THE PROGRESS OF ANTHROPOLOGY. 673 



neither more nor less reason for dealing critically with the one case 

 than with the other. "Whatever evidence is satisfactory in one case is 

 satisfactory in the other; and if any one should travel outside the lines 

 of scientific evidence, and endeavor either to support or oppose con- 

 clusions which are based upon distinctly scientific truths, by considera- 

 tions which are not in any way based upon scientific logic or scientific 

 truth whether that mode of advocacy was in favor of a given position, 

 or whether it was against it T, occupying the chair of the section, 

 should, most undoubtedly, feel myself called upon to call him to order, 

 and to tell him that he was introducing considerations with which we 

 had no concern whatever. 



I have occupied your attention for a considerable time ; yet there 

 is still one other point respecting which I should like to say a few 

 words, because some very striking reflections arose out of it. The 

 British Association met in Dublin twenty-one years ago, and I have 

 taken the pains to look up what was done in regard to our subject at 

 that period. At that time there was no anthropological department. 

 That study had not yet differentiated itself from zoology, or anatomy, 

 or physiology, so as to claim for itself a distinct place. Moreover, 

 without reverting needlessly to the remarks which I placed before you 

 some time ago, it was a very volcanic subject, and people rather liked 

 to leave it alone. It was not until a long time subsequently that the 

 present organization of this section of the Association was brought 

 about ; but it is a curious fact that, although proper anthropological 

 subjects were at the time brought before the Geographical Section 

 with the proper subject of which they had nothing whatever to do I 

 find that even then more than half of the papers that were brought 

 before that section were, more or less distinctly, of an anthropological 

 cast. It is very curious to observe what that cast was. We had systems 

 of language we had descriptions of savage races we had the great 

 question, as it then was thought, of the unity or multiplicity of the 

 human species. These were just touched upon, but there was not an 

 allusion in the whole of the proceedings of the Association at that time 

 to those questions which are now to be regarded as the burning ques- 

 tions of anthropology. The whole tendency in the present direction 

 was given by the publication of a single book, and that not a very 

 large one namely, " The Origin of Species." It was only subsequent 

 to the publication of the ideas contained in that book that one of the 

 most powerful instruments for the advance of anthropological knowl- 

 edge namely, the Anthropological Society of Paris was founded. 

 Afterward the Anthropological Institute of this country and the great 

 Anthropological Society of Berlin came into existence, until it may be 

 said that now there is not a branch of science which is represented by 

 a larger or more active body of workers than the science of anthropol- 

 ogy. But the whole of these workers are engaged, more or less inten- 

 tionally, in providing the data for attacking the ultimate great problem, 



VOL. XIII. 43 



