Show UNITY IN THE AMERIC AMERICAN N RACE WHEN America was discovered by Europeans it was inhabited from the Arctic ocean to Cape Horn by a vast number of native tribes Between some of these tribes a a. a distinct relationship could he be traced but more usually they appeared to be much separated Indeed so great is the difference between the various families both from a physical and a psychical standpoint that many men of high authority have contended that several distinct peoples must have contributed to the population of America A careful scientific examination of the facts however will tend to refute all such theories and to show that there is a unity existing between all of the American Ameri Ameri- can tribes The great variety of conditions under which the different tribes lived would in time suffice to produce the existing physical differences But there is one thing which more than all others is stable under varied conditions and that thatis is language Not only is it less subject to variations in its essential character but the science of it is more perfected An examination of the vocabularies of the Indian families will reveal but few correspondences Yet suc such philological research as this is no longer relied upon in the manner in which it was formerly Within certain bounds evide evidence ce of this kind is acceptable as corroborative but buta a higher evidence is in the structure of ofa a language Examined in this light American languages show a marked relationship The most distinctive characteristic of Indian tongues is the process of incorporation incorporation potation and the extensive use of pronominal particles The verb is the theall all important thing in Indian grammar indeed some have said it is the only thing To the verb are attached or into the verb are inserted nearly all all other othe parts of the sentence when a word is not in connection with the verb it is there represented by a pronoun in opposition opposition opposition op op- position with it Thus for I hit a dog a red man would say I hit it hit it-hit a dog I I gave a dog to John would be it him 1 a dog John The words standing apart from the verb are usually not at all varied in form or inflected By very simple changes made within the verb verb somewhat somewhat after the manner of the Hebrew the conjugations the quality of action expressed may be made to pass through various shades with a facility f and to an extent that are wonderful For FOIl ins instance ance slight variations in a q 4 single word might the following I tie I i l you tie you tie j t I-t you with I you with your you knees doubled Etc you tie J JAbout About sixteen hundred modifications of the Peruvian word II to to love have been recorded and should the m man man n claiming that there existed no true love among the American aborigines review the he list his knowledge would certainly be be bene bene- The greater part art art of seventeen hundred American languages have been examined and and without exception they have this habit of incorporating words into the verb and of varying the meaning in the manner described to a greater or less degree The only other language known upon well authenticated facts to possess the process of incorporation is the Basque language the remnant of a tongue supposed to have been anciently spoken in Europe This evidence must consequently be accepted as very strong I. I r f in in favor of the unity of the American race t z Such is the evidence of philology in inthis inthis this connection The signs sign's of affinity in physical features are fewer although some some are remarkably persistent throughout through through- out the two Americas Most noteworthy of these is the background of the hair Strong reflected li light ht shows that the background possesses uniformly a dark reddish hue hup which thing seems to be bek k quite characteristic The strongly developed developed developed de de- base of the skull and the high cheek bones are also widespread and persistent features although not so L.- L. characteristic as the preceding The study of American folklore has recently revealed much that is Js of importance importance importance im im- upon this question In fact the proof for unity in the American race to be drawn from this source probably ranks in importance next to those of philology But to enter into a full r discussion discussion discussion dis dis- of them would carry us beyond the limits of this paper It may be said in general however that this study reveals in the folklore of the different tribes a general correspondence correspond- correspond t ence and uniformity in the great central ideas and legends the lesser ideas being K more more divergent and largely of local growth i t dm ex r 1 1 t f. f l |