, 1870-10-09
OUR EARLIEST ANCESTORS.

\ question which, with any particularly Of |
aate At 1east, will probably never DO ausweeod. !
New 0tleane an antiquity Of Ave hundrsd cen
turies. Rir John Lubbock gives to Tho sa.ne |
remains thc comparatively juvenile duration Of |
tli1ty Centuries When such earants disagree,
Who she'll decide theI. difference difference
however, matters a:e lits. =: -, /: ,lrit !
Mith respect to the age Of r.1l44..se Nan and |
n: Louis Fig1lier,s without going into tho |
subject eantsosesaiallsE, hss published 4
mot tnteres ting aud ,circnnstantial A.
count Of it. Hs il "tho chorus" wloso |
untsrion it Is to interprct to tho world at |
iArge what tie ecientiac aro quarrellinG about;
hnd IN this case, AZ in others, Ao has per-
formed his duties to tho general satisfaction. |
IN the arat place, be dcnrscatea the wrath of |
those nsfrow thcolosians who imagine thst
geology, pslaootology, and archaeology. arc
that the oEvention=l allowance at sit thoas-
End yeass OF age to the human species Arises,
no: from anY statement in tic book of Geno-
sis. hut from tic erroneous in:erprctasion of
tie chrocnlogiste; and he reniuds Us that
ivsa S.s e.,:e, shs c't1o''' tts Church. ,n which Il
dogma 70 many ui4in,por.aa: facts"
f'as never J,rired to fix thus sum,oasil: lie
epoch Of rriu:isise ru>n. At isst sight, the
inquiry with which t1i. paper coul1oncss
+senl~ wy difficult o:'c- How c.n II r. ;;os-
yihle, in the s!.sc..ce OF Ill wi.tcu o. rsl ]s-
tory. to .'ttye tic txis.etee OF men ui'oa tbs
earth It sny t,-rslcaf2- epoch: Whit evi .enca
can te llougt.: forasr..? What sronnss lave
sc to proc:ed upon Tbese: ''1f :aRa e1-
isted at hns 1err remote epoch, he ust1st have
| left ttzcea Of his presence in the srots which
be Inhabited, ind OIL ihe soil which le tr,,l un-
Ger hir feet However sarage his ttato may
hc atsausel 10 have tcen, primitive man mus,
have Possessed sutut implements Of fishing
[ snd hnntlnS-somo ueaIons wherewitl to
! strike down .uy prey which w1s stronger or
more agile than himself, AL human beings
5sFe been III possession OF n"mc tcEap OF
clothing: and they have had at their
command certain implements mora OF less
! rough 10 their character, be they only Shell
in WHICH to draw water, or a tool for cleayins
! weod and constructing some ulace Of shelter,
I 70 break tho bones Of the nnItnals Which
served for their nutriment. Never nas man
existed who Nas not IN possession OF some
kind Of defcnsiye weapon. Thesa implements
and these weapons have been patiently sought
foE. aud they have a'so been found. They
have been found IN certain st11ta Of the eArt,i.
l the nge Of which is known to geolori4ts ;
rcIne Of these strata r:ecede and otllets are
sutselutnt to the ca:ac!ysn OF the European
Ieiuge, Of tie Qaa.e.nAty epoch. The fact
has tecu thus proved that a fsce OF men lived
upon the earth at tho epoch settled BY the
= illogical sge Of theao stra,a-tAas u, during
the Quaternasy epoch
Mans existence is also occasionally revealed
by tie presence Of human bones preserved
through long ages by deposits OF caTcaseoas
salts, which have petriled or fossilizol them.
Such have been found in Quateruary rocks,
the prorrietors Of the said bones walked the
earl, at period long before the present geo
logical cpocl. Eus perhaps the best Jroof Of
n'an's extreme antiquity il dedueed from the
feet Of human remains being discovered IN
trrml1ed With those Of antediluviAa animals !:
sid this discovery has been often made in
caves AID lecr sunk placcs Of tho Garth. 1t
ii true that il Is Only Of la.e that we hsvo
heard Of s,,ch incidents. pas'conto!oev-the
-sici,ce ~ arricnt bei5Gs, or creaturas-is il
gel, but . young thing u forty or fifty yeass.
4. i it has had to fight for the bare life against
many opposing forces. Until 17s7. The
l nLrld was 10 ignorant that it LAT, for sixtr
| years accepted fossil al1amander CT the
Enisneu qMarries as human witness 0: tl,t
| I'range; and when This mi-,ake was dseoy
e,ed. tie lidicnle which, attached to il ex
iennesl 10 tho whule subject Of autediluvis1
E,au.
The FIRST step to knowledge in til:e ilircctio,
! vas, however. taEcn in l77a, when so,no III:
nan bones. mingled with rs.ias OF ttl- :,rv.
bear ard other species then 1,nkunw,:, Wc,
disenrere0 by J. Y. E-pcr il the selrs,s,t ),
cavern of Gailenrtutl,, Bavaria aud. in 1879
j
ltu Valley OF the llinc cam. humaa la;,.s
asnch lla presented to t'nr1er as thoss o
lncn who lived IN tho Customary e:ocI,
Cu,ier ia ssiI TO hayo 6iscrediicl III;
theory: and get. Notwithstanding til
insnfiie'encv Of tho then exi.tiss data
he sayr. in his Oisconr. su, it.s I;rp'u.io,.
'n Gtole: II am rot inclined to causlu,i
I, AZ nssn lad no existence at al hefctc II,
H. ch Of tie great revelations OF tho eastI,
&.... Hc Eight have inhabited certain district
oi no great extent, whc,cc, after t1s-o t,rrj
bic evant-. he refeo},led the cnr.l, rcri,1n
Wy, ard hss boxes lie tusiel under thc beds q
l The pseecnt eexF.'f
''fn 1916, NJ. Journal, OF Earbonne, found +
cave In the Department Of An:1e bones o, III
hi~'n aud the reindeer. fashioned by tho han
y o. nsn, accompanied by The remains Of el;b!
by men ~ho haa made their resatrnec in iii
, cave. 4 vast number OF similar tisrororie
! we're made, including those in tho .n,no:,
. hctlts Hole, neAr 1orquAy, where, in 1sii
:. unaer 'ayts Of Htaln5ui:e, I'll
I remains Of man and anttsjiluyian animals war
q found mixed together Tho accumulation o
| evidence in this direction convinced eren In
! wsEmest orpoaers Of the hypothesis Of III
> hgh antiquity Of man, and es"n turned then
: ! Is happens IN the case OF conversions Of "a
: other SORT INTO 'ts most encrertic supporters
. Hut the most extraordinary of all the cxp1or,
tions Was that which took rl.ce, in 1850. =
= Aurigl ac Q1aute-G -Garonnc) for it resulte,l i
!. | ncthi1sg }eHe than tho direorefr of A nrahit
to1ic human burisl-place. Somehow or oIhe,
r Tue ni,sdseatule Of Scottis -iniiqadry alsay
!. suggests itself in treating pf these NJ shr,
y logical sub1ects. hut the cays It Au.isnac i
! We believe. above tu.; .;.irion as 4 genuine D,
- . genealogical lind 1t IL si.un' ed in a hi
>. cs1Md Fltolea. forty-two feet ahovo sivuln
y tu:ard which the cafcsreous soil slopes On.
- The discovery OF this hollow, which ia no
10 cit sI"d out, WEE made entir,y hy chance
, wns hidden hy mass nf dr,ris OF rock an
vegetable es1tt, which had cr1rabled down
= il Ind, in fact, only bean known as : rabbit
= bole. In l641, an e1c4vatinE laborer nan,c
= lsonnenalson, took il into hi- head one day
n ti:ust his ann into THE hole. ard out Of Il i
=. ons 10 search into the mystery, he made .
>. >. excavation in the alopo below the holo. an
~ aitcr eome hours labor, came urou 4 e!ab
=, =, sAndttepe, which closed I'D an arched one
y =: ing. Behind the slab Of etonc, be tliscovert
~ Aollow in which quantity Of hun.n bon
6. wore stored up.
~ ut was not loLg before the news of 4.
!. discovery Vas eepiead far and wide. croxt
40 of curious visitors Aocked to ttt sno
~ :. and many endeayored to explain Tue a
:, ss'n OF thete human rem,ins, Il
mmense antiquity Of which waa nitcs.ea /
q, t.,cis excessive fraGthty. The sld inbahitan
m Of tbs locality took it into their heads Ia -
a. call to recollection hand Of co!ners ond nj
be1s. who, half ! century betpre, had infcs,e
~ tne country This decidedly populat tS1nc
= and ''ecision was judged perfectly ss,i.fsct,
- =, and every ono agreed in declaring that II,
II was nothing but tho retreat OF tl,eTc r,teis
= toss, VIII concealed all the traces Of Tho
e crimes by hiding tho bniie. Of their yic.iu
. III thus cave, which was kuoNn to these cs,,,,
:, mails only.
), II; Amie1, s1.yor of Aunsn.c. caused
I In ha
l. they were buried in the parish cc,petcr
= Nevertheless, before tho rctpi,rmstiG
Il was proceeded With, le recoc!e,l ~
'r fact that the skeletons we're thysc {
3 seventeen individuals OF both ee1es. In add
% IL the cave = number Of li:tle discs. or Il,
. ranEs, formed Of tho rhelI Of epeciss 6
% et'ekle tcdrdiu'n1. F1AtrinEs sltosether ain
70 i1f,' fhes" are not At Ill insrcqnent in tn
neck'aefF aud other ornaments OF Asavria,
r antiquity found At S1neseh
y Eighteen years after this event-that i.
IN is6p-A. Ed0nar1 LArtet raid visit 1
! Aungnac. All tho detail. az the sbovt
= nan1ed discovery were rclatcd to him, att
- re long interval which bad elapsed, no ont
mt sven the grave-difser himself, coul
remains had heen buried in tbs ssi II
:, we're therefo1.' lost to SCIENCE. II, Lsrtf
T. resoiven. hop-c.tr. to set on foot som
= excavations in the cava from which thcv In
- ben taken ano h. soon fon,,d him. eli il no,
II session of tnfoTrt.-fcr t!+seuses, The ,ioo
= OF II: cavern itself Lad remained intAc
q AND w.a coserc: with J. la5cr Of .m.,
" ground, mixed with fragments Of eton.
II Outside this tane care. u. Last.t ,lie.orerc
~ he'd OF ashes a'a charcoal. which. however
IA d;.' hot extend 10 H.. interior. This bed "a
NJ NJ r".erssl with 'msdc erourt' at an c4siferou
Nd vegetable cl,s!ac'er- Inside the cave, til
ii etouhu conta'n, d soree Of the bear, the 70,
t:.e rfindesr, the bison, tho hors., rtc, ali If
= t'ir4nEle'l VIII, ttum rouH relics Ct h,,;,,a
~ 'tlus'ry. snch ar implements made OF sta- q
q | IeitldtNf6 q hum earatnii,. ,..I.4.l - =. :