Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1872-02-13
How Long Have Men Lived ?

~ 10 w uSLhOnSliato Tue existence
OF a man OF the reindeer period as
cotemporaneous with that of the
maximum extension of the glaciers
at Schussen in Wurtemberg. This,
however, does not give us a chrome
metrical estimate on which we can
base distinct generalization as to
the amoant of time which has elaps-
ed since men split fnts and sawed
reindeer bones in the caverus near
the source of the Schussen river -
Still less do the comparatively
modern caves in the Dordogne, or
the far more ancient ones of Bel
GUM, afford US any precise chrouo-
metrical measures. We may, indeed
hope that the researches which DIR.
+ Dupont, under the auspices of the
Belgian Government, has carried on
for SO long, viii lead to the establish
ment of some precise indie which
will enable US TO estimate the enor-
nous lapse Of time which has taken
place since tho Trou de la Naulette
was used rs place Of sepulture by
the human covemporary of tho
rhinoceros, the hyena, and the cave
lion, and since the men of that
period, with their
REMARKABLY FORMED JAWS
gave place to another subsequent
aud Mongoloid race which existed
during the period of the reindeer
and the deposition OF The enormously
thick bed Of angular pebbles which
extends along the whole Lesse val
ley. And this is not all Since the
reindeer man was extinctih southern
Belgium, deposit of fuviutile mud
has spread over all the older beds,
and appears to indicate that the gap
which separates the reindeer man OF
the Trou du Frontal from the exist.
ing Walloon must, even on the mod
crate rates of computation employed
by Professor Troyon, be reckoned
by thousands of years.
Professor Forel draws vivid
picture of the time which has elapsed
between the deposition Of the Schus-
sen beds and the earlier lake habita-
tons. A lapse of time Of unknown
duration bad passed away, and at
the commencement of the lacustrine
epoch the following changes were
accomplished The fauna had chang
cd. The reindeer and the mammoth
had passed away, the Bos prjmi-geRius
alone surviving as contemporary of
the wild boar, red deer and roebuck.
The fora had changed. To the Al
pine fora, with it's scanty vegetation
of mosses and lichens, which were
just able to grow on the ice mud,
had succeeded rich and brilliant
forests The level of tho lake had
fallen thirty metres, and had assumed
it's present aspect. And man seems
to have changed from the poor rein>
deer hunter of the Saleve to the
intelligent aud active fisher, agricul-
turist aud manufacturer, to whom
are due the relatively highly civilized
lake habitations Of ancIent Switzar.
land, But the use Of
METAL HAD NOT BEEN INTRODUCED
yet, and pottery alone Indicates the
comparatively high grade Of civiliza-
tion at which the builders Of the
Pfahlbaut0n had arrived. Long after
came the ages Of bronze and iron,
and finally the Roman period, with
It's fixed dates aud absolute chronol-
ogy. A rapid review OF the history
Of humanity in Europe shows us an
uninterrupted series Of events, look.
ing back from the Roman period
through the various lacustrine epochs
as far az the most ancient remains Of
polished stone. But there occurs a
gap. We are not in tho presence of
fixed dates, and the continuity of
the dates alone gives Us perfect
key TO thor relative antiquity
Professor Forel asks "Has this
lacuna lasted q hundred years,
hundred thousand. or millions of
years !" And, while he does not
attempt TO precisely estimate its
duration, he proves couvincingly
that the gap is considerable, but that
il is