St. Landry democrat., 1882-11-11
THE FIRST AMERICAN.

Numberless objections can be brouoht
" oear upon every theory offered as ex.
pIanatory OF the peopling OF this cont.
nen'' IL TO It's native races be ascr;bed
ohe origin, and, therefore, the Same do
gree OF antiquity. The truth is that in
.ne lisnt OF our present KNOWLEDGE. f
eau no longer be maintained that the
same people dwelt on either sea-coast
hunted and fished even within the har
ien confines of Che Arctic circle rearad
'tne enormous earth works of the M;ssiSN
slppl valley, and established the evil
zatlonS OF Mexico, Central America and
feru. On the other hand, if a d;varSit,. %
'of origin is admitted what evidence Z.
anS' nave we OF greater antiquity of
atH y one VI these races over another? In
oono WIS Wn' VINO was the first Ameri-.
>"T ~: Nhat manner Of man was he? 1
oo, Inis may seem difficult problem to-
sei'e: eI leC Us consider the evidence offered
VI iate bearing upon the subject. 4
In Europe the earliest evidence of
aiian presence, as yet discovered, con-
49, 49, - 1l'e occurrence of rudely -chippedp
l;tL 1,lnt implements of large size, associatedp'
" WIN the bones OF extinct animals andit
~ others not now living in the same3is is
region. The deposits in which these en
zones and Clipped flints are found con- oi
slst M OF beds OF gravel and clay of uncer- a
IAN age nut nevertheless very old. and ia
'le oirecliy associated with the series ofp
elanses winch took place in the North ke1
'ern hemisphere during the time known an
as the g. eat Ice Age. '''' A'o"n inf
IN other words, during the prevalepce ~
in the temperate zone Of a much coldoul Fl
ciimate, there We're great accumn)at;ons K
'o1 snow and ice, known as glaciers and ne
enormous foods, due to the snhsa Iro
4uent melting OF these, deposited in thetps
river valleys, beds of gravel and n cla low ~, ar
win which were intermingled normo,;s @ Try,
powders. During this time and for at.
protracted period afterward, there lived Pl
= race OF men on the higher, habitablef Il
elot'nd. D furthermore. at this time notrav
my niany extinct animals ranged theiad
plests' put others now living only inf tt
ne extreme North, as the reindeer, theepr,
lush-oS ana walrus, were also there u!tU
'nd We're hunted by these ancient neo, he {
'ie' race whose weapons consistedhe g
Enolly OF the rudely-chipped fiints thathg i
re now mingled with the beds of orav. .ores
lald down by the mighty floods thaty york
lark the close OF this wonderful Aoa Of IF
srh;. ul S
1hls very briefly sets forth on,l he q
nowieoge OF the earliest men knownind
have lived in Europe. Now. thelueti
lestlon arises. are there similar eyi- -ur i,
shses OF such early men in America nple
determine this, some ancient riyerIied
'liey W. ~ North America must be care rom
ny examined. Let us take the Della IN fin
ire as an example. In the first place. IF ou,
is river is certainly very ancient. Pro,form:
'sor Dana speaks of it as emntvinothose
o u lne Atlantic at Trenton, N. j., durargill
tne "Cretaceous period" when theminel
'lons OF Delaware and Chesapeakevance
IS were out at sea. This was lonetmes
ore man or beast of any kind hadprove
oeafed upon the earth. Since then all We
inc result OF various changes. tbehiphe
has extended seaward hundreds II short
es' and the last of the great chances India
ne history of this, part of the globe if the
the occurrence of an Arctic climate assocj
g nooued stream that flowed at an Indial
atioh OF perhaps hundred feet ing tt
ye i's present level. ferior
e can better realize the altered we a
'acter OF river. when flowing at j Fortu1
'tly, increased elevation, by considl field O
the recent condition OF the Mis- that
ppl, which, within a short time. deere
IRON forty to sixty miles wide for relics,
y miles OF its length; when at its tnlly
| level the width is but two or three termir
5 at most. This change, great AZ held a
Tas. was due wholly to rains. that ,