,5o8] BALCH— ART AND ETHNOLOGY. 35 



there is an earlier geological horizon whose argillite implements show 

 there was an earlier race. Unfortunately, there are apparently no 

 art specimens known from the same horizon as these argillite imple- 

 ments. But the lucky finding of a few, only a few, works of art, in 

 undisturbed strata, would tell us positively whether those argillite 

 implements belonged to the Amerinds or whether there really was a 

 previous race. In other words, art would tell us what the imple- 

 ments do not. 



Take now the case of the people who inhabit the oceanic fringe 

 of Alaska and British Columbia. I believe ethnologists consider that 

 they are members of the red race of America. But their art raises 

 doubts. Whilst it has certainly some resemblances to the art of Old 

 Mexico and of the United States, it has many more to the art of 

 the brown races of the Pacific. It is more nearly in touch with New 

 Zealand art, with New Guinea art, and so forth, than it is with the 

 art of the rest of America. It shows pretty definitely that, even if 

 these northwestern tribes are not primarily a Pacific island race, yet 

 there must have been some intercourse and some immigration, else 

 they could not produce works of art so similar to those of some of 

 the tribes in the southern Pacific. 



Let me give you one more instance. The present art of Japan is 

 an intrusive art which came over from China some fifteen hundred 

 years ago, as is shown by written records. Art critics are only just 

 beginning to find out that it has never risen to the heights reached 

 by its parent art of China. But digging has revealed the fact that 

 there was some more elementary art in Japan which was prob- 

 ably earlier than the Chinese influence. This and some of their 

 own more recent work, their discarded suits of lacquered armor 

 are notable examples, have art qualities which are not Chinese. 

 They are much more in touch with some South Sea art, with that of 

 New Ireland, for instance. The evidence of their art would tend to 

 show that the Japanese were a brown race, who adopted much of 

 Chinese civilization. 



To sum up now briefly the gist of this paper, I would submit the 

 following main points : 



I. Art is found in every part of the world. 



