THE GENESIS OF SPAIN.

Otago Witness, Issue 2520, 2 July 1902, Page 79

THE GENESIS OF SPAIN.

(Selection from tlie .Nineteenth Century.)

The primitive population of Spain, as far back as we can go, was nriinly Iberian. Who the Iberian.s were is a problem that long perplexed anthropologists. The early investigations of a great anthropological pioneer, Broca. as well as those of Thurnam, followed by the more recent researches of Cartailhac, Siret. and Sergi, have in the main settled this problem. It is fairly clear that the Iberians formed part of a great Mediterranean race which reached Spain from Africa — possibly, as Sergi believes, having their original home in north-east Africa — where they may still be seen in their purest foim. by the ancients called Libyans, by the moderns Kabyles and Berbers. This race gradually ovei -spread all the coast of the Mediterranean, and in the north-we^t extended even into Britain in days previous to the an ivy 1 of the Celts. Spain, as the nearest country to Africa, became the special European seat of the Eurafrican race, and has lemair.ed so to the present day. the Basques in their isolated fastnesses, a- is now genelally recognised, having best preserved, though still with much modification, the primitive Iberian traits. Tlie Celts came at a later date, chiefly to the northern and north-western coast, forming a fiinge to the Iberian population, and the Carthaginians preceded by the Phoenicians, formed a similar fringe along the south and south-west era coast. With ibis feouthern fringe the Romans nungled their civilisaton ; and then tlie Visigoths penetrated to the centre of the country and ruled it fur lruny centuries to be diiv-j:i tit the north of the peninsula. tcgether with a'l the most unyielding clcmenis of the population, by the ineMstiMo Arabs and Berbeis, who de\ eloped in I Insouthern half of the country the mobt <x cjuisite civilisation that I*Lm has e\ei .<ltained. Then after five centime^ the northern element of the population rolled bad: with renewed energy to o\ erlay ai.d e.\pel the Mohammedan population.

From that time theie have h<_en r.o x\*w immigrations, and s-o fai a« the compo-i lion of the race has been alteted it hjs been by the more unfoitunate method* <f banishment, emigration, aid d-.j-tniction. An mteie=ting and probab'y very significant point abutit the lmmigiations i^- tlwt they were largely constituted by simil ir element'-. Cut off on every other .side by the Atlantic and the Pyrenees Spain wa^ chiefly open on the Mediterranean Mde. and every' immigiation on this side, probably even to some extent that of the Romano, wa« mainly composed of pome branch, usually African, of the same Meditrmm an race. Only the Celts and the Goth- biou^ut in new element", which, liowe-.et. \\a.\e failed to modify greatly the general character of the race. The recent researches of antlu-opologi'-ts have -show n that the physical chai«icter» of the Spani&h population reveal a degiee of fusion and uniformity winch rendeir- thjem perhips the puiest race 111 Europe. The absence of fundamental divesity in the racial characteristics of the several province-, and possibly the general tack of pliability in the wliolo nation, may be explained by thi3 uniformity of constitution. Both by ita physical feaiuies ai\d also by the rate and t-tmper oi its population, Spain I^. then, far moie tlian any other European -country Afric.ui in character. I see cutiou= evidence of the affinity between Afuca and Spam in the ic-eni-blance in literary spirit "between the Laun African wi - it« r S *&& writeii.

where but in St. Augustine and Tertullian, the mosb-typically African authors, can. we find the torrid emotional fervour, the inflexible ethical independence, dominating all other elements of character, which we to often find in the men of Spain.