Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1882-02-04
NEUROLOGICAL

Until within the last hall century II
was very generally believed that the
various races that people the esrth's
surface. sprang from the three SONS Of
Noah-that Japhet was the parent OF
the Caucasian branch OF tho human
family. Shsm Of the tawny. olive.coiored'
or Mopgol branch, and that Ham was
tho father OF the black men. Bunon'
the great naturalis. Of the last century
u7o7-l7ss) held that there were only
ave races Of men: Caucasian. Negro,
Tartar, American and Malay.
Ns,uralists and sthnologists Of the
present entertain much broader views
with regard to the origin Of the human
family and the different races OF men
who iuhabit and have inhabited the
earth. than was held generally during
the las, century. It il very generally
believed now that the human family did
not spring from any n pair. mol from
o dozen pairs OF ancestors. but that
there may have been hundreds. perhaps
thousands OF ancestors Of the various
races OF men Who have Inhabited and
now inhabit the earth. Recent archm-
illogical discoveries give evidence that
many races OF men lived and became
extinct long before the date fxed a. the
creation Of the bible Adam. And while
II was once considered necessary from
an orthodox standpoint to trace every
race OF men back to one Of Noah's three
sons, Il 10 o very generally believed
that the ancestors Of one race may have
lived thousands Of years before the an
csstors OF another race saw the light.
To state the matter in other words: It
10 now believed that man In Q low form
came into existence In different parts Of
the earth at different times. whenever
the conditions OF his birth and develop
ment were favorable. and that while
favorable conditions may have existed in
one part Of the earth for his birth or be-
ginning at one age. the necessary condi-
tons were not present in another
quarter for thousands OF years after.
ward. Creation. il the word may DO
used in this connection. els never fn-
ished. but renewed forever" Different
forms Of animal life have appeared and
disappeared as tho surrounding condi.
tions changed, as the earth became older;
but no form Of life which once became
extinct because Of conditions unfavorable
to its existence has ever ~reappsared on
the face Of the earth. Tho gigantic rep.
tiles which lived far back in the reptilian
age died. aud their species became ex-
tinc., because they could not adapt
themselves to the changed conditions
which took place around them. And il
10 now known that many races OF men
who lived in past ages have become
wholly extinct. II is said that every
savage race Of men on the sarth. with
the exception OF the Kaffre. is dying.
The conditions OF nature which caused
color Of the skin. quality OF the hair.
thickness Of lips, shape OF the nose,
slant Of the eyes. the angle Of the fore
head. language. etc.. in the different
races Of men. are interesting subjects Of
chronological study. 1t is. however. o
demonstrated fact that raee-typss. in
stead Of having divereed from one COM
mon type. say from Noah, originated
with the various races Of men because OF
the conditions surrounding their birth
and development. And 1t 10 an iudis.
puted fact that ION the palace walls OF
Ninsveh. and on the temple walls OF
Egypt man is found depicted already as
o negro and q Caucasian"