Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1868-10-22

Of the earliest plvuitiha Ah"t i"NN'N.
ted antiquity, and It's solution took !
the character ofa fable. Autochthones
sprung from the ground, gods deseen- |
ded from Olympus and mingled with
men, stones turned TO human beings |
A gradual progress was traced, not
from lover 10 higher scale OF be.
ing, but from state Of purity and
innocence, through successive stages
Of deterioration, down to the hard
race among which we live.
Modern research upon this question
takes two directions-philology and
theology. The careful study Of Ian
guage has revealed some important
truths. Tracing the affinities of dia-
lsets, il detects relations among ma
tions and tribes long anterior to the
dawn ofeven traditional history. Thus
the inquiries of modern etymologists
have led to the conclusion that the
nations of modern, as well as Of his
torical ancient Europe, have sprung
from one common stock, the Aryan
raoe, which opisinally inhabited the
cold mountains of Central Asia. The
Greeks, Romans, Celts, Goths, are all
offshoots from this original mother
stem. The languages of all these peo-
ple are traceable TO one common ori-
gin, not only through their roots, but
also in the inherent character of the
languages themselves. They are all
infected tongues, that is, the deriv-
ative words are notifications of the
primary, which are usually monosyl-
lablcs.
Scattered upon the outskirts of the
conquering races, we find other peo.
pie who speak tongue In no wise
traceable 10 Aryan roots. The Basques,
the Firms, the Turks, the Maygars OF
Hungarians, the Lapps, the Bulgari-
ans, speak in tongues which are evil
IDENTIFY affiliated, and their physical
traits differ from those of the Aryan
race. Their languages are styled by
Max Muller, aggiutiHating, by which
he would express the fact, that though
they have compound words, yet the
roots composing them retain certain
distinctness, so they seem to be as il
were merely cemented together.
Outside of Europe we find the Sem
itic races, represented by the Eastern
Asiatics, as the Hebrews, the Chalde-
ans. &C, and the Cushites, the chief
nations OF which were the ancient As
syrians and Egyptians. They are al
lied TO the Behers Of North Africa and
TO the Copts. Thus far the study Of
language bears us. We detect the af-
finities OF races and can trace them to
their geographical cradle But have
no races disappeared before these Asi-
attic invaders, as the red men are even
now fading away before the white
men What was the age of the world
when the first man appeared 7 What
were his brute contemporaries and what
manner Of man was hey These are
questions which philology cannot an
swer, and the anxious inquirer sum
mons geology to his aid, TO pene-
trate a little further into the Bhadowy
past.
At once we find ourselves in the
midst Of hypothesis and speculations
Prominent among these is the theory
Of distinct geographical centres OF
origin. The holders Of this opinion
point to the condition of Europe and
its neighboring continents during the
quaternary age. Sahara was a great
sea, while the continent which oocu-
pied the present position of the Attain
tic had sunken, and the Archipelago
Of the Canaries represent its last sur
viying mountain SUBMITS. The whole
basis of the Aral and Caspian, the
Asiatic steppers, and the Desert Of
Cobb, were one great sea. Upon the
scattered lands separated by the wide
sheets of water, the primitive races
sprung up, and their differences of
form and language necessarily yresulted
from the peculiarities Of climate and
other extraneous circumstances. No
Communication could take place
among these primitive races, and 30
Chinese, Tuurauians, Aryans, Semites
and Cushites had full opportunity to
develope their separate characteris-
tics unmixed with one another To
the Tauranians alone was access 10
Europe possible, and they could reach
IT only by the way Of the north. From
Asia il was separated by an immense
lagoon, and indeed water was the
dominant element of the period. 1t
swept along in gigantic floods, or
frlnged the shores with glaciers.
Rushing in torrents down the sides of
the slopes, as the land slowly rose
through these huge seas it gave rise
to the tradition Of the doluge, so prey
alent among the Asiatic tribes.
The remnants OF this period, con
sisting Of boulders, erratc blocks,
rolled gravel and drift, lie scattered |
all over Europe During this time
the continent Of Europe was oscilla-
ting, sometimes rising and sometimes
sinking. England, North Germany,
Poland, Russia as far as Moscow. sank |
under the waves, which stood l.5OO |
feet above the present principality Of
Wales. Over all this submerged ooun- |
''Ai"6 NhN lSuhlic lccoefEai ]
dropping great blocks as they melted. I
the silent chronicles Of those ancient |
voyages Then these countries rose
again from the whelming wave. Mr..
Lyell has ventured upon calculation
OF the time required for these changes,
and has hit upon the moderate period
OF two hundred thousand years.
The recovered continent was a wild
ana savage country. Huge forests
darkend its surface, great rivers rush
Cd through the seades, and lowering
skies hegloomed it with clouds and
drenched il with perpetual Showers
me elephant, the mammoth, the
rhlnoceros, the hippopotamus roamed
over its suriaro; tigers and hyenas
occupied Its caves, and herds of wild
horses, oxen and. aurochcs pastured
on the abundant grass. These forms.
now exclusively tropical, lived as far
north as England. Even monkeys
wore indigenous in that country.
Among the rcmQins of these erea.
lures those of man ho,.. 80 80 l