NATIONAL ACADEMY BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS VOL. VIII 



of iron. The age of savagery is the age of kinship clan, when 

 maternal kinship is held most sacred; the age of barbarism is 

 the age of kinship tribes, when paternal kinship is held most 

 sacred; the age of civilization is the age of nations, when ter- 

 ritorial boundaries are held most sacred. The age of savagery 

 is the age of sentence words ; the age of barbarism is the age 

 of phrase words ; the age of civilization the age of idea words. 

 In savagery, music is only rhythm ; in barbarism, it is rhythm 

 and melody ; in civilization, it is rhythm, melody and harmony. 

 In savagery, picture-writings are used ; in barbarism, hiero- 

 glyphics ; in civilization, alphabets. In savagery, beast poly- 

 theism prevails ; in barbarism, nature polytheism ; in civiliza- 

 tion, monotheism. In savagery, a wolf is an oracular god; in 

 barbarism, it is a howling beast ; in civilization, it is a connect- 

 ing link in systematic zoology. In savagery, the powers of 

 nature are feared as evil demons ; in barbarism, the powers of 

 nature are worshiped as gods; in civilization, the powers of 

 nature are apprenticed servants. In savagery, men can only 

 count ; in barbarism, they have arithmetic ; in civilization, they 

 understand geometry. In savagery, the beasts are gods; in 

 barbarism, the gods are men ; in civilization, men are as gods, 

 knowing good from evil" (From Barbarism to Civilization, 

 Amer. Anthrop., I, 1888, pp. 97-123). 



SYNTHETIC ESSAYS. 



It should be borne in mind that Powell's adoption of a gen- 

 eralized or synthetic style of presentation for the articles here 

 cited and for many others was by no means because he had no 

 command of other styles. He was capable of writing admira- 

 ble narrative, as was early shown in his famous report on the 

 voyage through the Colorado Canyon. He could present a 

 difficult problem argumentatively and with rare common sense, 

 as is evident from his memorable Report on the Lands of the 

 Arid Regions. He published in much detail the long stories 

 and myths that he gathered with painstaking care from his 

 Indian friends; he set forth in a carefully analyzed form the 

 system of tribal government of the Wyandotte, and he had the 

 patience and perseverance necessary for elaborate induction, 

 as will appear when we consider his monograph on Indian lin- 



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