New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-07-19

men, Moreover the skulls Of prehistoric man. even 0'
supposed 10 date from intellectually remote periVu'
show substantially no change Therefore, II ."o ,'"o
and the shape OF mans bead were an ihiaihpe li'o
TO his mental pOweiS the European caVedwcncrS hu'
have been every way equals OF their remote cescenu
ants Nobody believes this possible, ana inc auior VI
the hook in hand while cAnging 10 the notion tbat 'o
size OF the skull Is Of primary Importance. enoea'os
solve the difficulty by supposng That the sa'aso p'
sesses brain In excess Of his requirements pepaeu "
advance for tho progress which hc~and MS uv'oe"uS
arc TO make In civilization. 1t Is strain on crouunv
N expect one TO believe that the postglacA european
had big brain because his possible descendant III 'o
nineteenth century would need all the inteco nc oo1
muster 10 make living. y
Briefly the facts seem 10 indicate that All ''io o'aD
rate dsqnstons OF the last ten or twenty years III winch
have figured 10 weariness sch hard words as uoIcl"
cephalc Unacceptable, orthocephlc ana m S'cepao'
have not enlarged knowledge on the subject Oh 'lc
antiquity OF man single degree IL wouid seem 70 70
time 10 consider whether the differences Indicated by
bese words arc Of anything more than secondary I'm
nortance Mr. Wallace says the size OF tile Skull IS OF
the highest Value cites proof the fact that the
cranal capacity Of human being must equa 10 CUBIC
,nches otherwise he will BIO an idiot II this proves
ANYTHING it proves too much. The IDIOT IS neither
man nor q monkey lie is not In harmony win nature
whether he be classed with the superior animal or WIN
the one inferior 10 him. The gradual growth OF brain from
the sizc adeouate TO meet monkey necessities 10 that
rnoured for q rational man must pass the point at
which n man is all IDIOT Butt 1t Is Impossible tIat
Generation OF idiots could ever have existed for suc an
accident would have precuded the evolution Of humanity
altogether.
II is more reasonable to put the consideration OF
tbo sizc and shape of the skull under the head Of
what Darwin called correlation of growth, thus MAX
ing IT. OF secondary importance. An increase in the
Size and modification in the shape of the brancase
would naturally though necessarily be supposed TO
accompany change in the quality and texture OF the
brain itself In this view OF the matter, what becomes
OF biology in its relation to prehistoric study? The
brain OF prehistoric man has departed. What little
information could be obtained from the skull he mas
left has been worked ont. Biology should therefore,
be content with subordinate place in future invest
cations The real question is. What is the relation
of brain tissue brain product? If biology furnishes
an answer 10 that question, archaeology and mythology
and phology may furnish the necessary third term
prehistoric brain production plain computation I'M
der the simple rule of three. and the answer should
be scientific description of human brain tissue IN
prehistoric times. ,... . A.,
memory of Darwin. None could have summarized so
well aud 50 briefly the debt OF the world To tat la
mented scholar and dlSCOVerer The eulogy Is all
the moro delightful because Mr. Wallace might have
cherished that sort Of ieaOusy which has epbitcred
the life Of many student surpassed accidentally AT
a critical moment by another worker in his field But
there nothing here except largchearted commenda-
zion justified by minute knowledge Of facts. IL Is
testr9ynal OF lifelong friendship well as Thought
full Interpretation of and personality likely
TO be better understood hundred years to come than