364 



The Journal of Heredity 



Hottentot as the laborer in most of the 

 towns, on the railways, and on most 

 of the farms of the middle of Cape 

 Colony. He is also displacing the 

 poorer class of whites and the less in- 

 tellectual. In most countries the un- 

 skilled labor is performed by this class 

 of whites, but here in South Africa 

 the Kafirs can do it more cheaply than 

 the whites, and can do it just as satis- 

 factorily. Hence there is nothing for 

 the poor white man to do. Already 

 we have in South Africa tens of 

 thousands of a class that has no coun- 

 terpart in any other country m the 

 world — the "poor whites" — not well 

 enough equipped through intellect and 

 education for the performance of 

 skilled labor and with no unskilled 

 labor for them to do. Every year sees 

 the problem getting worse. The gov- 

 ernment tries to help by creating labor 

 colonies, land settlements, and through 

 other schemes, but for every thousand 

 relieved, two thousand more seem to 

 arise. 



This class of "poor whites" with no 

 steady work to do, and too often on 

 the border of starvation, is a constant 

 source of danger, being a ready tool 

 in the hands of unscrupulous politi- 

 cians. In 1914 there was quite a 

 serious rebellion and this year again 

 there was an attempted revolution in 

 the Transvaal. Both these uprisings 

 have been put down by the govern- 

 ment, but the disease continues. Until 

 recently the Kafir competed only in 

 unskilled labor ; now he is entering the 

 fields of skilled labor, and very stead- 

 ily but surely displacing more and 

 more whites. 



Many years ago Balfour said that 

 South Africa had a terrible problem 

 in the native question, and he added, 

 "I do not envy the man who has to 

 tackle it." Whether for good or for 

 ill to the world the Bantu and Negro 

 tribes are going to play a big part 

 in the future. It is well we should 

 study them. 



Robert Broom. 



Early Civilization 



MAN is one, civilizations are 

 many. The superiority of our 

 civilization over all previous 

 ones is not indisputable. Civilization, 

 like mankind, does not proceed un- 

 erringly in evolutionary progress with- 

 out some weaknesses and degeneracies. 

 It would seem that we need clearer 

 notions of man and civilization, a con- 

 cept of civilization which will embrace 

 a great variety of separate yet similar 

 phenomena, thus making apparent the 

 homogeneity of all civilizations with 

 reference to their principal constituent. 

 Familiarity with early man and early 

 civilization will help clarify our ideas, 

 for "the early world presents an ideal 

 field for the study of the achievements 

 of man, for the extension of our un- 

 derstanding of cultural problems and 

 our appreciation of the great range of 

 civilization." 



In this mood Dr. Goldenweiser 



would have us approach his volume, 

 Early Civilization . The book is an ex- 

 cellent analysis and compendium of the 

 rudiments of anthropology. The style 

 is that of the methodical lecturer. Each 

 essay is a unit in itself but is not with- 

 out constant reference and relation to 

 the other members of the series. 



The book is divided into three main 

 parts, the simplest of which is the first, 

 consisting of descriptions of five prim- 

 itive test tribes, and the author's re- 

 flections on the phenomena outlined in 

 the first five chapters. The second 

 part is a comparative study of the 

 various component factors of civiliza- 

 tion and their relations, and another 

 chapter of reflections. The third part 

 ascends to psychic theory. Erudite 

 critiques of theories of early mentality 

 characterize this portion of the book, 

 and the summary chapter concludes 

 the work. 



'Published by Alfred A. Knopf. New York. 1922. Price $3.50. 



