Marshall County independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1894-1895, 1894-11-09
FOSSILS.
They Still Exist in This Country
and Still Have Life.

W eDSter, IN giving the ue1hnltlOn OF
this word ''fossil," says it is: "Petrified
organic matter, remains of plants and
animals" This, of course, has been ac-
copied as the correct version of this
word. Yet, to the advanced ideas of
this civilized world, there are fossils
literally speaking still moving and
existing to-day.
In speaking of fossils, we do not mean
that representation of animal life which
we discover to-day in our researches,
and which, no doubt, were deposited in
their resting places during the prima-
tive condition of the earth. Oh no
We mean man. One who has became
fossilized in his ideas, his advancement,
his desires to benefit mankind by con-
tributing of his stores of vast wealth to
the advancement of education, physical
or moral culture, religious benefits, and
more especially, the advancement of the
city or town in which he lives and calls
home
When we come in contact with such
specimen of humanity, whose concep-
lions of life are so contracted that he
the cultivation and utilization of the re-
sources given him by an indulgent crea
tor, or giving encouragement to any and
all enterprises that may present them
selves to community, then we say this
word fossil, is. in our estimation, ap-
propriatly applied to him.
Such man, we believe, belongs to
the primative people who existed dur
ing the Stone age, and should withdraw
himself from the present surroundings
and be numbered among the inhabitants
of the cave jewellers. This being the
place where he should reside let us pic
ture to our readers quotation from the
Story of Man, whose author describes
the abode wherein our foe of advanced
civilization ought to live:
''Stoop you enter. creep if you must crouch
at least lest YOU come in contact with the stone
lintclS As your eyes become accustomed to the
dim religious light. YOU will a smouldering
fire on the hearth. The floor is in the condition
in which the builder. Earth. left it. unless en-
riched 10y the accumulated gift of mau To his foS-
ter-mOther. The walls are not defaced by paint
or panel. freSco or wall paper. but except for the
tracingS of the smoke. stand in their native mag
iSty. Weapons are hung here and there. and it
may be horns and claws. and the skins of wild
beasts find Il temporary home and compose the
wainScOtings. Back in the recesSes may be seen
piles of moss and leaves and grass. which consti-
tutes the pine pillows and mattresses of the pr-
NATIVE family"
We might proceed to give an outline
of the personal appearance of this rep
resentative of a primative man, but
space fOrbidS us SO to do. Yet we meet
them every day in our vocations in
life. Why this should be, is somewhat
of mystery to the man who believes
in push and progress. And yet this
same individual can undo more in one
day, than the good hustling citizen can
accomplish in three days by an unlimit-
ed amount of zeal and hard work.
1t is said that it takes all kinds of peo-
pie to make up this world. But with
all the different kinds that are supposed
to wander up and down this footstool
of the Creator of the universe, the one
less needed is the representative of the
primative period. These same fossils
it will be discovered, have by frugality
or truthfully putting it, stinginess, ac-
cumulated gOodly portion of this
worlds effects together, and if APP
preached in behalf of charity or some
beneficial enterprise for the city, will
plead the poverty act, winding out a
long yarn about their inability to supply
their daily wants.
Now of course we do not know there
are any fossils in Plymouth; but hav-
ing i'll our past life came in contact
with this class of people, we think we
are capable of speaking upon this sub
ject truthfully, not theoretically. We
have done this for a reason, that is:
If in the future, our progressive citizens
should find such Obstacles presenting
themselves, they would be prepared to
brush them aside with promptness
that is necessary on important occa-
sions.