Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1859-11-23
APRR,ADAnIrE QUESTION

for essh inssstion. -. -
APRE.ADAMIrE QUESTION ~.
IL appears that the battle - long end % stur-
Oily wagsd hstvssn the thsologistS and theolo-
Risns in regard 10 the date Of man, . appearance
on this pls1et aad which had wslI rleh be<p
given up by the former, Win hare 10 Be- fought
over again. By those who denied as well as By
those Who accepted the Mosaie aceonnt Of the
cosmogony, itwas held In NE laaguags Of Hagh
Miller, that there we're ssno good grounds TO
believe that man existed upon the earth du-
ring the time of he bouldsr-clay and drift-
gravel PERIOD This belief was based upon
the fact hat no fossil remains were found In
the stsata ef he s.post- -pleioesns, or ssdriff'
period which could be referred to human ori-
gin, whereas the bones Of numerous species Of
extinct mammals we're discovered in abund-
ance in these strata. Il was also contsnded
that the climatic conditions Of the earth daring
the Tsr>ifry or drin period were such that
man, a. e present o. sEsnixsd, could not BY any
possibility have kept alive even though he had
been created st that time. This opinion, wo
say, was sinsst universally hsld, both by
scriptnral and anti-scriptursi geologists until
recsntly. Certain diseov eries have been made
IN the ps1t tueysars which, I'm al probability,
will reopen the question Of man . original and
result IN N essential modi di6sstion Of the opin-
i'm which he's hitherto been acospted - con-
cusive.e 49, f.il4 80 - 80 - tssf - "a
The wssthlsstsr Review, never unwilling 70
kind reeordsin the July lumber. with great
fa-isfAction, uonas Of the discover es 70 which
We have slladsd. About two pears ago, n. de
Pershss, in . work entitled % sAsssqnifes Csiss.
cues .sf sfAnfsdslarssrHss," announced the dss-
covery Of fints. Obviously fashioned By the
hand hand e s MAJ. Y sssysl a;ss on hils 200 feet
eisted with the lrsmains Of the sxtinot sie-
phant, rhinoceros, bear, hyena, stag, OK, and
horse; the lGravsI bsds bsin6 overlxid With
thick beds Of sand and loan containing the
delicate sbs1fs0 frssh water moIIusks. This
discovery, import4nt ss II was, attracted
little st1ention. Bat In the course Of last
brought to light in the course Of some ex-
plorations which hare been carried on be.
meath the staiagmitie crust which forms The
floor OF csve newly opened ct Brixham, in
Devonshirs. Strongly Impressed with the facts
revealed at Brixham, Mr.. Prestwich, ssths ee-
ologist par eFes!fsnes q the posttsrtiary for
an antiquary, who has paid great attention 70
flint wsspons, repaired 10 AbbsviIle, where,
BY occular proof Of the aint weapons IL sif.t.
and the undissurbed condition Of the gravel
bed above and around than, he became satis-
fed that they had not been placed there By
design or By geological accident, bat bsIonesd
globe mt period anterior TO the Celtic oocupa-
tion, and who were eontempofaneous with the
extinct animals whose bones lie side by side
with the silicic implenents.s -. !.
Bus stiil more remarkable case has oc-
earrsd in elr Own country, Mr.. James n. II.
writing from Point Pleasant, Mason county,
under date Oct A. 1859, communicates to Mr..
L0udon, Of Richmopd, the discovery Of fossil
whetstone In coal bank noar Pfunty Town,
in Taylor county. The discovery was made in
or before the year 1849, and the milestone,
whsn sssn. BY Mr. Bsale, was in the possession
Of the ksvsDr. Wheeler, principal Of an aead-
ted man, devoted 70 fhe purs1its Of natural
scienes." In form and figure the milestone
was identicaily, except e. TO the material, Of
which ID Is composed. such an one as the Joiner
or cabinet maker uses in whsttipg plane bits,
being wooden block with an oil stone inserted
bat was petrifed; the oil stone had been hol-
lowed out by long usage Mr.. Beale whetted
his knife upon IL, and found its sharpeniDg
qualities unsurpassed. Dr. Wheeler calssd if
Noah's whetstoue," but Mr.. Beals u evil
dently Of opinion that it, owner lived long be-
fore Noah. He describes minutsly the position
Of the block when discovered in the coal bank,
and though he gives no " satisfied opinion ~
TO how and when it got into that position, ar
gues very grsvely 10 show that men may haye
lived At time anterior 10 tho coal formations
The sdaptabiiify Of mans constitution to the
extreme ten peratares Of the arctic and torrid
zones suggests the idea that he may have lived
under terrestrial and mrial conditions which
We deem fatal. - ( n -.
Without entering into the discussion Of sub
jecf Of which We know little, wecan but notice
the important bearing the fscts We have men,
toned Few and isolAted As they are; they will,
Il sebstantiatsd and accepted, reopen wide
laid q diseussion. But the scriptural geologist
is net easily defeated. Hitherto bis most post
tive II net most formidable opponent has been
Andrew jackson Davis, the ciairvcysnt and
sspiritualists Who, In that strange ms dfsy which
he has chosen . call the ssGfeat Harmonia, /"
gives the particulars Of number of rsces Of
pre-Adamits men, the highest order Of which
vas s9ntking between Negro and Gorilla
Boa 8kas8spiritual vagaris, % Ear from dsua-
ging the oaass of religion, were disallowed By
even ths most atheistic scientists Mott and
Gliddon absolntely went 70 fhr a. 10 neglect 70
nosies Nj. Dsvis' existence. - Bal. .Assyseass.
Pslies Caps.an snd sAs rresn.ssss--1ui.