The bronze age and the Celtic world - Universal History Library

THE ARYAN CRADLE I35
The original supporters of the Aryan hypothesis fell so in love with the languages
and with the people who originally developed them, that they grew to believe that these
Wiros were superior creatures, with a superior tongue, which they had imposed upon
an inferior world. AU good things found in the civilisation of Europe were attributed
to them, and they became the super-men. As far as we can ascertain from the
linguistic evidence available they had, it is true, evolved a language which, owing to its
flexibility, was capable of great things, but it is by no means clear that the higher
developments, which some of the tongues have reached, would have been attained had
not the Wiros mixed with people possessing other ideas and other idioms. The
evidence of linguistic palaeontology shows that in material culture they were very
backward, and, as we shall see later on, aU the archaeological evidence tends to show
that in these respects they were far behind the peoples whom they conquered, and on
whom they imposed their tongue. Their one important characteristic seems to have been
their incapacity for learning other languages, and so insisting that other folk should
adopt theirs. This may have been due to lack of linguistic ability, or to an overbearing
conceit. Probably it was due to both. The original Wiros, then, as judged by linguistic
evidence, were far from being super-men.
Another fallacy has been the behef that the Nordic is the superior person, the
" white man " par excellence. The Nordic is strong, robust and courageous, and
possesses certain manly qualities which are much admired ;
also he has taken care for
some thousands of years to impress upon his neighbours that these are admirable
qualities. The Nordic has also other good points, such as honesty and a genius for
administration, but he is far from possessing a monopoly of the virtues, and in many
respects falls behind members of the other European races. The works of Gobineau'
and later of Madison Grant^ have enumerated his virtues without defining his
limitations, and no one, so far as I know, has yet written to extol the excellencies of
the Alpine or Mediterranean races, who have contributed and still contribute much
of what is good in the make-up of modern Europe.
During the latter part of the nineteenth century the Germans were engaged in
making and consolidating their empire, and to do this they wished to encourage their
7 Gobineau (1853-55). * Grant (1916), (1921).