LAPP LIFE STUDIED IN RACIAL INVESTIGATION

In connection with the recent investigation of race-mixture, which have been carried on by the Division of Anthropology, Martin Luther '21 has returned recently with a larger collection of data and material concerning the physical appearance and life of the inhabitants of Lapland.

The data consists of photographs and detailed measurements of the men, women, and children, and also records of the sociological side of the lives of the Lapps.

In respect to the sociological information collected in Lapland, Luther states that intermarriage between these people and the Norwegians is not satisfactory, as the children are often defective or imbecilic.

"The Lapps," Luther, says, "are a nervous class of people and would be termed neurasthenics. In one village for example, where a stick was whacked against the side of a tent, the inhabitants fainted from fright. A number of the subjects who were being measured lost consciousness while they were undergoing this simple and harmless operation."

Speaking of their religion, Luther continued, "The Lapps fear the unknown, and their religion for the most part is only a nominal one." The greater part of the Lapps profess to the doctrines of the Lutheran Church.

Labor Done by Women

In regard to their habits and physical appearance, he says that the Lapps like to sit around and exchange stories, that they are not particularly active, and are none too fond of water used externally. A great deal of the manual labor is done by the women of the country. Lapps, like most primitive peoples, are fond of smoking and drinking. As for their physical ailments, they are susceptible to such diseases as tuberculosis, and social diseases are extremely prevalent among them.

The results of the expedition, while they will be some time in preparation, are expected to be an important factor in determining how radical hybrids compare with their respective parent stocks in fertility and vitality, in mental characteristics, and in respect to social efficiency and economic and political stability.