RACIAL EVOLUTION

Evening Star, Issue 22620, 12 April 1937, Page 2

RACIAL EVOLUTION

MISS NEFF'S LECTURES At the final lantern lecture by Miss Mary K. Neff in the Theosophical Hall last evening many interesting slides were shown depicting the evolution of races of men who did not work out their destiny in a haphazard way, but, according to God’s plan, for at the beginning, she said, He intended that certain races of men and suitable religions should be predominant in the world at certain periods. It was the inner government of the world which carried out this plan. Seven great races were destined to inhabit the earth, five of which had appeared, and the sixth one was slowly being formed. Traces of the first two races had entirely disapper red, but the third, called the Lemurian, of which the remnants were the negroes, still persisted, although their native continent, had mostly disappeared, leaving only Easter Island, with its statues of giants, as records of the size of men in those far-off days. Atlantis was the home of the fourth race people; it connected Africa with America and Europe. John Masefield spoke of man’s destiny in his poem ‘ My Creed.’ Great were reincarnated. Rome lived again in the British Empire, while the_ Carthaginians were in Germany; individual Greek artists lived again as Italian sculptors, etc. , „

Read Matthew Arnold’s poem ‘ Revolution,’ said the speaker. Fifty years ago Theosophists announced that a new type of children was appearing, and American scientists were now going into the matter thoroughly, for many were in that country, and the schools divided their classes into two divisions —the old type and the new—for the latter did not need to be told anything twice over, but grasped the meaning at once. This new race was also appearing in Australia and New Zealand, for the pioneering spirit of the ancestors prepared the ground for friendliness and co-operation which was not found in older countries. Canada and the United States of America had only an imaginary boundary, used freely by' all, but Europe had boundaries dotted bv forts. The cosmopolitan nature of American people had helped to break down race prejudice. Australia had a mixture, but New Zealand was pure British stock, with some Maori added, which brought better physique, romance, and poetry. Already captains reported the appearance of strange isknds, for in the, volcanic zone attaching America and New Zealand there was a continent slowly rising as the home of this new race.

The children had a pear-shaped head, large forehead, small chin (often dimpled), deep-set eyes, and were very aensitive.' Hrdlika. the American ethnologist, said they, were of tall stature, medium colouring, and hair, mixed eyes, sinuous form when young, while, their mental characteristics were frankness, open (yet shrewd), not sentimental, and with little affectation and few extremes in their genera] make-up. An Australian ethnologist said they bad little time for_ religion (as preached), but more time for service to their fellows. Ministers must be dynamic and the church full of fellowship to attract these types. They possessed strong wills and intuition. A .word was better than a blow, to them.