File:The history of mankind (1896) (14740693446).jpg

Identifier: historyofmankind01ratz (find matches)
Title: The history of mankind
Year: 1896 (1890s)
Authors: Ratzel, Friedrich, 1844-1904 Butler, Arthur John, 1844-1910
Subjects: Ethnology Anthropology
Publisher: London, Macmillan and co., ltd. New York, The Macmillan co.
Contributing Library: Wellesley College Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Wellesley College Library

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their condition as that of a primitive race, or ofchildhood. There is a distinction between the quickly ripening immaturity of thechild and the limited maturity of the adult who has come to a stop in manyrespects. What we mean by natural races is something much more like thelatter than the former. We call them races deficient in civilization, becauseinternal and external conditions have hindered them from attaining to suchpermanent developments in the domain of culture as form the mark of the truecivilized races and the guarantees of progress. Yet we should not venture tocall any of them cultureless, so long as none of them is devoid of the primitivemeans by which the ascent to higher stages can be made—language, religion, fire, NATURE, RISE, AND SPREAD OF CIVILIZATION weapons, implements ; while the very possession of these means, and many otherssuch as domestic animals and cultivated plants, testifies to varied and numerousdealings with those races which are completely civilized.
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Queensland Aborigines. (From a photograph. The reasons why they do not make use of these gifts are of many kinds.Lower intellectual endowment is often placed in the first rank. That is aconvenient, but not quite fair explanation. Among the savage races of to-daywe find great differences in endowments. We need not dispute that in the course THE HISTORY OF MANKIXD of development races of even slightly higher endowments have got possession ofmore and more means of culture, and gained steadiness and security for theirprogress, while the less-endowed remained behind. But external conditions, inrespect to their furthering or hindering effects, can be more clearly recognised andestimated ; and it is juster and more logical to name them first. We can conceivewhy the habitations of the savage races are principally to be found on the extremeborders of the inhabited world, in the cold and hot regions, in remote islands, insecluded mountains, in deserts. We understand their backward condition in

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