Racial Values

What Sort of People For Australia?

An Opinion

On The Subject Of

Racial Values

A gentleman named Battistessa

has been writing angrily to a Syd ney newspaper because someone

suggested that Mediterranean

people were not the best immi

grants for Australia. He pointed

out that great Empires—the Gre cian, the Phoenecian, the Roman —have risen and flourished on the shores of the Mediterranean.

Which brings questions about racial values into the picture.

Historically, Mr. Battistessa is quite correct, Ethnologically or racially, his argument may be challenged.

Those empires were based, not on what we now call Mediterranean people, but mostly on Nordic types, who originally invaded from the colder parts of Europe, and made their homes along the Mediter ranean. Each great empire, as it became affected by population infiltrations from the south (today’s Mediterraneans) deteriorated and presently collapsed.

No Comparison

The people who created the Roman Empire originally were mostly Nordic. They were weakened by southern infiltrations, and the Empire fell before another wave of Nordic barbarians. There is no comparison between the ancient Romans, and the Neapolitan type which now has over-run most of Southern and Central Italy—except that they both have lived in the reelon of Rome.

With one exception, there is not in the world today one great and strong nation whose people in the beginning were not predominantly Nordic. The exception is Japan.

As is so well demonstrated in United States, people of non-Nordic race can be carried along to national strength and power if sufficiently well mixed with Nordics. Without the Nordics, although they may be socially and culturally attractive and desirable, they seem never to achieve national greatness. Once non-Nordic communities become strongly established in a Nordic country, they tend to out-breed the Nordics; and the country thus infiltrated may decline to unim portance in a highly competitive world.

Perhaps these generalisations are wrong—but they are based on much study of recorded history, and observation of nations and races.

But standards are changing.

Maybe, the qualities of courage and endurance, allied with intellectual strength, which placed the 19th century Nordics in the forefront of world affairs, do not matter so much, now. Maybe, the good looks, lively temperament and artistic gifts characteristic of the Mediter ranean and other brunette races, are socially more desirable —or at least as desirable. What are the best trials of mankind, anyway?

Some of the strongest and most attractive people I know are the products of unions between Nordic and non-Nordic people. In the many racial crosses in the Pacific Islands, there is little better—in good looks, strength of character

and mental ability—than the pro ducts of unions between Polynesians (whose racial make-up includes Caucasian, Negro and Mongol) and Chinese.

Maybe, the answer to Australia’s immigration problems lies some where among those ethnological

facts and deductions.

R.

The Lutheran Mission hopes to start work this year on a 60-bed hospital at Okapa, in the New Guinea Eastern Highlands—centre of the mystery disease of “kuru”.

The cost will be shared by the Administration. The hospital will be set up at a terminal stage for natives suffering from the disease when they are past the care of relatives.