Observations and Reflections 361 



element in the population who recall the fact that they 

 are the descendants of those who were the first to lay 

 the foundation of the States along the Atlantic sea- 

 board, and who pride themselves upon the mainten- 

 ance of pure Caucasian pedigree, even if they do marry 

 outside of the charmed circle of the Sons and Daughters 

 of the American Revolution, so in every one of the 

 South American republics there is to be found a cer- 

 tain relatively small percentage of the population which 

 has carefully avoided intermarriage with others than 

 Caucasians. These old South American families, 

 strengthened by unions with those of Caucasian stock 

 who have more recently come into the countries where 

 they live, constitute an aristocracy of talent and of 

 wealth, w r hich has been potent both in the political 

 and social life of the South American nations. This is 

 especially true in Argentina, Uruguay, Chili, and Brazil, 

 to a somewhat lesser extent in the northwest, in Cen- 

 tral America, and in Mexico. This old landed aris- 

 tocracy has exercised oligarchical prerogatives, and up 

 to the present time has largely ruled these lands. 

 From this comparatively limited body of the citizen- 

 ship have been drawn the leaders in the church and 

 the state. 



The writer as a student of ethnic conditions must 

 also utter a warning against the conclusion, which 

 might erroneously be drawn from what has been said, 

 that the invariable result of a mingling of the old 

 Iberian stock with the native races tended to a lowering 

 of vitality and mentality. This is perhaps true in 

 general, but there have been notable exceptions. It 

 is not by any means to be accepted as a law that the 

 offspring of unions between Caucasians and Indians . 

 and negroes is devoid of intellectual and moral vigor. 



