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pelago, the Hovas and dark tribes of Madagascar, the Hottentots 

 and Kaffirs, and the light and dark people of Semitic origin with 

 African affinities. If in the remote dawn of the appearance of 

 man on the earth the so called Semitic ra-;es had their earliest pro- 

 genitors from amongst this great southern anthropological centre, of 

 which the Australian aborigines are amongst the most primitive 

 examples, it is a curious coincidence that a certain rite should be 

 common to both notwithstanding their present great racial 

 separation. If the theory may be allowed that the rites and 

 customs of the Australian aborigines are the results of uncon- 

 scious cerebration resulting from the action of a succession of 

 stimuli on a certain pre-disposed nervous organisation, may it 

 also be conceded that a similar underlying strain of nervous 

 organisation exists also in the Semitic races. If the Australian 

 aborigines and the Semitic peoples should have even this remote 

 anthropological connection, it is conceivable that they would 

 respond in a similar manner under certain conditions. It is 

 evident that unless the Semitic nervous organization had been 

 en rapport with the idea of circumcision, no mandates, however 

 authoritative, would ever have nationalised it as completely as is 

 seen in certain Semitic people. 



What is wanted, however, are not theoretical speculations 

 about Australian aborigines and their affinities, but the more 

 prosaic work of collecting and arranging authoritative data. It 

 is to be feared that there will be great difficulties in the way of 

 obtaining these, and it will tax the energies and resources of the 

 Australian anthropological leaders and specialists to initiate a 

 working plan for overcoming these difficulties. Whatever this 

 plan may be, it should be characterised by a uniformity applicable 

 to the whole range of the subject, and it should be pursued with 

 an unswerving steadiness. In the interests of the subject it is 

 to be sincerely hoped that amongst our leaders in Australia may 

 be found one who possesses the genius of organization, and that 

 all others, great or small, will loyally contribute their quota to 

 the best of their abilities and opportunities. If this national 

 work on the Australian aborigines is carried out in a manner 

 worthy of the subject, it will rank as one of the most important 

 contributions to ethnological science. 



