96 The Recapitulation Theory and Human Infancy 



psychologic" represents the farthest advance in this direction, 

 and while this work is regarded as having the imperfections of a 

 pioneer effort, promise in this type of anthropological study is 

 not denied. As a matter of fact the sciences of anthropology 

 and psychology have not as yet been vitally joined in the in- 

 vestigation of culture,, a significant thing in itself for our topic. 

 For the present it must be admitted that the idea of a neces- 

 sary order in historical development of an inclusive sort is some- 

 what under suspicion. The possibility, or rather the actual 

 existence of isolated cases of cultural parallels, seems to be 

 generally acknowledged. 49 



2. Passing to the second proposition contained in the theory 

 of cultural recapitulation we find an equally uncertain situation. 

 That there is a determined order in some part of the progressive 

 development of the child mind no one doubts, and serious ef- 

 forts have been made with a view to its description. But it 

 cannot justly be held that a description of this order in general 

 terms has as yet been agreed upon by the students of child psy- 

 chology. More especially, the distinction necessary to an ap- 

 plication of the culture-epochs theory, between deferred inborn 

 or original traits and those traits which are to be regarded as 

 the results of exercise and cultural stimulation, has not yet 

 been determined with clearness, and until this distinction is 

 made it is obviously impossible to institute comparisons between 

 racial modes of cultural acquirement and genetic sequences 

 characteristic of the learning of children. Speaking broadly, 

 the many existing characterizations of "periods of development," 

 of " interests," or of "nascencies," etc., besides being too various 

 for general acceptance, deal indifferently with the appearance 

 of original traits and the development of acquisitions. Valu- 

 able special studies in certain lines are not wanting, notably 

 in language and drawing. Recently, in connection with mental 

 testing, progress towards maturity has been measured, but as yet 

 a qualitative description of this progress has not been under- 

 taken. On the whole, there is no question of genetic sequences 

 in many aspects of mental and cultural growth. We are, how- 

 ever, still in the dark as to just how these sequences should 

 be systematically described. 



A philosophical and critical survey of the history of human progress conceived 

 largely in genetic terms is that of Santayana's Life of Reason (5 Vols., 1906). 



