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 | =Caucasian=, | =Mongolian=, | =Negro=, | =American=, |
| of | or White | or Yellow | or Black | or Red |
| Contrast=| | | | |
+----------+--------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
|=Hair= |Rather long, |Coarse, lank, |Short, jet |Very long, |
| |straight, wavy|dull black, |black, wooly, |coarse, black,|
| |and curly, |round in |flat in trans-|lank, nearly |
| |black, all |transverse |verse section.|round in |
| |shades of |section. | |section. |
| |brown, red, | | | |
| |flaxen. | | | |
+----------+--------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
|=Skin= |White, florid,|Dirty yellow- |Very dark |Coppery, |
| |pale, swarthy,|ish and brown |brown or |yellowish, |
| |brown and even|(Malays.) |blackish. |various shades|
| |blackish; al- | | |of brown. |
| |together very | | | |
| |variable. | | | |
+----------+--------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
|=Skull= |Two distinct |Short; index |Long; index |Very variable;|
| |types; long, |84 to 90. |72. |ranging from |
| |74, and short,| | |70 to over 90.|
| |80 to 90. | | | |
+----------+--------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
|=Cheek- |Small, incon- |High prominent|Small, some- |Moderately |
|bone= |spicuous but |laterally. |what |prominent. |
| |high in some | |retreating. | |
| |places. | | | |
+----------+--------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
|=Nose= |Large, |Very small, |Flat, small, |Large, arched,|
| |straight or |snub, but |very broad at |rather narrow.|
| |arched |variable. |base. | |
| |(hooked, aqui-| | | |
| |line), narrow.| | | |
+----------+--------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
|=Eyes= |Blue, gray, |Small, black, |Large, round, |Small, round, |
| |black, brown, |oblique; ver- |black, |straight, |
| |moderately |tical fold of |prominent, |black sunken. |
| |large, and |skin over |yellowish | |
| |always |inner canthus.|cornea. | |
| |straight. | | | |
+----------+--------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
|=Stature= |Variable; 5 |Undersized; 5 |Above the |Above the |
| |ft. 4 in. to 6|ft. 4 in., but|mean; 5 ft. 10|mean; 5 ft. 8 |
| |ft. |very variable.|in; Negrito |in. to over 6 |
| | | |often under 4 |ft., but |
| | | |ft. |variable. |
+----------+--------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
|=Speech= |Mainly in- |Agglutinating,|Agglutinating;|Polysynthetic |
| |flecting; in |with post- |of various and|almost ex- |
| |the Caucasus |fixes; iso- |postfix types.|clusively. |
| |agglutinating.|lating, with | | |
| | |tones. | | |
+----------+--------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
|=Tempera- |Serious, |Sluggish, |Sensuous, in- |Moody, taci- |
|ment= |steadfast, |somewhat |dolent, im- |turn, wary, |
| |solid in the |sullen with |provident, |impassive in |
| |north; fiery, |little initia-|fitful, |presence of |
| |impulsive, |tive but great|passing easily|strangers; |
| |south; active,|endurance, |from comedy to|science and |
| |enterprising, |generally |tragedy, |letters |
| |imaginative |frugal and |little sense |slightly, art |
| |everywhere; |thrifty; moral|of dignity, |moderately |
| |science, art, |standard low; |hence easily |developed. |
| |nd letters |little |enslaved; | |
| |highly |science; art |slight mental | |
| |developed. |and letters |development | |
| | |moderately |after puberty.| |
| | |developed. | | |
+----------+--------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+