THE ANTHROPOLOGICAL SOCIOLOGISTS 1 57 



within limits.^ He shows further that the changes in the human 

 frame as a result of civilization are analogous to those in animals 

 as a result of domestication,^ there being this difference, however, 

 that whereas change of environment (especially with change of 

 nutrition and mode of life), conscious selection, and crossing, have 

 all been potent factors in the development of different types of 

 domesticated animals, change of environment and crossing have 

 been most strongly active in the development of the races of man.^ 

 Boas explains the occurrence of distinct local types in primitive 

 races ^ in contrast to the variability to be found among civilized^ 

 as due to differences in environment, to isolation and in-breeding. 

 Our author shows how chaotic our information is as to the charac- 

 teristics of primitive races,® and questions the conclusion of 

 Spencer concerning the great native differences in primitive 

 and civilized man as regards fickleness, strength of passion, 

 lack of control, improvidence, inabiHty to concentrate atten- 

 tion, and lack of originality.^ He believes that "the differences 

 between civilized man and primitive man are in many cases 

 more apparent than real; that the social conditions, on account 

 of their peculiar characteristics, easily convey the impression 

 that the mind of primitive man acts in a way quite different 

 from ours, while in reality the fimdamental traits of the mind 

 are the same.'' ^ Our author admits, however, differences in 

 mental traits among individuals and races, and believes that 

 the efforts of such investigators as Galton will be able yet to 

 analyze and classify them with some degree of precision.^ He 

 concludes that " while it is likely that changes of the mental 

 character go hand in hand with the undoubted changes in the 

 human anatomy, .... we cannot prove that any progressive 

 changes of the human organism have taken place; and partic- 

 ularly no advance in the size or complexity of the structure of 

 the central nervous system, caused by the cumulative effects 

 of civilization"; moreover, that "the difficulty of proving a 



1 Mind of Primitive Man, p. 64. ^ Ihid., pp. loi f. 



2 Ihid., pp. 66 f., 75. ' Ihid., pp. 106 f. 

 ' Ihid., pp. 68-70. * Ihid., p. 114. 



4 Ihid., pp. 75 f. « Ihid., p. 116. 



5 Ibid., p. 93. 



