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
These four characters, skull shape, eye color, hair color and stature,
are sufficient to enable us to differentiate clearly between the three
main subspecies of Europe, but if we wish to discuss the minor
variations in each race and mixtures between them, we must go much
further and take up other proportions of the skull than the cephalic
index, as well as the shape and position of the eyes, the proportions
and shape of the jaws, the chin and other features.
The nose is an exceedingly important character. The original human nose
was, of course, broad and bridgeless. This trait is shown clearly in
new-born infants who recapitulate in their development the various
stages of the evolution of the human genus. A bridgeless nose with wide,
flaring nostrils is a very primitive character and is still retained by
some of the larger divisions of mankind throughout the world. It appears
occasionally in white populations of European origin but is everywhere a
very ancient, generalized and low character.
The high bridge and long, narrow nose, the so-called Roman, Norman or
aquiline nose, is characteristic of the most highly specialized races of
mankind. While an apparently unimportant character, this feature is one
of the very best clews to racial origin and in the details of its form,
and especially in the lateral shape of the nostrils, is a race
determinant of the greatest value.
The lips, whether thin or fleshy or whether clean-cut or everted, are
race characters. Thick, protruding, everted lips are very ancient traits
and are characteristic of many primitive races. A high instep also has
long been esteemed an indication of patrician type while the flat foot
is often the test of lowly origin.
The absence or abundance of hair and beard and the relative absence or
abundance of body hair are characters of no little value in
classification. Abundant body hair is, to a large extent, peculiar to
populations of the very highest as well as the very lowest species,
being characteristic of the north European as well as of the Australian
savages. It merely means the retention in both these groups of a very
early and primitive trait which has been lost by the Negroes, Mongols
and Amerinds.
The Nordic and Alpine races are far better equipped with head and body
hair than the Mediterranean, which is throughout its range a glabrous or
relatively naked race but among the Nordics the extreme blond types are
less equipped with body hair or down than are darker members of the
race. A contrast in color between head hair and beard, the latter always
being lighter than the former, may be one of the results of an ancient
crossing of races.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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