3 02 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



monosyllabic languages, in which each word has but one syllable ; 

 agglutinated languages, in which the words are welded together ; and, 

 finally, flexible languages, which resemble the languages now generally 

 spoken in Europe. 



Now, we find around this central plateau of Asia the monosyllabic 

 language, par excellence, all over the Chinese Empire ; on the north an 

 assemblage of peoples speaking agglutinative languages, and extending 

 even to Europe. Then, again, we have the portion occupied by the 

 Aryan race, speaking the flexible languages. So the three linguistic 

 types are represented around this table-land of Asia, the same as the 

 three fundamental physical types. It seems that, almost from his cradle, 

 man has presented all the essential modifications that he could undergo. 



I pass to another question. Man, starting from a single and limited 

 spot, has spread all over the globe. Consequently, he has peopled the 

 globe by way of emigration and colonization. Such is the conclusion 

 drawn from actual facts interpreted by science alone. But, is it pos- 

 sible to people the earth by human migration ? Some say no ; and 

 make this assertion an objection to the ideas that I have just indi- 

 cated. 



I own that, for my part, this objection has always surprised me. 



Migrations colonizations ! why, they occur everywhere in his 

 tory, and particularly in our own history. 



Go back as far as we may, we see populations in movement from 

 one end of continents to the other ; so that, to say a priori that man 

 has always lived where we find him, is to contradict all historical 

 documents. 



However, some have insisted that certain migrations were beyond 

 human power and intelligence. I will give you two examples to show 

 that migrations are always possible, even when the conditions in the 

 midst of which they take place seem made expressly to arrest them. 



We must distinguish, in migrations, those over land from those 

 across seas. 



As to migrations by land, it is very evident that, when men have 

 to war only against brute Nature, nothing can prevent their passage, 

 especially when they can choose their moment. But I add that men 

 will emigrate, even when they have to combat all difficulties united, 

 not only the rigors of physical Nature, but also the action of man, who 

 alone absolutely arrests man. 



For example, I will cite a fact borrowed from the history of a peo- 

 ple of whom I here show you some drawings : 



Toward 1616, according to Chinese dates, a horde of Calmucks, 

 for some reason which we do not know, left the country bordering 

 upon China, crossed the whole of Asia, and established themselves 

 on the banks of the Yolga. There they accepted the sovereignty of 

 Russia, and for more than a century rendered good service to the em- 

 pire. But there came a time when the Calmucks found that the Rus- 



