46 BUREAU OF AMEKICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 60 



accurate time keeping possible, giving rise to the calendar. Inter- 

 change of commodities with neighboring peoples would increase and 

 extended trade, with its manifold benefits, would widen the range 

 of interests; customs, habits, social organizations, and even religion 

 would take on new forms; the embellishing arts and luxur^^ would 

 find encouragement; and commerce, war, conquest, and the command 

 of labor would build up important nations, opening the way to 

 civilization. From the more advanced centers of progress there 

 would radiate in time by various agencies, germs of culture, slowly 

 leavening the savage complex, a process still in active operation. 



On this general plan it is thought to account for the greatly di- 

 versified phenomena of aboriginal culture among the historic tribes, 

 as well as that brought to light by archeological research and, since 

 no clear evidence is found of culture stages distinct from the well 

 known, it is here assumed, adopting the European nomenclature, 

 that aboriginal American culture is exclusively neolithic, and that 

 such " paleolithic "-appearing forms of artifacts as occur are not 

 chronologically separable. This view may be adopted and held as a 

 working hypothesis until reliable proof to the contrary accumulates, 

 if indeed such proof exists. All American culture rising above the 

 level of early neolithic would thus be regarded as belonging to 

 America, always allowing, however, for sporadic intrusions of germs 

 of higher phases which it must be conceded are within the range of 

 possibility, especially in the more recent millenniums. 



The agencies which conspire to shape up the culture of a people 



to its highest state, and which from lack of sustain- 



Asencies of Ad- jj^^ ])ower permit retrogression and final obliteration, 



vnncemont, Active ii. m i i i . • t • 



and I'assive iii'^J i^t't be tuily aualj^zcd or deternnned in any given 



case, but they are worthy of the close study which is 

 being given them by students. The active dynamic — the subjective — 

 forces are to be distinguished from the contributory, passive agencies; 

 the first law of all sentient creatures is self-preservation and with the 

 human race the second law is the law of betterment. The first 

 provides for the perpetuation of existence, the second for the per- 

 petuation of progress. These are the fundamental forces responsible 

 for all human activity and all progress; they apply alike to the indi- 

 A idual, the family, the community, and all the larger social, political, 

 and racial units. The contributory and passive ageii- 

 Contributory • ^j^ extremely varied constituents of environ- 



ment: (1) The diversified animal life, giving rise to 

 the chase, which furnishes food, clothing, and shelter, and material 

 for the arts and industries; (2) the vegetable life, supplying various 

 alimentary needs and a vast range of materials for the arts and 

 industries; (3) the mineral world, whose limitless riches make 



