150 SECRETS OF EARTH AND SEA 



in Babylon and again after the " dispersal " by the Romans, 

 the original Jewish race was practically swamped by 

 mixture with cognate Oriental races who adopted the 

 Jewish faith. So far from there being inborn prejudice 

 against intermarriage of the peoples above cited, it is 

 very generally admitted that such " miscegenation " leads 

 frequently to the foundation of families of fine quality. 

 The blend is successful, as may be seen in the number 

 of prominent Englishmen who have Huguenot, German, 

 Dutch, or Jewish blood in their veins. 



But when we come to the intermarriage of members 

 of the white race of Europe with members of either the 

 negroid (black) race or of the yellow and red mongoloid 

 race, a much greater and more deeply-rooted aversion is 

 found, and this is extended even to members of the 

 Caucasian race who, possibly by prehistoric mixture with 

 negro-like races, are very dark-skinned, as is the case 

 with the Aryan population in India and Polynesia. It 

 is a very difficult matter ; in fact, it seems to me not 

 possible in our present knowledge of the facts, to decide 

 whether there is a natural inborn or congenital disinclina- 

 tion to the marriage of the white race, especially of the 

 Anglo-Saxon branch of it, with " coloured " people, or 

 whether the whole attitude (as I am inclined to think) is 

 one of " pride of race," an attitude which can be defended 

 on the highest grounds, though it may lead to erroneous 

 beliefs as to the immediate evil results of such unions, 

 and to an unreasonable and cruel treatment both of the 

 individuals so intermarrying and of their offspring. There 

 is little or no evidence of objection to mixed unions on 

 the part of the coloured people with whites, no evidence 

 of physical dislike to the white man or white woman, 

 but, on the contrary, ready acquiescence. 



A curious aversion to marriages with whites on the 

 part both of North American Indians and of negroes is, 



