 : 5–24. The term Nordic was first used by Deniker. The authorities
for the descriptions of these races may all be found in Ripley. The
Mediterranean race was first defined by Sergi, who also calls it
Eurafrican. The term Alpine, proposed by Linnæus, was revived by
DeLapouge, and later adopted by Ripley, since when it has come into
general use. Sergi and Zaborowski prefer that of Eurasian. While this
latter name does cover the requirements, since it correctly signifies
not only the European and Asiatic range of the people under discussion,
but also their actual relationship to Asiatics, it is objectionable
because it implies the adoption of the similarly constructed term
Eurafrican, which, as defined by Sergi, is misleading. Correct as
Eurafrican may be for signifying the European and African range of the
Mediterranean race, it involves an acceptance of the theory put forward
by its sponsor, that the Mediterranean race originated in Africa and is
closely related to the negro, both being long skulled peoples, descended
from a common stock, the Eurafrican.
The chief objection to the term Mediterranean is that the race extends
in habitat beyond the Mediterranean region, but the name is now so
generally accepted and this fact so well known that misunderstandings
are unlikely. The term Alpine, also, is not as inappropriate as it might
seem, since the word Alps is frequently not confined to the Swiss ranges
but extended to many other mountain chains, and Alpine, like the term
Mediterranean, is not, at this late date, apt to be misunderstood.
20 : 24–21: 9. Von Luschan, _The Early Inhabitants of Western Asia_, pp.
221–244, and G. Elliot Smith, _The Ancient Egyptians_.
22 : 10. Thomson, _Heredity_, p. 387; Darwin, _Descent of Man_; Boas,
_Modern Populations of America_, p. 571.
22: 25. Haddon, 1, pp. 15 _seq._
22 : 29. The same, pp. 12–14.
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