From the INTRODUCTION.
The word anthropology from its derivation means, of course, a discourse concerning man. It has been defined by the great French naturalist, De Quatrefages, as the natural history of man. It is, then, scientific study of man of the same sort as the scientific study which a botanist pursues concerning plants and the zoologist concerning animals. In its most comprehensive meaning it includes the study of the physical man and of his mental, social, and religious natures. It is a broad field; not easily limited. It includes a number of subordinate sciences, such as somatology or physical anthropology, ethnology, prehistoric archaeology, and culture history. It is not the intention of the author in writing this book to discuss the whole field of anthropology, but simply to consider some points in culture history. It shall be our aim to trace simply some few of the first steps in human progress.
Primitive man, whatever his capacity for learning and achievement, faced an unknown world. He was to subdue nature; to do so he must solve many problems. If we look at the great progress and advancement which we, in America, have made within one hundred years we may see how the solution of one problem aids to solve a new problem; how the ground gained to-day serves simply as a point from which to advance to occupy new ground to-morrow. This progress is now marked and rapid; when it began it was slow and feeble.
A part of this book was originally presented in the form of lectures to a Chautauqua audience. These lectures have been taken as a foundation; they have been expanded; new topics have been discussed. The work as a whole has been developed with the Chautauqua audience in mind. From the character of the work it has been deemed inadvisable to encumber the pages with references and notes. There are many books to which the author is indebted; there are many persons to whose inspiration and suggestion he owes much of what is here contained. The absolutely new and original content of the work either in matter or in form is small. It is believed, however, that to a certain degree the mode of treatment is fresh and somewhat original. While it is impossible to acknowledge every source from which material or suggestion has been drawn, there will be found at the close of the work a list of the books which have been found most helpful and to which the interested reader is referred for further detail and for fuller discussion....