The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-09-24
THAT MISSING LINK
DIR. WORKMAN TALKS ABOUT HIS
RECENT DISCOVERY IN THE WEST.
He Thinks There Is Little in the Way
Of Establishing Connection he
tween Monkey and Man.

CHICAGO. sept. 23.-The Tribune's spec
ial correspondent at Denver, Col, says: The
discovery of the missing link in the chain
of evolution Of the human race has fred
DR.. j. l. Workman. of the New York
Museum of Natural History in Central
Park. with the idea of organizing field
party consisting Of Western scientists for
the purpose of making an exhaustive sur
vey of the rich archaeological resources of
Wyoming and Colorado. The find is es-
| pecially interesting. as IL is believed to be
an additional link in the chain OF evidence
establishing the Darwinian theory The
| monkey skeleton is probably now resting
in one of the vaults of the Central Park
museum awaiting the presence of the find
er.
DR.. Workman says several months must
pass before the special bulletin is issued
containing a complete description of the
find. He added 1T will perhaps be neces-
sary to dissect number of living monkeys
TO determine various anatomical questions
that will arise when the bones OF the
Wyoming monkey are carefully examined.
1t may also be necessary to dissect num-
Der of lemurs with the same object in
view. The object will be TO determine ex-
actly where the individual stood in the
scale. We will take a cast of his brain
box and accurate measurements will be
| made OF every part OF his structure. He
was monkey-like in the broad sense of
the term, but different from the monkeys
of to-day. His brain was rather small.
but it gave evidence of larger brain in
monkeys than came afterwards So also as
to the organs OF his teeth and his ieet.
There was time when the lemur repre-
scented the highest order of mammala, a
position which man holds at the present
day."
In the following explanation. which was
dictated by the Professor, IL appears 10 De
missing link between the lemurs and the
monkeys. Probably some misapprehen-
sion exists with reference to the relation
homo. 1t cannot be properly claimed that
the Wyoming discovery furnishes link in
the immediate ancestry OF me human :, ram de-
cipher the complete history OF any OF the
great stems of mammal life II is necessary
one of the great difficulties has been in
the study of the archaeological history or
the order of primaries, or quadrumana, 10
discover a close and Intimate connection De
tween what are commonly known as lemurs.
or half apes and the true monkeys For
many years remains have been known 10
exist in the Wyoming lake deposits, but
we have never been able to determine with
exactness whether the fossil remains were
those of true monkeys or iemurs.
THE ORIGINAL MONKEY.
'Of all the true monkeys that now exist
those which inhabit South America are the
most primitive. 1t has been a question for
many years whether or not these monkey
like forms that are found in Wyoming
deposits were not the ancestors Of the
south American species living to-day
Upon this question the Wyoming find is all
important and, If it ultimately turns out.
as l very strongly suspect, then we have
no anatomical difficulty in the way in
tracing the line of the human ancestry
back to that remarkably primitive begin
ming which We now find in. the living
lemurs. With respect to the evidence
which is now at hand connecting the
higher types of apes with the lower forms
of the human family the discovery or the
man-like ape of Java in deposits wnlcn
are now generally admitted 10 De OF the
ting at rest the genuineness and true ana.
tomical position OF the famous Neanderthai
Probably most readers familiar with
the bitter discussions that have Tor the
last ten or fifteen years taken place IN
relation to this famous relic. Opinion has
been very much divided to whether the
skull pertained to a man of inferior ca
pacity-an idiot-or whether II is the true rue
brain development Even so great ALI
authority as virchow. the great German
out further evidence it could not at present
be concluded that the Neanderthal skull
could be regarded as demonstrating any
apes and the lower forms OF the human
family than we already knew.
THE subsequent discovery of some re-
mains in the caves of Spy, France, ma
terially strengthened the opinion that there
was a race of Neanderthal men, With
the discovery of the Java specimen, Nv, we
now have three widely separated and dis
tinct examples of a race of men who, there
can be no doubt, were the immediate pro-
genitors Of the human family. and who
ca far
stood half between the. anthropoid apes
and the human species.
'Then you do not think the Wyoming
monkey was very man-like in its general
THE Wyoming find has more dis
seneaiegy Of the human race than upon
It's latter part and 1T will probably be
ultimately discovered as has been sug-
a line which led off from the lemurs and
passed directly into the higher type of ape.
So far as am able to Judge at .de present
specimen in question. this may likely prove
to be true.
SPECIMEN IS MANLIKE.
THE form of the Wyoming specimen does
betoken a very manlike appearance, and
considering the extreme antiquity of the
specimen in question no one who is at all
familiar with the archaeological evidence
would expect such a thing. The changes
were extremely slow and gradual, and when
we go back to almost the dawn of mammal
existence we do not expect to find nor
would it be in keeping with the history of
other well-known groups 10 find the spe-
cialized or highly-deyeloped types coming
before the primitive types. The Wyoming
ma, as / have already said, will throw a
great deal of much-needed light upon the
early development and connection of the
primitive group. This regard as Of as
much Importance in decipherng the an
cry of those links which tend TO connect
man with the monkeys"
lis this the Oldest monkey remains that
have been foundy'
I'm speaking of the age OF fossil. Il
must be borne in mind that the paleontolo-
gist is dealing with periods of time so vast
as to be almost beyond the comprehension
of the human mind. If 1 were TO tell you
that this monkey skull Is a million or a
million and a half years old. would simply
be guessing at il. Psychologists have no
means of determining the age or fossils In
the matter Of years. But when we take into
consideration the rate at which identical de-
posts are accommodating at the present day,
IN the bottoms of the great fresh water
lakes, and We further take into considera-
ton the enormous thickness OF sediment
which has been accumulated since the mon
key was in existence, We must conclude that
Ii was a very long time ago"
To illustrate the statement the professor
said: II was few years ago particularly
interested in this question and made soma
special studies with reference 10 IL. In the