CAUCASIAN PHYSICAL

Should Caucasian Physical Characteristics Be Used To Determine Who Enters The United States Without Difficulty And Who Doesn't Why or why not?

Caucasian Physical

Introduction

The Caucasus, which extends for a length of about 750 miles, and has a breadth from 70 to 150 miles, includes many high, longitudinal valleys, formed by parallel ranges, and drained by rivers flowing for some considerable distance in the same direction. In contrast to the Alps, where art and nature have contrived so many easy passes, the Caucasian Central range, with its lofty parallel chains, has but very few practicable cols and only one real carriage road.

Discussion

The few mountain passes are blocked in winter by snow and avalanches, and in no season of the year are they without their peculiar dangers. Thus the high valleys of the Caucasus have always served as an admirable abode and a safe refuge for those peoples who only desire to live in seclusion, preserving their ancient customs and ignorant of the world's affairs. Though, with the firm establishment of the Russian domination in the Caucasus, the isolation of these valleys is less complete, and the people are constrained by degrees to issue from their natural fastnesses and take some cognisance of what is going on in the wide world, yet the process is slow, the difficulties of road-making being still very considerable, and hence, even in our days, there are tribes who continue to live just as their ancestors did a thousand years and more ago, and who care as little about telegraphs, telephones, and railways as did the Jews in times of Abraham.

For this reason among others, Svanetia merits the attention of the geographer and ethnographer, though, as a matter of fact, this attention has been very sparingly bestowed hitherto, and Svanetia still remains one of the least-known countries in the world. This high mountain region has a twofold interest—physical and ethnographical. Occupying the southern declivity of the highest part of the Central Caucasian range, it presents the largest development of glacial phenomena in these mountains; it is remarkable for its vegetable and animal productions, and it has many tectonic peculiarities and manifestations of subterranean energy interesting to the geologist. Ethnography finds abundant interest in a people who were renowned in the time of Strabo, speak a very peculiar language, have preserved some of the most ancient customs, and have fully experienced the inevitable but terrible consequences of isolation from the general movement of the world and the advance of civilisation. Svanetia may be considered as a type of several Caucasian districts, situated in profound longitudinal valleys between high, rocky ramparts, across which as yet no roads have been constructed, and therefore necessarily shut off from light and knowledge. Such spots are favourable for the growth of ignorance and superstition, cruelty and barbarism, though they may perhaps also promote the development of some of the noblest human qualities—daring, courage, love of liberty, and enthusiastic patriotism. I feel myself justified in presenting some account of Svanetia ...