INTRODUCTION. 7 



independent mind which, in old times, according to Epicurus, 

 freed mankind from the yoke of superstition, and gave to in- 

 telligence the sceptre of the world. 



The eighteenth century, with all its scepticism, had not 

 done little in this way ; its fault, indeed, was in this scepticism, 

 in this doubting a priori. It rejected without examination, 

 therefore its work was not lasting, and the few lines of Voltaire 

 which his good sense had written with a Polygenistic ten- 

 dency, had no influence at all.* 



At present France and England walk entirely in the sci- 

 entific path opened by the American school. It is some years 

 since it was vainly .endeavoured to establish in these two 

 countries learned societies for the study of ethnology; that 

 time has passed. Now Paris and London maintain two pros- 

 perous anthropological societies. f We do not hesitate in 

 attributing the reason of this success to the profound discredit 

 in which the continued blending of matters of faith with 

 matters of science, has justly fallen. 



Apart from religious influence, there is another which may 

 make itself felt as regards anthropology. We mean those 

 very honourable sentiments about equality and confraternity 

 which an honest heart will feel towards all men, whatever 

 may be their origin, whatever the colour of their skin, but of 

 which the searcher J after truth must disembarrass himself, 

 cost what it may to him as a man. Such feelings honour 

 those who are animated by them, but when they interfere with 

 science, they can only injure it. How many years, how many 

 centuries, have anatomy and medicine been obliged to wait 

 until they could take a lasting and an upward flight ! Respect 

 for the dead is doubtless a human sentiment, if any ; but it 

 used to paralyse these two branches of our knowledge ; they 

 are only possible to be learnt by profaning mortal remains 



* Essai sur les Mceurs : Introd., 2. 



f There is an idea of adding to the Linnean Society a new section of An- 

 thropology. See " Letter from E. W. Brayley," Medical Times and Gazette, 

 p. 491, May 10, 1862. 



Alphonse Karr was the first who proposed to substitute the name of 

 " searcher" (chercheur) for that of "learned man" (savant). Nouvelles Ouepes, 

 February 1859. 



