The True Basis of Anthropology¹

Abstract

THE Nestor of American philologists, and at the same time the indefatigable Ulysses of comparative philology in that country, Mr. Horatio Hale, has just published in the Transactions of the Royal Society of Canada, an important essay on “Language as a Test of Mental Capacity,” being an attempt to demonstrate the true basis of anthropology. His first important contribution to the science of language dates back as far as 1838-42, when he acted as ethnographer to the United States Exploring Expedition, and published the results of his observations in a valuable and now very scarce volume, “Ethnography and Philology.” He has since left the United States and settled in Canada. All his contributions to American ethnology and philology have been distinguished by their originality, accuracy, and trustworthiness. Every one of them marks a substantial addition to our knowledge, and, in spite of the hackneyed disapproval with which reviewers receive reprints of essays published in periodicals, it is much to be regretted that his essays have never been published in a collected form.