The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1897-12-16
CHANGES In MAN.
Startling Developments in the
Physical Structure.
Undergoing . Mental Metamorphosis q,
Well-Changes In Customs Following
in the Wake of Intellectual
Improvement.

1t is a fact we are assured of by
psychologists and anthropologistst that
primeval man not only had four more
teeth than men now have but had fewer
bones in the skull. and less foldings or
convolutions of the brain. The skull,
too, has changed according to environ
ments and use from an oval to glob-
ular shape, or to a compromise of the
two.
The jaw has retreated as the front
brain has protruded. The tearing tusl1
teeth have shortened up, and are neat
ly and gently inclosed in the mouth.
Ears, from being pointed and nova
BILE like horses ears. have become
rounded and firmly fastened to the
head. They are no longer the most
important organ, as they were to the
river driftmCn to enable them to hear
the approach of danger from all sides.
The nostrils. from being open and
alert, have closed up to outside affairs
to great extent and serve mainly as
conduits and and as indicators of men
tai emotion. The eyes are shortening
in their range of vision, and adapting
themselves to studious race. All the
senses were once intensely more acute,
and the tendency is now steadily to
lose more and more of their capability
to gather in the world of sounds and
sights, except as these are correlated
into logic-that is, we can no longer
tell poisons by taste and track our
enemies by scent, or distinguish dan
gers by the rustlcs in the air.
Occasionally child is born with pc
culiar gifts of an organic sort, and can
move his ears freely or shake his scalp.
He does not use this faculty as it was
originally designed, to shake off flies
or dust: indeed, it seems to be a useless
reversion to a generally disused type.
Such changes in our general physical
frame, says the Boston Traveller are
startling and suggestive, but no more
important than the mental and moral
changes that are as dcmonstratable
Our ancestors were Individually carniv-
orous, to the degree of cannibalism
The instinct for savage beasts and
revelry, involving bloodthirsty disre-
gard of human suffering, may lurk in
us yet.
The history of the Stanley expedition
suggests that positive savagcry is latent
in us, in such degrees that the absence
If restraints of civilization may cause
Il suddenly to blaze with ferocity: vet
we certainly are transformed to deep
adherence for customs that our fore
fathers lived up to without a qualm.
Changes in customs are simpler than
changes in organic structure but both
tail is still in our possession. and have
no doubt that if advantage could be
found in its development we could get
back to this appendage in its fullness.
1t would not be impossible to develop a
race of men with tails if tails could be
used. Certainly highly civilized races
have lapsed in moral and intelligence
to savage and animal conceptions of
life. Such changes grow together and
are interlinked.
AS the eye and the ear are less oc-
cupied in detecting the approach of
dangerous foes, they are more occupied
in listening to the sorrows of our fell
lows. The pathos and sympa thy of
noble eye, the keen intellectually of a
students nose, are part of the evolu-
ton; the organ changes, and at the
same time exchanges purpose and
power.
Darwin says man may be excused for
feeling some pride at having risen,
though not by his own exertions, to
the very summit of the organic scale;
and the fact that he has thus risen, in
stead of having been aboriginally
nlacpd there NAV rive him homo of 9,
still higher destiny in the future.