BEAUTY AND THE ELECTIVE AFFINITIES 179 



category. Chemists tell us that the colouring of the 

 hair and the skin depends upon the presence of certain 

 pigments in those portions of the body of no im- 

 portance to the individual. Considering that entire 

 races are fair or dark, however, we can hardly accept 

 the chemists' explanation as aught but a superficial 

 one. Complexion is governed fundamentally by 

 climate, food, mode of life, and other physical con- 

 ditions, all of which are bound to influence the moral 

 character to some extent. When a man has a strong 

 instinctive preference for a fair woman or a dark 

 woman, therefore, we may assume that his moral 

 qualities are such as will blend satisfactorily with 

 those of the particular type of individual by whom 

 he is attracted. 



To the colour of the hair and eyes Beddoe at- 

 taches much importance as an element of race, the 

 Celtic population of these islands being still dis- 

 tinguishable in that respect from their fellow-country- 

 men of Danish and Scandinavian blood.^ There is 

 believed to have been into this country a very early 

 influx of Iberian settlers, and the Celt is such a com- 

 bination as might have resulted from the crossing of 

 those dark Southern immigrants with long -faced, 



^ Beddoe's Races of Britain, 



