842 



SCIENCE 



[X. S. Vol. XXIX. Xo. 7.V2 



and later the Arab conquest of north 

 Africa, are examples of similar processes. 



Intermixture in early times was not by 

 any means confined to peoples which, 

 although diverse in language and culture, 

 were of fairly uniform type. On the con- 

 trary, the most diverse types of southern 

 Europe, northern Europe, eastern Europe 

 and western Europe, not to mention the 

 elements which poured into Europe from 

 Asia and Africa, have been participants in 

 this long-continued intermixture. 



There is, however, one fundamental dif- 

 ference in regard to the early European 

 migrations and the modern trans-Atlantic 

 migration. On the whole, the former took 

 place at a period when the density of pop- 

 ulation was, comparatively speaking, small. 

 There is no doubt that the number of in- 

 dividuals concerned in the formation of 

 the modern types of Great Britain were 

 comparatively few as compared with the 

 millions who come together to form a new 

 nation in the United States; and it is ob- 

 vious that the process of amalgamation 

 which takes place in communities that must 

 be counted by millions differs in character 

 from the process of amalgamation that 

 takes place in communities that may 

 be counted by thousands. Setting aside 

 social barriei*s, which in early times as well 

 as now undoubtedly tended to keep inter- 

 mingling peoples separate, it would seem 

 that in the more populous communities of 

 modern times a greater permanence of the 

 single combining elements might occur, 

 owing to their larger numbers, which make 

 the opportunities for segregation more 

 favorable. 



Among the smaller communities the 

 process of amalgamation must have been 

 an exceedingly rapid one. After the social 

 distinctions have once been obliterated, 

 pure descendants of one of the component 

 types decrease gi'eatly in number, and the 

 fourth generation of a people consisting 



originally of distinct elements will be al- 

 most homogeneous. I shall revert to this 

 phenomenon later on. 



It might be objected to this point of 

 view, that the very diversity of local types 

 in Europe proves the homogeneity of race 

 types— as, for instance, of the north- 

 western European type, the Mediterranean 

 type, the east European type, or the Alpine 

 type; but it must be remembei-ed that we 

 have historical proof of the process of mix- 

 ture, and that the relative number of com- 

 ponent elements is sufficient to account for 

 the present conditions. 



I think we may dismiss the assumption 

 of the existence of a pure type in any part 

 of Europe, and of a process of mongreliza- 

 tion in America different from anything 

 that has taken place for thousands of years 

 in Europe. Neither are we right in as- 

 suming that the phenomenon is one of a 

 more rapid intermixture than the one 

 prevailing in olden times. The difference 

 is based essentially in the masses of indi- 

 viduals concerned in the pi'ocess. 



If we confine our consideration for the 

 present to the intermixture of European 

 types in America, I think it will be clear, 

 from what has been said before, that the 

 concern that is felt by many in regard to 

 the continuance of racial purity of our na- 

 tion is to a great extent imaginary. The 

 history of Europe proves that there has 

 been no racial purity anywhere for exceed- 

 ingly long periods, neither has the con- 

 tinued intermixture of European types 

 shown any degrading effect upon any of 

 the European nationalities. It would be 

 just as easy to prove that those nations 

 that have been least disturbed have lacked 

 the stimulus to further advance and have 

 passed through periods of quiescence. The 

 history of Spain might be interpreted as 

 an instance of an occurrence of this kind. 



The question as to the actual effects of 

 intermixtui'e will not, however, be an- 



