462 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



It appears that language rests even more lightly upon men 

 than do traditions and folk customs. We find that it disap- 

 pears first, under pressure, leaving these others along with phys- 

 ical traits perhaps as sole survivors. There are several reasons 

 for this mobility. One is that languages rarely coalesce.* They 

 may borrow and mutilate, but they seldom mix if very distinct 

 in type. The superior, or perhaps official, language simply 

 crowds the other out by force. Organization in this case counts 

 for more than numbers. In this way the language of the Isle de 

 France has prevailed over the whole country despite its once lim- 

 ited area, because it had an aggressive dynasty behind it. Lan- 

 guage, moreover, requires for its maintenance unanimous consent 

 and not mere majority rule ; for, so soon as the majority changes 

 its speech, the minority must acquiesce. Not so with folk tales 

 or fireside customs. People cling to these all the more pertina- 

 ciously as they become rare. And still less so with physical 

 traits of race. Many of these last are not apparent to the eye. 

 They are sometimes unsuspected until they have well-nigh disap- 

 peared. Men mingle their blood freely. They intermarry, and 

 a mixed type results. Thus racially organization avails nothing 

 against the force of numbers. In linguistic affairs nothing 

 succeeds like success; but in anthropology impetus counts for 

 nothing. 



This does not mean that we are justified to measure race by 

 the geographical distribution of arts or customs, for they also 

 migrate in complete independence of physical traits. With the 

 Keltic language spread the use of polished stone implements and 

 possibly the custom of incineration, but this did not entail a new 

 race of men. At times a change of culture appears, accompanied 

 by a new physical type, as when bronze was introduced into 

 Britain, or when the European races brought the use of iron to 

 America. Of course, contact is always implied in such migration, 

 although a few stragglers may readily have been the cause of the 

 spread of the custom. This may not be true in respect to the 

 migration of religions, or in any similar case where determined 

 opposition has to be overcome and where conquest means substi- 

 tution ; but in simple arts of immediate obvious application, 

 copying takes place naturally. The art spreads in direct propor- 

 tion to its immediate value to the people concerned. No mission- 

 aries are needed to introduce firearms among the aborigines. 

 The art speedily outruns race. Moreover, cultures like languages 

 seldom mix as men do. Parts may be accepted here and there, 

 but complete amalgamation seldom results. The main effect of 



* Vide interesting discussion of this point in detail in A. H. Keane, Ethnology, pp. 

 198 seq. 



