LXXII ANNUAL REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR 



ters of the earth are frequently symbolized by four birds, 

 from whom the north and south and east and west winds 

 have their origin, and the winds are supposed to rise from 

 under their wings. At this stage it must be remembered that 

 the people have not yet discovered that there is a circumam- 

 bient air which may be stirred or fanned, but fanning in this 

 stage of culture is supposed to be a creation of something 

 called the wind. This opinion is doubtless autogenous at many 

 centers, and is concaused. 



All along the course of culture scientific opinion, or real 

 knowledg-e, has been gradually replacing mythic opinion, or 

 pseudo knowledge. When the real nature of the wind was 

 discovered by more advanced philosophers, such knowledge 

 spread far and wide. True, it may have been discovered by 

 different peoples at different times, but real knowledge spreads 

 far more rapidly and widely than mythic opinion. Scientific 

 opinion, therefore, is much more likely to obtain footing by 

 acculturation than by concausation. 



The foregoing explanation of various classes of similarities 

 perhaps furnishes a sufficient basis for the following statements 

 of certain principles of interpretation relating thereto: 



1. The arts of life have their origin in the endeavor to sup- 

 ply physical wants. They result everywhere in primitive life 

 from the utilization of the materials at hand. Many wants are 

 universal, felt by all men in all lands. The want for a ham- 

 mer is general ; the use of a stone for a hammer would readily 

 be suggested to the nascent mind of the lowest savage, and 

 the stone-hammer art may have easily sprung up anywhere at 

 any time. The use of stones for knives, for arrow-heads, for 

 scrapers, and for a variety of other purposes, may easily have 

 had many independent origins; and so on through almost the 

 entire list of savage and barbaric arts which have been de- 

 veloped to supply the wants of life. With regard, then, to the 

 arts of life, the presumption is in favor of independent origin 

 by concausation. 



2. In so far as arts are expressed in material forms they con- 

 stitute simple object-lessons, easily learned, and observation 

 would spread them far and wide. Whenever, therefore, the 



