﻿ORIGIN 
  OF 
  MECHANICAL 
  ARTS. 
  141 
  

  

  the 
  Mandans 
  had 
  "raised 
  themselves" 
  from 
  

   a 
  more 
  savage 
  condition, 
  without 
  any 
  teaching 
  

   from 
  more 
  civilized 
  races, 
  there 
  could 
  be 
  no 
  

   record 
  of 
  the 
  fact. 
  The 
  same 
  objection 
  

   applies 
  to 
  the 
  demand 
  made 
  by 
  Whately 
  as 
  

   regards 
  all 
  other 
  races 
  among 
  whom 
  different 
  

   mechanical 
  arts 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  established. 
  

   It 
  is 
  impossible 
  by 
  counter 
  assertions 
  to 
  settle 
  

   dogmatically 
  the 
  origin 
  of 
  such 
  arts, 
  and 
  the 
  

   absence 
  of 
  recorded 
  cases 
  of 
  indigenous 
  ad- 
  

   vance 
  is 
  itself 
  rather 
  favourable 
  than 
  adverse 
  

   to 
  the 
  theory 
  of 
  those 
  who 
  assert 
  that 
  such 
  

   advance 
  is 
  possible, 
  and 
  has 
  actually 
  taken 
  

   place. 
  It 
  is 
  precisely 
  when 
  this 
  advance 
  has 
  

   been 
  most 
  strictly 
  indigenous 
  that 
  the 
  pre- 
  

   servation 
  of 
  the 
  fact 
  by 
  record 
  would 
  become 
  

   impossible. 
  

  

  