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successfully bridging this gap in the historical record. To use the words of 

 Professor Frazer : 'It is only in a relative sense, by comparison with civilised 

 men, that we may legitimately describe any living race of savages as primitive.' 

 Hence the hypothesis of the unilinear evolution of culture which satisfied an 

 earlier school will no longer bear examination. 



Further, not to speak of the artistic endowments of palaeolithic man, we 

 find to our surprise that a race like the Australian Arunta, whose lowness in the 

 scale of humanity does not necessarily connote degradation, has worked out 

 with exceptional ability through its tribal council their complex and cumbrous 

 systems of group marriage and totemism. They have developed a cosmogony 

 which postulates the self-existence of the universe; they have reached a belief 

 in reincarnation and transmigration of the soul. So far from their social system 

 being rigid it is readily modified to suit new conditions. They live in peace with 

 neighbouring tribes, and have established the elements of international law. On 

 the moral side, though there is much that is cruel and abhorrent, they are not 

 wanting in kindliness, generosity, gratitude. The savage, in short, is not such 

 an unobservant simpleton as some are inclined to suppose; and any interpretation 

 of his beliefs and usages which ignores this fact is certain to be misleading. 



This popularisation of our science has not, however, been universally wel- 

 comed. It has been urged with much reason that this overabundance of material 

 tends to encourage an unscientific method, particularly the comparison of isolated 

 facts without due regard to the context of culture to which they are organically 

 related. There is much force in this contention; and probably when the work 

 of this generation comes to be critically reviewed we shall be rightly charged with 

 rashly attempting a synthesis of facts not generically related, with reposing too 

 much confidence in evidence collected in a haphazard fashion, and with losing 

 sight of their historical relations in our quest after survivals. Those who have 

 practical experience of work among savage or semi-savage races understand the 

 difficulty of collecting information on subjects outside the range of their material 

 interests. Only a skilled linguist is able to interpret their hazy religious beliefs. 

 We fail to evolve order from what is and always must be chaotic; we fail to 

 discriminate religion from sociology because both are from the savage point 

 of view identical ; and generally it is only the by-products of religion, such as 

 demonology, witchcraft, mythology which reward our search. The most dogmatic 

 among us, when they consider the divergent views of Messrs. Spencer and Gillen 

 and Strehlow, may well hesitate to frame theories about the Arunta. 



In the next place it has been objected that the scientific side of anthropology 

 is in danger of being submerged by a flood of amateurism. It is only within 

 recent years that a supply of observers trained in scientific methods has become 

 available. Much of the work in India, the Dominions, and other parts of the 

 Empire has been done by amateurs, that is to say, by officers in the service of the 

 Crown, missionaries, or planters, who understand the languages, manners, and 

 prejudices of the people, but have not received the advantage of scientific 

 training. Some of this work is, in its kind, useful; but there seems reason to 

 believe that inquiries conducted by this agency have almost reached their limit. 

 The existing material may be supplemented and corrected by workers of the same 

 class ; but from them no important additions to our knowledge can reasonably be 

 expected. 



Criticisms such as these have naturally suggested proposals for improving the 

 qualifications of this agency by providing a course of training for public ser- 

 vants before they join their appointments ; and excellent arrangements with this 

 object have been made by several of our universities. In addition to this schemes 

 are in the air for the establishment of a School of Oriental Studies in London 

 or of a College for Civilians in Calcutta. We must, however, recollect that the 

 college established by Lord Wellesley at the beginning of the last century with 

 the intention, to use his own words, of promoting among junior officers 'an 

 intimate acquaintance with the history, language, customs, and manners of the 

 people of India,' failed to meet the aims of its founder. We must also 

 remember that recruits for the Colonial services do not undergo any training in 

 this country; and that in the case of the Covenanted Civil Service of India the 

 period extends only to a single year, during which the candidate is expected 

 to learn the rudiments of at least one Oriental language and to acquire some 



1910. 3 a 



