DOOMED

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 29, 3 August 1923, Page 7

DOOMED

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PBOFESSOR BAXTJWiN SPENCER'S SAD CONCLUSION.

CFROIt "ODB OTPM CTMCESPOSDENM

. .., SIDNEY, 25th July. JSo man is Hotter acquainted with the Australian aboriginal .than. is the wellknown scientist Sir Baldwin Spencerinitiate of several important tribes and the writer of several authoritative works on the subject—ana his conclusion that Australia's aborigines are a doomed people is one that will strike conviction as well as pity into the hearts of all peo.■ple.

The- condition of the blacks Tiere has 'been a matter of concern to the authorities almost from the time of the earliest colonisation. Beyond outrages that could almost always be traced to ie■taliation,, sometimes justified and sometimes not, there has 'never been any organised hostility towards the whites on the part of the primitive peoples, and many true stories are on record of lonely settlers and weary travellers who have received the utmost kindness and generosity from them. There is the story, for instance, of the plucky woman ■who -was pioneering in 'the big scrub on the north coast of New South Wales forty odd years ago. Living in isolation with her husband, who daily hew-, ed a clearing in the dense undergrowth and huge trees which in those day "covered those parts for miles upon miles, the only tracks being 'the creeks and rivers, the couple viewed with suspicion the blacks who would appear mysteriously from out of the depths of that gloomy forest. Then came the rainy season and food became less and .less, till in desperation the pioneer determined to make his way down the river in order to procure supplies. Days passed and he did not return.- The rain increased and the muddy torrent swept down towards the sea bearing along trees and debris and dead creatures of the bush: Almost starved and distracted with anxiety the waiting, woman at last sought out the blacks' camp and when they comprehended her plight their kindness knew no bounds. What food they had was hers and the men were off down the river in search of the lost man. Weeks after, when the waters had receded, portion of a shattered boat proved the woman a widow, and but for the succour of the blacks, which did much to establish the friendly relations which always existed afterwards in those parts between the settlers and the blacks, she too must have perished. Such stories properly told,. and some account of their ancient customs, religious rites, and kind heartedness may yet immortalise a people who,Jn the eyes of the world, have scarcely had justice. Found in the midst of their stone age they have failed to leap the centuries and have perished instead of prospered bet fore invading civilisation. Yet many instances of remarkable capacity in craftsmanship and music in purebred individuals have done much to disprove the current theory of their utter intellectual hopelessness. There were potentialities, spiritual and intellectual, but the gulf between their stage of evolution and the whites', it seems, was too great to bridge—they have learnt most of the vices and few • of the virtues that civilisation offered, and tribe upon tribe has been swept away. Availing itself of his unique knowledge of the subject the Federal Government recently appointed Sir Baldwin Spencer to make an expedition into Central Australia with "the object of framing recommendations as to the state ■ of the tribes there, and the best way of safeguarding them from the disastrous consequences that close contact with the whites had brought to the coastal tribes. He has now returned, and although he has not yet presented his report, he stated that from his observations he was quite convinced that the natives were fast disappearing and were doomed to extinction owing to association with the white population! Complete segregation was the only rem- j edy, and as that was practically impossible, they would disappear. That was regrettable, as without them it would be difficult to work the land.