Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1895-11-03

bloomage. Certain ants afterwards
come for the seed. certain flies and wasps
pour the nectar and certain birds to build
their nests in the branches. So the more
intelligent the organisms the more per-
feet is the cooperation. Men, ants and
bees head the list of intelligent creatures
on the EARTH the ant being second only to
man.
''The whole tendency of the work lately
accomplished by the bureau of ethnology
In the southwest goes to support the the
DRY that what we call the old world is re-
ally the old world. That lie, the eastern
continent is older than the western con-
tinent. Similaritbes between human and
ape skeletons are closer when we COM
pare men with the old world apes than
when we compare them with the apes
found in this country. America hasn't
what are called anthropoid or man-like
apes, such as found in southeastern Asia
and Africa. The chimpanzee and the
ourang are the most conspicuous of these.
In this country we have really no apes
closely approaching man. Hence man
must have originated in the old world.
Geological Indications seem also to show
the greater age of the eastern hemiS-
phere. We have never found here any
conclusive evidences of tertiary or early
quarternary man, such as are claimed
abroad.
ut is probable that man first entered
our continent across Behring strait, or
OAcI Tie Alulltttl lStollttS W WIltl we llOW
call Alaska. The Kuro-Sirro, or Block
stream of the Pacific, which corresponds
to the gulf stream of the Atlantic, flow
ing northward along the eastern Pacific
coast, determined then, as now, a path
way strewn with an abundance of food
all the way to the Aleution islands. Even
as far north as this abounded salmon,
sea lions, whales, etc. On arriving here
they were naturally led to continue their
journey south along our coast. which Of
fered a still greater food supply as far
south as Lower California.
THUS the desert of the old world was
really the home of mans agriculture,
while the deserts of America served the
same purpose for our earliest aborigines.
In all probability the desert man of the
old world learned the science of agri-
culture before coming to this country.
1t is practically certain that he forgot
all that he knew about agriculture on his
way here and that he did not learn it
again until he pushed into our deserts.
Our agriculture therefore, was undoubt-
edly Indigenous The home of corn was
In the desert plantations and mountain
valleys of Mexico But corn was not
useful food plant so long as it remained
In it's primary home. 1t required irriga-
ton. Observation indicates that in arti-
ficially irrigated lands plants are changed
more rapidly than elsewhere. The most
useful grains and fruits are ~deformities,
so far modified by cultivation that their
original forms are unknown. The fruit
of the apple, for instance, was originally
a thin skin protecting the seed. Cattle,
sheep, fowls, swine, ETC., the chief sources
of animal food have likewise become de-
formitieS, as compared with their bodies
before domestcation. They, like domesti-
Gated plants are now helpless without
mans aid. Mans food substances can be
represented in a graded scale, beginning
with the simplest minerals and running
up to the highest animal compounds.
Man has, therefore, conquered the veg
etable and animal Kingdoms, shaping
them according to his wants.
THUS by improving his nutrition
through agriculture, man has gradually
increased in stature and longevity-for
I do not believe that man ever enjoyed
a larger frame or a longer life than
that which he has now. His intellect,
likewise, grew with improved physique.
AS an example of this the smallest and
most ignorant tribes in Africa, the Bush
men and Batuans know nothing of agri-
culture and are deprived of sufficient
food.
Nov have shown that through the
birth of agriculture in the desert man at
tanned his present place in nature. Let us
next look to the future. Will man some
day outgrow agriculture entirely? The
plant gets nourishment from mineral
products of the earth, the animal then
gets it entirely from the plant, and man
either indirectly again from the animal,
or, like the animal, from the plant.
'In the cases of salt and water it
comes directly from the earth But will
| man ever take all of his nourishment d.
rectly from the earth, ceasing to eat
vegetables and meat. If we look for
ward in an indefinite fashion we may ex-
pect the time to come when food will be
obtained in this way, without the expense
of energy on plant and animal domesti-
cation. Already we have advanced a
step in this direction in what scientists
call paratriptic plants. paratriptics are
literally waste preventers, including tea,
coffee, alcoholic beverages, tobacco, etc.
These in some way retard the waste of
tissue and consequently the dissipation
of energy. Some are very powerful as,
| for instance the cocoa plant of South
America. The Peruvian on a long jour
| ney takes a few leaves of cocoa, which
| invigorates him and enables him to do
much more work than he would other:
| wise accomplish. In Africa the nuts of
| the kola tree are used in the same way
| The experience of chemists in the syn
| thesis or chemical compromising of qui-'
| nine gives us reasonable cause for man.
ufacturing such food as kola nuts and
| coca leaves in a compound. Although
| paratriptic plants will not at first act
| as foods in the ordinary sense of the
| term they will be beneficial accompani-
| ments of food. So that forecasting 1t
seems to me that we may anticipate a
| partial replacement of ordinary foods
| from time to time. These changes in
| food mean future stepsin evolution. The
| digestive organs of man must change in
accordance. Now, however, according to
| the unhappy manner in which men are
| constructed, they must eat, even if they
| eat trash, in order to live and keep the
alimentary mechanism running