But these primary groups did not remain stationary in their several original homes; on the contrary they have been subject to great and continual fluctuations throughout historic times. Armed with a general knowledge of letters and other cultural appliances, the higher races soon took a foremost place in the general progress of mankind, and gradually acquired a marked ascendency, not only over the less cultured peoples, but to a great extent over the forces of nature herself. With the development of navigation, and improved methods of locomotion, inland seas, barren wastes, and mountain ranges ceased to present insurmountable obstacles to their movements, which have never been completely arrested, and are still going on.
HOW THE RACES ARE
CLASSIFIED
On the basis of bodily characteristics, including form, color and features, modern ethnologists have divided mankind into four primary groups, or families: the Caucasian, Mongolian (or Tartar), Negro and American; or, according to color, the white, yellow, black and red races. It must not be supposed that these types were sharply marked off from one another; indeed, there must have been a great range of varieties then, as now, due to the conditions under which man lived, as well as to actual race mixtures.
It is probable, however, that all these primary groups had reached definite characteristics before the close of the Stone Age.
The term Caucasian is taken from the mountain-range between the Black and Caspian seas, near which region the finest physical specimens of man have always been found. Mongolian is derived from the wandering races that inhabited the plateaus of central Asia. Negro is the Spanish word for “black.” American is applied to the red, or copper-colored, race found in this continent when it was discovered.
The sub-joined table brings into parallel columns the chief distinguishing characteristics of the races:
PHYSICAL AND MENTAL CHARACTERS OF THE PRIMARY HUMAN GROUPS
| Points of Contrast | Caucasian, or White | Mongolian, or Yellow | Negro, or Black | American, or Red |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hair | Rather long, straight, wavy and curly, black, all shades of brown, red, flaxen. | Coarse, lank, dull black, round in transverse section. | Short, jet black, wooly, flat in transverse section. | Very long, coarse, black, lank, nearly round in section. |
| Skin | White, florid, pale, swarthy, brown and even blackish; altogether very variable. | Dirty yellowish and brown (Malays.) | Very dark brown or blackish. | Coppery, yellowish, various shades of brown. |
| Skull | Two distinct types; long, 74, and short, 80 to 90. | Short; index 84 to 90. | Long; index 72. | Very variable; ranging from 70 to over 90. |
| Cheekbone | Small, inconspicuous but high in some places. | High prominent laterally. | Small, somewhat retreating. | Moderately prominent. |
| Nose | Large, straight or arched (hooked, aquiline), narrow. | Very small, snub, but variable. | Flat, small, very broad at base. | Large, arched, rather narrow. |
| Eyes | Blue, gray, black, brown, moderately large, and always straight. | Small, black, oblique; vertical fold of skin over inner canthus. | Large, round, black, prominent, yellowish cornea. | Small, round, straight, black sunken. |
| Stature | Variable; 5 ft. 4 in. to 6 ft. | Undersized; 5 ft. 4 in., but very variable. | Above the mean; 5 ft. 10 in; Negrito often under 4 ft. | Above the mean; 5 ft. 8 in. to over 6 ft., but variable. |
| Speech | Mainly inflecting; in the Caucasus agglutinating. | Agglutinating, with postfixes; isolating, with tones. | Agglutinating; of various and postfix types. | Polysynthetic almost exclusively. |
| Temperament | Serious, steadfast, solid in the north; fiery, impulsive, south; active, enterprising, imaginative everywhere; science, art, and letters highly developed. | Sluggish, somewhat sullen with little initiative but great endurance, generally frugal and thrifty; moral standard low; little science; art and letters moderately developed. | Sensuous, indolent, improvident, fitful, passing easily from comedy to tragedy, little sense of dignity, hence easily enslaved; slight mental development after puberty. | Moody, taciturn, wary, impassive in presence of strangers; science and letters slightly, art moderately developed. |