Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1879-11-27
SCIENTIFIC FICTION.
4 Romance Of the Age Immediately
Succeeded by the Monkey Period OF
Man

One of the latest contributions to
French fiction is Ellie Berthet's "Pre-
historic World" The work is an at
tempt to portray the condition of man
IN the long ages which archaeology as
signs to him before the dawning of his
tory. 1t consists of three little ro-
mances, and as a specimen of scientific
imagination, is Of more interest to the
scientific reader than the average pro-
auctions of writer's of fiction. The
characters are not such as the senti-
mental reader usually delight in; the
love-maklng is quite out of the COM
mon order, and, with the exception of
the last romance, one does not become
greatly enamored of the heroes and
| heroines.
The scene of M. Berthet's romance
far back in the quaternary period
myrlads OF years before men began to
write histories, and, ike those of the
two which follow it, is On the Seine.
The landscape is given an aspect widely
different from that which the valley of
that river now presents. The now
placid stream was then broad torrent,
and what is now its valley was a series
of lakes and marshes, interspersed with
thick and almost impenetrable forests.
The hIppopotamus and rhinoceros
sported IN its waters-not such diminu-
tive animals as their modern congeners,
but huge monsters, against whose sides
the current broke in waves IS though
it encountered small islands. On land
the mammoth, lion, and cave bear held
high carnival, and countless troops of
wolves and hyenas made night bideous
with their horrible noises. The man of
this romance was a cave-dweller, and
had fearful time Of it amid tie ire
mendOus exhuberance of the brute
creation. He was entirely innocent Of
anything like personal cleanliness, and
had to be In his cave bysunset, with the
entrance secured by a heavy stone, lest
some beast of prey might forestall him
IN its occupancy. He was not yet a
gregarious animal, and knew no organ
ization except the family. The particu-
lar troglodyte whose home is described
IN the story admits belated guest, tho
kills him, knocks his wife senseless, and
runs off with his daughter. The rude
lover IS followed next morning by
another cave dwelling gentleman, who
kills him and takes the girl back to her
fathers cave, Of which he takes pos
session and afterwards runs the family.
Then there is burial east, when the
deceased father is laid in a cave with
weapons and ornaments to correspond
with certain g finds in the gravels of the
Seine"
The second romance introduces us to
a later period, but still long way back
from the historical era. The man of
this period lives il etimes
lacustrine-and is ruled by elective
chiefs. He is not quite so savage as
the old troglodyte, and is shorter head
ed, but he still meets stranger with
Ratchet In hand until negotiations for
peace can be concluded. Then he is
hospitable. He is ON the eve of a great
revolution, for wealthy individuals are
beginning to buy weapons of bronze.
One Of the heroes of the story buys the
daughter of lacustrine chief for large
bronze ak; while another hero offers q
deer for another daughter, but his offer
Is CONTEMPORARY spurned. He returns
to his village, maddened by the insult
which he had received, and tells the
story Of the bronze Ak, whereupon the
chief of his village gathers his warriors
together, and without any warning at
tacks, destroys the lacustrine es-
Enlistment solely for the purpose of
obtaining possession Of the wonderful
weapon. Hero number one retreats
with the survivors to another laucus-
trlne village, with the warriors of which
he IN turn assaults and destroys the vii
lage Of hero number two, that worthy
perishing in the conflict. Terms are
granted to the survivors, which is some
thing that would never have entered
the average head of the long-extinct
troglodyte.
The third romance opens at period
not long antecedent to the beginning of
history. The first historians recorded
the traditions to which it gave birth,
but 1t is not from them that III. Berthet
draws his materials. He relies entirely
on archaeological evidence for the con-
struction of his story. The man of this
period has weapons of iron, rides horses,
has tribal organization and religion
with powerful priesthood. He is alb
Jectly superstitious and the word Of the
priest is his law. The Seine has now
made large approaches toward its pres
ent character, but the site of Paris is
still chain of sandy islands, mainly
OVERLOOKED at high water. The girls
now select their husbands, and the
heroine of the story is about to make
choice among her suitors by presenting
a cap to the favored one. There are
three competitors, a priest, a bard, and
warrior, and the choice falls on the
latter. The priest determines to have
revenge for the slight put upon him,
and is not long in finding an opportuni-
ty. A chief soon dies, and he declares
that his god demands the sacrifice of
the bride at the grave. When every
thing is prepared for the sacrifice, the
young warrior suddenly swoops down
on the party on the back Of powerful
horse, and bears away his fainting bride.
He takes refuge on one Of the islands,
where are born to him sons and daugh-
tiers, and in the fullness Of the time he
Is recOnciled to the confederacy whose
sacred rites he had SO greatly scandal
, lied. The family haunt of this refugee
was the beginning of Paris.
Such, according to imaginative scien-
fists, was prehistoric life. There was
nothing lovely about it, and if M.
Berthet has hit anywhere near the
mark, the average reader must pity his
ancestors and eschew all pride of
genealogy.
IT is said that DR.. Schliemann, the
| famous excayator, will finally come