4 PRESIDENT S ADDRESS. 



An older literature begins its story — " In the beginning God 

 created the heaven and the earth." " And God said, Let us 

 make man in our image, after our likeness." 



What has to be borne in mind is that behind all race-con- 

 sciousness "s thi<^ unity. That is an essential factor in its content, 

 and our observations, conclusions, and actions, if animated by the 

 scientific spirit, must never lose sight of its implications. 



Anomalous as it may seem, it is v^hat all men have in 

 common because of the solidarity of the race which produces 

 the problems arising out of the diversity which time and circum- 

 stances have brought about. The primary reason why the races 

 struggle and fight with each other is not because they differ, but 

 because their fundamental similarity and oneness will not admit 

 of one being dominant over the other. 



II. If the unity of the race stands out with such distinctness 

 n(; less clearly is its diversity apparent. 



It is in our association with this latter we find the difficulties 

 of race-consciousness first making their presence felt, and under 

 two distinct sets of circumstances — (i) as between different sec- 

 tions of the European peoples, (ii) as between white and coloured 

 races. 



(i) The consciousness of diversity as between different 

 sections of the European peoples. 



The examination of that has not proceeded far before it is 

 found necessary to distinguish between what is the result of 

 heredity and what the consequence of environment, when it will 

 be seen that what may have originated in race-consciousness in 

 earlier times is now little more than national consciousness in 

 n.'any instances. The proclivities which have come along the 

 line of physical descent are not easy to distinguish from mental 

 proclivities more recently received. A child receives from 

 environment certain mental suggestions which seem to be of 

 nature, but are not necessarily so, as is witnessed by the ideas 

 cf a similar child in another environment. We have not for- 

 gotten W. S. Gilbert's apt hint of how prejudices may. under 

 certain conditions, become stereotyped in families — 



I often think it's comical 



How Nature does contrive 

 That every boy and every gal, 



That's born into this world alive, 

 Is either a little Liberal, 



Or else a little Conservative. 



In many a well-known English family in a past generation 

 that seemed quite apparent, and yet, of course, it was not true. 

 Ei'vironment and mental suggestion were the factors at work. 

 In the hundred and one little antipathies which exist between the 

 individuals of difl:'erent races and nationalities this much seems 

 evident : that as between the race-consciousness, of which colour 

 is the outward and visible sign, and that as between the white 

 pecples themselves, there is certainly a difference of high degree 

 or even of nature. Dealing with the latter, it suffices to state 



