Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1885-1890, 1886-11-27
GREAT FALLS TRIBUNE.
The Development of the House.
Written fer tie Tribune:

man who lived in the branches Of the trees
in the same manner as several species OF
monkeys do today, but We do not consider
it essential to go beyond that interesting
stage of development where the terminal
appendage was lost.
1t is difficult TO trace the development
of the house in its first stages. We ind
primitive man some 10000 years ago dWel-
ling ia caves in the earth and living on an
equal basis with the burrowing animals.
After ages Of this life some great Intellect
of that day conceived the idea Of leaning
together two tlattened powders and using
them for shelter. This was one great step
in the development. Some time after the
cave period the Development Of the house
divides into three or four branches accord
ING to climate and natural surroundings.
The Aryan living on the woody slopes Of
the Himalaya probably first sought shelter
under the broad branched trees or bound
the branches together and constructed a
covering of twigs and leaves. Soon
ufduCttGS tilil StahSS hSAS 'eN
ground, leaned or bound together ard
covered in the same way, thus forming the
first rude huts. It must have been a long
time before these people with their rude i'm
pIements of stone were able to build anything
corresponding to what we call a log cabin
This was the second great step In the de
velopment. This change reyolutionlZet
the house building of the Aryans. The
LOG house became a fixed characteristic OF
the race and the influences OF the wooden
house on architecture can be clearly traced
I'D to the present time. The Greek temple
with its pillars and porticos is clearly modl-
Ell on the old Aryan house, and the arts
tic modern dwelling house still retains
many of the characteristics Of the first
wooden structure.
The people who lived en- the plains and
in warm desert countries probably first
used only a covering OF skins to protect
themselves in the chilly nights, then built
some kind of a hut covered with skins and
grass, and from this hut was afterwards de
yeloped the tent Of the people Of the
plains. This round hut from which was
developed the tent, seems to have been at
some time or other of almost universal oc-
eurrence. Covered with leaves and twigs
it was the first wooden habitation Of the
Aryans. We recognize it in the tents of the
desert Arab and in the wigwam of the
North American Indian, in the grass hut
Of the Sandwich Islander and i'll the snow
built habitation Of the Esquimaux.
In cold countries where there was yet no
timber we find remains and some examples
of a peculiar, usually square, house built
Of earth and loose rocks. This is probab-
" not an original development but a house
built on the model of the square wooden
house. only of different materials. Exam
nles of these houses are found in the ex-
IRENE north Of Europe and in Greenland.
In China we find still another species OF
the house. This is built Of bamboo and
light wood. Although quite complex, and
presenting many notifications, the Chi
ljSSc 1iOuSC liz SAipiC ~
modelled on the old wooden house of the
Aryans. All habitations of man therefore,
can be reduced to the two primitive forms,
the round hut and the square wooden
house. And of these it is probable that
the round hut was the earliest abode and
the square house was a later invention OF
the Aryans and became a fixed Characters
tic of that race.
The development Of the house is inter
esting as an index of civilization, By a
careful study of their houses we should be
able to give to every nation, ancient or
modern. almost its exact rank in ciyiliza-
ton. You can tell by the buildings and
pyramids of the Egyptians that their civil
ization was governed by a dark mysticism.
You can tell by the classic architecture of
the Greeks, their high culture, their sense
Of artistic beauty, their worship of many
gods and their national characteristics in
general. Roman architecture shows cos
mopolitanism shows strength, shows Greek
influence and gives a not unfair picture
Of the Roman.
In our later European civilization the ma
tional characteristics of houses era less
marked. The great inter-communicatioa
of nations causes each to be Influenced,
even in this particular, by every other and
produces universally. Yet some things
there are which show the peculiarities Of
each people. One nation loves bright col
ors SO they have brightly painted houses.