70 Mr. W. F. Stanley on the Evolution of the 



6000 years, and it is within this period only that I wish to offer 

 some notes of progressive changes which have occurred in the 

 most highly civilized types of man of which we have record, 

 according to man's own delineation of his form at the time. 

 These changes have no doubt been greatly varied in separate 

 races, and in separate individuals in each race ; but of race 

 distinction I am unable to take recognition in this paper, as we 

 have no historical record, in continuous types, in any one race 

 who have remained progressive throughout the whole historical 

 time. I am able, therefore, only to follow such races as happened 

 to possess artistic skill, and which may be therefore assumed to 

 be of the highest human types of the period considered, and 

 in this I will confine myself to the inhabitants of the shores of 

 the Mediterranean, the Aryan and Semitic groups only. 



By the term pro(jressive development I wish to indicate the 

 adaptability of the human form to its most perfect modern uses 

 in securing man the moral and intellectual superiority he 

 possesses above all other members of the animal creation. The 

 natural direction of this progressive development may be found 

 as an illustration in the progressive development of man in his 

 embryo state, in which he progresses through higher types of 

 animal forms, until he becomes the perfect human being. In 

 this development, as with other animals, the brain system 

 developes most rapidly at an early stage, so as to indicate that 

 nervous systems are hereditary in a high degree, whereas the 

 osseous and muscular system is slowly j)rogressive throughout 

 the embryo state, and until perfect maturity. Upon this prin- 

 ciple the brain of an infant is large in proportion to its body, 

 whereas the limbs are more nearly proportional to the ancient 

 type. _ _ 



The progressive development of race as a natural condition is 

 secured by the fact that any superiority, mental or physical, 

 gives to the race in competition the means of living, whereas 

 the lower race is compelled to die out. This superiority runs 

 throughout all conditions, as we find man, even of a low or 

 savage type, attains a mastery over an inferior race. The 

 superior man attains also more perfect mastery over the lower 

 animals upon which he feeds, as also of the vegetable kingdom, 

 by clearing useless trees and plants, and planting fruit-bearing 

 or edible ones ; so in like manner any higher type of man 

 replaces the lower type, and gains a still more perfect mastery 

 over the vegetable, animal, and mineral world, as we find where 

 civilized man plants liis foot in any country the lower human 

 type dies out. This fact is quite evident in America, Australia, 

 Tasmania, the Sandwich Isles, and otherwise, with the British 

 race, and has no doubt been the constant rule, so that the result 

 must be that the former lowest types are lost by invasion of 



