The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-12-15
Ths uaIu Eagle ghursday T1orine n.ber s. 1882

| ten. Vast intervals are left entirely
barren of recorded events. and so only
fragmentary account at best can bs
written OF these early epochs. But the
geologist begins where the historian
leaves off. Modern geology, by the rec
ords imperishablv preserved in the very
rocks of the earth itself, tells US that
the world has existed for an incalcula-
| bic period of time.
If the nebular hypothesis is accepted
as the true theory of the universe, this
world and all the planets and stars first
existed in the form of diffused gases,
which gradually formed into mists and
cloud forms, then hardened into nebulB,
and then into vast molten stars like our
sun. The sun, according to this theory,
is the mother of the planets, from which
they were hurled by the force of the
suns revolutions, and into which, in
the course of uncounted ages, they will
again fall The earth must have re-
NAMED in the molten state for an in
ter an outer crust was formed immeasur-
able epochs must have elapsed before
this planet was ready for even the low
est forms of life.
Sir William Thompson believes that
the crust of the earth has existed in the
solid state for q period not exceeding
four hundred million years. These are
easy figures to write, but it is utterly
impossible to con ceive and appreciate
them. Compared with the historians
limit Of investigations, which can not
exceed four thousand years, they are as
the planet compared with grain of
sand. 1t is probable that it can not be
determined within a hundred million of
years when life first appeared upon this
agreed, however, that it appeared
not more than two hundred million
years ago, and not less than one hun.
bred millions.
At first animal life upon this planet
was OF the very sim plest FORMS so SIM
pie, indeed. that it is hard for geolo-
gists to distinguish it from vegetabl life.
Then came moliusks and crustaceans,
and then fishes and insects. Next came
frogs, reptiles. and after that birds.
Later still. mammals-animals which
suckle their young-came upon the
earth; and finally man himself made
his appearance. Itcan not be definite
~ ascertained when man first arrived.
But it was probably not much over
eighty thousand years ago.
The first men of whom fossil remains
men. for the reason that the evidences
of their existence are found in the drift
of rivers. These were succeeded by
what are known to biologists as
the cave-men. These early races
of men were exceedingly low in stage
of development. They used only stone
implements, which were roughly
Clipped and awkwardly shaped for the
purposes for which they were designed.
These implements, according to Mr.
Dawkins, consist of the flake; the
chopper or pebble roughly Clipped to
an edge on one side; the hache or oval
pointed implement, intended for use
without handle; an oval or rounded
form with cutting edge NIL round,
a scraper for preparing skins, and
pointed hints used for boring"
These early men had no pottery
of any kind, and no domestic ami
mails. They did net till the ground.
and probably maintaine an existence
by hunting. For some time it was
thought no representatives of these old
cave-men now existed upon the earth.
But that view has now been modified.
Says John Fiske in his Excursions of
an Evolutionist:" Among uncivilized
races of men now living there are none
which possess this remarkable artistic
talent which was possessed by cave
mem save the Eskimos, and in this re-
spect there is complete similarity be-
tween the Eskimos and the cave men"
But this is by no means the only point
of agreement between the Eslkimos and
the cave-men. Between the sets of
tools and weapons used by the one and
by the other the agreement is complete /
The stone spears and arrow heads, the
sewing needles and sl1in-scrapers use by /
the Eskimos are exactly like the SINH |
lar implements found in the Pleisto-
Gene caves of France and England. /
The necklaces and amulets of cut
seeth, and the daggers made from
antler show an equally close CORE
spondence. The resemblances are not /
merely general, but extend SO far into /
details that if modern Eskimo remains |
were to be put into European caves,
thew would be indistinguishable in an |
pearance from the remains of the cave
men which are now found there. So if /
we wish to obtain an idea of how the /
earliest race of men lived upon this .
planet upwards of seventy thousand /
years ago, we have only to study the /
modern Eskimo. Ford, in
Yankee Blade.
He Had Been Thinking IL have
been thinking" he said to the girl.
MOP" she exclaimed, you don't mean
L? What within" He smiled easily