1899] THE PROPER STODY OF MANKIND 2109 
THE PROPER STUDY OF MANKIND. 
Man Past and Present. By A. H. KEANE. Cambridge Geographical Series. 
Pp. xii. + 584, with 12 plates. Cambridge University Press: C. J. 
Clay & Sons. 1899. Price 12s. 
Linguistic and literary attainments are as essential to the specialist in 
the field of Ethnology, as keen-edged tools are to the skilled artizan. A 
perusal of “Man Past and Present,” by Prof. Keane, amply proves that, in 
addition to these accomplishments, the author is conversant with the vast 
amount of anthropological literature which has come into existence since the 
banner of Evolution was first raised by Darwin and Wallace some forty years 
ago. The volume now before us is the second which has appeared within the 
last few years from the pen of Mr. Keane on the same fascinating subject. The 
first, under the title of ‘‘ Ethnology ” (1895), was upon the whole well received 
by general anthropologists, although several critics pointed out its inadequacy 
to supply the recognised want of a compendious handbook to Ethnology in the 
English language. The subject-matter was treated in two divisions—(1) Funda- 
mental ethnical problems, and (2) the primary ethnical groups—the first being 
unnecessarily long, and the second irritatingly short, and altogether unsatis- 
factory. The present volume furnishes, at least to some extent, the deficiencies 
of the former. But unfortunately in avoiding Scylla the author has fallen into 
Charybdis, by having to repeat in his new book much of what had already been 
said. In “Ethnology” the ethnical groups (less than half the volume) are 
discussed under Homo Aethiopicus, H. Mongolicus, H. Americanus, and H. 
Caucasicus. In “Man Past and Present” the subject is continued in several 
chapters on ‘“‘ Negroes,” “ Mongols,” “American Aborigines,” and ‘‘ Caucasice 
Peoples.” It is like an author who, having four tales to relate, and finding 
that he could not do so in one volume, publishes the first half of each tale in 
one book, and the concluding portions in a second book, both volumes being 
actually under different names. We greatly regret this disposition of the 
materials, as we are convinced that by a little re-arrangement of the anthropolo- 
gical problems, together with a curtailment of lengthy disquisitions on secondary 
details, so as to bring them more into harmony with the ethnological section, Mr. 
Keane had the opportunity of producing one book which would, undoubtedly, 
have been a great boon to students.!. Moreover, both volumes are weakened by 
a division of the illustrations. We have, however, pleasure in quoting the 
following remarks from the preface which, while explanatory of the vazson d’étre 
of two separate books, gives an excellent résumé of the contents of the volume, 
as well as a specimen of the author’s style :— 
“In the preface to the ‘Ethnology’ a promise was held out that it might 
be followed by another dealing more systematically with the primary divisions 
of mankind. The present volume appears in part fulfilment of that promise. 
In the ‘Ethnology’ were discussed those more fundamental questions which 
concern the human family as a whole—its origin and evolution, its specific 
unity, antiquity, and primitive cultural stages, together with the probable cradle 
and area of dispersion of the four varietal divisions over the globe. Here these 
divisions are treated more in detail, with the primary view of establishing their 
independent specialisation in their several geographical zones, and at the same 
time elucidating the difficult questions associated with the origins and inter- 
relations of the chief sub-groups, and thus bridging over the breaks of continuity 
between ‘Man Past and Present.’ 
“The work is consequently to a large extent occupied with that hazy period 
vaguely called pre-historic, when most of the now living peoples had already 
? Such an ideal work already exists in the French language in ‘‘ Les Races Humaines,” 
by Dr. R. Verneau. 
