906 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. IV. No. 103. 



area that forms the basis of the study. 

 Only when definite results have been ob- 

 tained in regard to this area is it permis- 

 sible to extend the horizon beyond its lim- 

 its, but the greatest care must be taken not 

 to proceed too hastily in this, as else the fun- 

 damental proposition which I formulated be- 

 fore might be overlooked, viz : that when 

 we find an analogy of single traits of cul- 

 ture among distant peoples the presump- 

 tion is not that there has been a common 

 historical source, but that they have arisen 

 independently. Therefore the investigation 

 must always demand continuity of distri- 

 bution as one of the essential conditions for 

 proving historical connection, and the as- 

 sumption of lost connecting links must be 

 applied most sparingly. This clear distinc- 

 tion between the new and the old historical 

 methods is still often overlooked by the 

 passionate defenders of the comparative 

 method. They do not appreciate the dif- 

 ference between the indiscriminate use of 

 similarities of culture for proving historical 

 connection and the careful and slow de- 

 tailed study of local phenomena. We no 

 longer believe that the slight similarities 

 between the cultures of Central America 

 and of eastern Asia are sufficient and satis- 

 factory proof of a historical connection. On 

 the contrary, analogy of other similarities 

 make such a connection improbable. But, 

 on the other hand, no unbiased observer 

 will deny that there are very strong reasons 

 for believing that a limited number of cul- 

 tural elements found in Alaska and in Siberia 

 have a common origin. The similarities of 

 inventions, customs and beliefs, together 

 with the continuity of their distribution 

 through a comparatively small area, are a 

 satisfactory proof of this opinion. But it is 

 not possible to extend this area safely be- 

 yond the limits of Columbia River in 

 America and northern Japan in Asia. This 

 method of anthropological research is repre- 

 sented in our country by Prof. F. W. Put- 



nam and Prof. Otis T. Mason ; in England 

 by Dr. E. B. Tylor ; in Germany by Fried- 

 rich Ratzel and his followers. 



It seems necessary to say a word here in 

 regard to an objection to my arguments 

 that will be raised by investigators who 

 claim that similarity of geographical en- 

 vironment is a sufficient cause for similarity 

 of culture, that is to say, that, for instance, 

 the geographical conditions of the plains of 

 the Mississippi basin necessitate the devel- 

 opment of a certain culture. There are 

 those who would even go so far as to be- 

 lieve that similarity of form of language 

 may be due to environmental causes. En- 

 vironment has a certain limited effect upon 

 the culture of man, but I do not see how 

 the view that it is the primary moulder of 

 culture can be supported by any facts. A 

 hasty review of the tribes and peoples of 

 our globe shows that people most diverse 

 in culture and language live under the same 

 geographical conditions, as proof of which 

 may be mentioned the ethnography of East 

 Africa or of I^ew Guinea. In both these re- 

 gions we find a great diversity of customs 

 in small areas. But much more important 

 is this : Not one observed fact can be 

 brought forward in support of this hypothe- 

 sis which cannot be much better explained 

 by the well known facts of difiusion of cul- 

 ture; for archaeology as well as ethno- 

 graphy teach us that intercourse between 

 neighboring tribes has alwa,ys existed and 

 has extended over enormous areas. In the 

 Old World the products of the Baltic found 

 their way to the Mediterranean and the 

 works of art of the eastern Mediterranean 

 reached Sweden. In America the shells of 

 the ocean found their way into the inner- 

 most parts of the continent and the obsidians 

 of the West were carried to Ohio. Inter- 

 marriages, war, slavery, trade, have been 

 so many sources of constant introduction 

 of foreign cultural elements, so that an 

 assimilation of culture must have taken 



