I Hope I May Have Succeeded In

Anthropology Has Reached That Point Of Development Where The Careful Investigation Of Facts Shakes Our Firm Belief In The Far-reaching Theories That Have Been Built Up. The Complexity Of Each Phenomenon Dawns On Our Minds, And Makes Us Desirous Of Proceeding More Cautiously. Heretofore We Have Seen The Features Common To All Human Thought

If We Were To Select The Most Intelligent, Imaginative, Energetic, And Emotionally Stable Third Of Mankind, All Races Would Be Present.

Courtesy, Modesty, Good Manners, Conformity To Definite Ethical Standards Are Universal, But What Constitutes Courtesy, Modesty, Good Manners, And Definite Ethical Standards Is Not Universal. It Is Instructive To Know That Standards Differ In The Most Unexpected Ways.

Its [the Anthropological Method] Power To Make Us Understand The Roots From Which Our Civilization Has Sprung, That It Impresses Us With The Relative Value Of All Forms Of Culture, And Thus Serves As A Check To An Exaggerated Valuation Of The Standpoint Of Our Own Period, Which We Are Only Too Liable To Consider The Ultimate Goal Of Human Evolution, Thus Depriving Ourselves Of The Benefits To Be Gained From The Teachings Of Other Cultures And Hindering An Objective Criticism Of Our Own Work.

Furthermore, The Study Of The Present Surroundings Is Insufficient: The History Of The People, The Influence Of The Regions Through Which It Has Passed On Its Migrations, And The People With Whom It Came Into Contact, Must Be Considered