840 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



In November, 1889, the Archaeological Association of the Uni- 

 versity of Pennsylvania was organized, and Dr. Brinton at once 

 became a leading spirit in its councils, and by personal labor and 

 influence materially advanced its progress. The formation of a 

 museum is necessarily slow work, and too often fails through 

 misdirected energy ; but this has not been the fate of the under- 

 taking in question. Looking upon such a museum as valuable in 

 proportion to its collections being the result of exploration intelli- 

 gently conducted, Brinton insisted, from the Very outset, that by 

 such means, rather than by the purchase of collections or single 

 specimens, should the work be carried on. His wise counsel has 

 prevailed, and as material for the illustration of archaeological 

 lectures, the university now possesses hundreds of objects of 

 which every available fact with reference to their history is 

 known. 



Dr. Brinton's scientific work covers so broad a field that it is 

 difficult for any one person to follow him wheresoever he leads ; 

 but if it be a safe guide to accept the general trend of criticism 

 among archaeologists, ethnologists, and those learned in linguistic 

 lore, he has touched upon no subject without throwing light 

 thereon, and to-day, still young in years and vigorous both of 

 mind and body, is preparing for further labors. American sci- 

 ence and American letters may be proud of such a worker, for 

 his position, both as a scientist and a litterateur, is no uncer- 

 tain one. 



Besides the two positions that he holds in Philadelphia, to 

 which reference has been made, Dr. Brinton is President of the 

 American Folk-lore Society and of the Numismatic and Anti- 

 quarian Society of Philadelphia ; member of the Anthropological 

 Societies of Berlin, and Vienna, and of the Ethnographical Socie- 

 ties of Paris and Florence ; of the Royal Society of Antiquaries, 

 Copenhagen ; the Royal Academy of History of Madrid ; the 

 American Philosophical Society, the American Antiquarian So- 

 ciety, etc. 



The aboriginal race of Tasmania, of which only a single survivor remains if 

 she be really of pure blood, which is doubted was one of peculiar interest, for it 

 continued down to our own times at a degree of culture hardly equal to that of 

 the palaaolithic flint-workers. The making of rude stone implements and of bas- 

 kets were almost the only arts they possessed. They made fire by the stick and 

 drill ; for ornaments they had strings of shell ; and for weapons only the spear 

 and the waddy. Their huts were slight, and they had no knowledge of agriculture. 

 Dr. Tylor says that their life may give some idea of the conditions of the earliest 

 prehistoric tribes of the Old World, except that they had a milder climate than the 

 others and no large animals, and were in some arts rather below them. All the 

 information respecting these people has been collected by Mr. H. Ling Roth for 

 his book upon them. 



