MR DENTON'S LECTURES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4342, 24 March 1882, Page 3

MR DENTON'S LECTURES.

The Backs of Mankind.

Mr W. Denton last night, at the Oddfellows' Hall, delivered the third lecture of his new series, on " The Races of Mankind ; their Origin and their Deetiny." There was a large attendance.

The lecturer began by quoting the Grecian sage's saying, " The proper study of mankind is man." Ethnology, although a most interesting and important subjeot, was but little studied ; and the soionco was so young that its pursuit was surrounded, by difficulties. Authorities differed as to the number of races of men, Cuvier enumerating only three, and Burke as many as 63. Some divided them according to the colour of the skin, others according to the shape of the head, and others acoording to language. Ho would prefer to take into consideration all the peculiarities marking the various peoples. Mr Denton hers explained that he had, for the purposes of his lecture, divided the races into six— the Caucasian, the Hyperborean, the Mongolian, the Ethiopian, the American, and the Polynesian. The lecturer indicated the characteristic features of each race, ds Bhown in a series of portraits, to which he frequently referred. Theso portraits included examples of the German, the Icelander, the Greek, the Berber, the modern Egyptian, the Saracen, the Syrian, the Esquimaux, tho Aleutian Islander, the Finlander, the Chinaman, the Tartar, the Negro, the Kaffir, the Tierra del Fuegian, the North American Indian, the Malay, the Papuan, the tfew Zealander, the Samoa Islander, tho Javan, the Fijian, and the Tasmanian The lecturer dot ailed tho various currents of migration which had. modified the characteristics of races, springing originally from a limited number of centres. Whence came the diversities of race ? The common opinion was that there had been but one original stock. Some thought climate was wholly responsible for the diversities, but could climate- flatten the noeo, lower the forehead, o? produce the other variations known to exist ? Another notion wa3 that the first men were white till tho curse of Noah made one of his sons black. Hugh Miller had started the notion that the degradation of races was duo to vioe. Would vice turn white men into black ? Tho negro's account was that Adam was black, and Cain turned whito when ho wa3 scared by the Almighty. (Laughter.) He (the looturer)jput all the theories on one footing. His own theory was that as in stones, in flowers, in fruits, in Bnells, in fishes, in rep tiles, in the mammals, there wore differences of colcur, so there were in the races of man. It was part of the universal system of nature There wore greater diversities between the skulls of primitive man and those of the existing races, than wero to be found among tho races now living. As he believed that dogs, cats and horses sprang from different stocks, co did he balievo with regard to man. In this matter ho differed from Darwin. Languages thousands of years old were absolutely distinct, showing that the diversities had then obtained. What was to be the destiny of the different human races? His opinion was that they would eventually merge into onegrand, highly moral people, having one common language ; a people worthy of the Spirit that had called it into existence by the operation of natural laws. At tho present day inferior races wero melting away in tho presence of the superior, who were multiplying at a tremendous rate. Higher types of manhood were destined to possess the earth, and the universal language, or at least its backbone, would, in his opinion, be the English. (Applauso.) The lecturer caused muoh amusement by his imitations of the dialer tt of the English language, whioh he declared were

rapidly disappearing, and concluded his address amid loud applause. The lecture was followed by a few illustrations of the usual oharaoter. To-night Mr Denton will give his last lecture, the aubjeot being— "The Origin of Man."