138 SYSTEM. 



intellect shown in their works, this measurement would be 

 sufficient to establish a division ; but there is more than that ; 

 all races have different aptitudes, and here is to be found the 

 fault of Morton's system, which only takes the whole, which 

 makes no distinction between very different skulls if they 

 have the same volume, like those of the Esquimaux, for in- 

 stance, and those of Americans. The subject of measurement 

 differs, like intellect, otherwise than merely in dimension, and 

 that which craniology wants is the definition of all these special 

 tendencies of the intellect by as many tangible varieties as 

 possible.* 



Craniology is not anthropology ; it assists it materially, but 

 the partial results which it obtains have not necessarily the 

 same value in the more general point of view of anthropology. 

 Every classification, based on the form of the skull, will be 

 necessarily an artificial classification, because it will only rest 

 upon one sole order of phenomena. Besides, this study pre- 

 sents great difficulties from the individual differences which 

 the various heads show, in which the qualities belonging to the 

 individual have been so far able to hide the general characters 

 of the race, that these often remain unrecognisable. Divisions 

 have also increased in proportion as craniological collections 

 have come richer in specimens. Morton only reckoned eleven 

 human races, but he believed under the truth. We may very 

 well have a poor idea of the value of this classification by study- 

 ing the materials which were used by the philosopher of Phil- 

 adelphia. JBesides the American race, Morton had only a 

 very few skulls at his disposal. The Philadelphian collection, 

 which has been much increased since his death, contained, 

 only a few years ago, 1035 skulls, 38 of them pathological; 

 there remain therefore but 997. Out of this number the 

 American race figures in 502, or more than one-half. There 

 remains, therefore 495, 154 of which came from the valley of 

 the Nile; so that merely 350 skulls represent the whole of 

 Europe, Asia, the Oceanic countries, and Africa (excepting 

 Egypt) . This is not much for the purpose of classing a popula- 

 tion likely to be raised to five hundred millions of inhabitants. f 



* See above, chap. iv. f See Indigenous Races of the Earth, p. 320. 



