mc gee] THE TREND OF HUMAN PROGRESS 4°5
ism for centuries before Darwin established the ideas of genera- tive forces and sequence ; even youthful geology has passed most of its history in formalism, and is only today emerging into the full light of interpretation in terms of agency ; while anthro- pology has occupied barely two decades in rising from the first recognition of the essentially human unit to the classification of mankind in terms of human activities — a period so short, indeed, that some have failed to keep pace with the advance.
Most of the makers of the modern science of man still live, some of them now listen ; it might seem invidious to offer them due meed of tribute ; but it cannot be held invidious, in this pres- ence, to note that the Anthropological Society of Washington was the first institution to follow the epoch-marking advance and adopt an organization based on the primary activities of man- kind. 1 In taking this step our members but synthesized expe- rience covering a wider range than their predecessors enjoyed — » the experience of long and intimate association between the white race, the red race, the black race, and some of the yellow race, as well as the unique experience of actual contact between the four grades of culture represented in savagery, barbarism, civilization, and enlightenment. So the tribute some of us would fain pay our progressive pioneers must be tempered by appreciation of the favorable conditions attending their pioneering ; for he whom fortune favors with experience of four races has a more than double advantage over the student of but two, while he who is favored with experience of four culture-grades has still greater advantage over the student of any lesser number, and he who scans at one view the field of four races and the series of four culture-grades sees the sum of human experience in single glance and, holding immeasurable advantage over the surveyor of nar- rower fields, might well blush to make no further advance.
1 On January 17, 1899, the sectional organization of the Anthropological Society of Washington was reconstructed, and the number of sections increased from four to seven, viz.: A, Somatology; B t Psychology; C, Esthetology ; D, Technology; E, Sociology ; F, Philology ; and G, Sophiology.
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