Heredity, Environment, and Civilization 



ATTITl'DK OK TIIK AXTI 1 Ii( >I'OL()( i 1ST ToWAIx'I) KA('1 1. — \V(>I^ K IN HIS 



OWN KSPECIAL FIHLD TKACKS HACK TIIK HISTORY OF 



•MAN ("ULTURALLV AND I'SV< "lIoLoO ICALLV 



AS HKSPONSE To (iXIMZATloN 



F.xhtifts from III' iiildi'iss on Jncfors roii/ml/iiK/ Iniiintii hi //(iriar us illiisfnitcil 

 bfl tin inifiri s (ij f/ii smitJiirishrH I iii/i d Shif(s ^ 



By A. I.. K H () H H M K' 



I'rofi'ssor of AiitMr()iK)l();;y, I'lnvcrsity of (':iliforiii:i 



TilF [\v>\ of the scNi'fal I'actDi's iiiccliaiiical laciillio >Ii(miI(1 pusscss 



tlii'(>ui:li which il is louically iimfc and hi^hci' i mciil idiis. iho.-c in- 



|)(i>sihlc to cxiihiin the life am! iialdy ,L;irtc(| in ihc dircclidii ol' music 



c()n(hicl and customs ol' the Indiausol' shouhl dc\('l(»|i mm-c mchxlious songs, 



the South\ve.st is that of race or herccl- and so on. 



ity. in other words, the inherited ten- ^'et et hnoh)uists rather consistently 

 deiu-ies — jiliysical and ])sychical. hodily i-el'use to fall hack on such explana- 

 and mental — which the pi'ople that tions. ^\'heu it comes to using heredit\' 

 caify these customs have or might ha\c as a cause in the intei-pretation of hu- 

 The general attitude of anthropnlo- nian institutions oi- national attain- 

 gists. at least those that are primarily nients. tlieii' I'eaction is literally an 

 eonei'rue(l with modes of life, toward aloof one. I think 1 can speak for at 

 this factiH' of race or heredity as e.\- least a nuijority of niy colleagues on 

 planatory of the practices or conduct this point. What they do unanimously 

 of ]ieoples. is distinctly negative. At hohl is that if there are such hereditary 

 fii'st sight it seems as if this elenu'ut differences hetween hninan gi'ouj)s we 

 could not he left out of consideration. Iia\c not yet heen ahle to determine 

 W'c know that peoples differ in in- them. We innst assume racial differ- 

 herited characteristics of hody — com- euces. and we know that there ai'e also 

 ])le\ion. features, hair, eye color, size, great differences in cultui'e: hut we 

 head-f(U'm. and the like. Theoretically. cannot yet in any ])articulai' case jirove 

 tlu^se hodily inherited peculiarities the connection hetween them. We can- 

 ought to l)e accompanied hy mentally not yet say that heredity is the specific 

 inherited traits : such as greater or less cause of this accom])lishment. of this 

 iiu-l illation to courage, energy, power of ])oint of \ iew. oi' of this mode (d' life. 

 ahstract thought, mechanical ingenuity. We cannot say that heredity is the de- 

 musical or a\<thetic proclivities, swift termini ng factor to such and such de- 

 reactions, concent i-ating ahility. gift of gree of such and such customs. 

 e\])ression. 'I'hesi' racial mental traits. I should liki' not to he misunderstood 

 again, theoretically should he e.\presse(| hei-e. I do not deny that there is every 

 not only in the conduct hut also in the pi'ohahility that such inhorn differences 

 custom- and cultui'e of each people. exist hetween many of the races. The 

 Races horn to a gi-eatei- activity of the point I am making is that we liave as 



' Delivered before the TCew York Academy of Sciences, at the American Museum of Xatural History. 

 April 22, 1918. This was the culminating lecture of a monthly series before the New York Academy of 

 Sciences, all treating some phase of anthropological problems in the southwestern United States. The 

 other lectures were: "CTultural Problems of the Southwest." by Clark Wissler ; "Archa'ology of the South- 

 west." by N. C. Xelson : "The p;xcavatioii of the Aztec Ruin," by K:irl Tl. Morris. 



;j5] 



