Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-08-05
rnE COMING HAN
Nineteenth Century.l

I0B COMING Ian
nineteenth Century.
The man of the future-that mysteri-
COS being who will look back across .
dim gulf of time upon imperfect hu-
mainly of the nineteenth century with
Just such kindly and hah-i reduloos
scorn as We now condescend to bestov
upon our ciub-wielding, apeliks Ances-
tors-will be toothless, hairless, slow
imbed animal. incapable Of extended
Iocomotion. His feet will have no di-
vision between the toes. He will be
very averse to fighting, and viii main
tain bis position in the foremost fles
Of time to come solely upon ths strength
of one or two convolutions in his brain.
This may seem to be poor prophecy. but
it differs from most prophecies in being
q mere logical deduction from accom-
plished fscts.
The different parts of the human
frame az il exists nov have been evolved
or modified BY the two great principles
that have always regulated the develop
nent Of species Every organ and ev-
cry ornament that man possesses has
been acquired by natural or sexual -
lection, and when either of these fsrces
10 weakened or removed, or when the
necessity for such organs or ornaments
10 no longer sufficient to ooante1-balanee
the loss Of the power employed In their
production, then they commence at once
TO disappear. This is the case With hu-
man teeth. The early ancestors of man
we're furnished, as the male gorilla is
today, with magniAceAt grinding teeth
for crushing hard fruit, and huge CANNES
for fighting with other males for the
possession Of the females. A trace of
this remains in the more powerful den-
tition of savage races, who stand q short
distance nearer to our common ape-like
ancestors. Civilized human beings, on
the other hand, have absolutely no use
for canine teeth, which are therefore
found to be small in proportion to the
civilization of their possessOrs; and for
the rest of the teeth they arc eminently
unsuited for the work they have TO per-
form. This is sufficiently plain from
their decay, and the artificial means
which have to be employed in order to
retain them even to maturity. The 30
called wisdom teeth" are even now be-
ing lost. They are the last to appear
and the first to 60, and even while We
have them they are unemployed. The
rest will probably follow. them two as q
time, and their places will be supplied,
no doubt, by a hardening of the gums,
which cannot fail to be inoomparably
more convenient and suitable to the
viands of life.
HARLKss.
Long hair, beard, nustache and whis-
kers, are all sexual ornaments acquired
by man 70 charm and allure the oppo-
site sex, just as the canine teeth are ac-
quired for similar purpose. But
neither n sexual selection 80 powerful
now, nor are these hairy ornaments 90
important as they used to be. Marriage
is no longer settled by the strength or
magnificent hairiness of the sutton.
Wealth will cover the bald head; intel
lect is more valued than whiskers. and
length of rent-roll will counter balance
the shortuess of a beard. A woman,
too. who has but scant supply of that
ancient pride of woman"-t0nR hair
-can exc it out by fraud and art, nor
need she 20 uuwedded on that account.
Neither men nor women, therefore, who
happen to be i'll furnished with hair are
now, as formerly. handicapped in the
race of life, and unlikely to leave chill
dren to inherit their defects. On the
other hand they gain distinct advan-
tage at the outset, insOmuch a. no vital
force il in their case wasted in the pro-
duotion of useless ornamental. There
II. moreover, mysterious law of COR
relation Of growth between the hair and
the teeth. Throughout the animal
world strong and luxuriant hair is ac-
companied by regular and durable teeth,
and hairless breed of dogs exists,
which 10 equally conspicuous for the
absence of its teeth. Hence it might
have been expected that civilization
would affect the hair as much as the
teeth, and infallibly tend to suppress all
hirsute adOrnments as not being suf-
ficiently necessary to the welfare Of the
individual to repay the cost of their pro-
duction. Experience confirms this view;
for, as the teeth are small, soon lost,
and two Of them at least capricious in
their appearance, 90 bald heads in the
prime Of life, smooth cheeks aud beard
less Chlns among men and women con-
spiouous for the absence of natural
locks, are common in civilized coun-
tries; while savage tribes, Who have
more lately left, or still remain in, that
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