The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1897-12-07
Sciencs and Research.
ITO A PALRoLrrH.l


When thsu vast made, from chip of fiinty stone
The infant man was struggling for power,
The beast TO vanquish-and by thy aid alone
Was victory established, from that hour.
Where vert thou borne f-through tangled
brake and fell
Ger sagey plain, by proud and warlike brave :
Hast CLINT the freight cleaning in the cave
Thou-evidence OF mankinds struggling mind
The problem Of the elements to chain
The feeble will, untaught unprecedented, blind,
Hast raised and strengthened to the modern
brain.
The study, by few, of past
history of man, his struggles,
customs, opinions, and the part
he played in the misty bygone
ages, has ever held a peculiar
fascination for the many, but ex-
cept to the actual student of
Archaeology, it is SO vague and
underlined that it is considered,
and very wrongfully, a subject
for only the highest minds to
grapple with. They of the null
titude in vague way, think that
the student must go to Europe,
Asia, or Africa, to successfully
study ancient remains or he will
not learn anything, but here
again they are in error. They
overlook the fact that the west
ern hemisphere contains the re-
mains of the mostpeculiar people
that ever inhabited the globe
our red Indian. Here there were
cave dwellers, tree dwellers, cliff
dwellers, mound builders, fish
eaters and root diggers, all wide
ly different in customs and relig-
ion, yet very like in their habits
and ways of living.
| For how many generations
they existed in the heart of the
great continent has never been
satisfactorily determined, but
they undoubtedly existed con-
temporaneous with those early
tribes of human beings that lived
in the eastern hemisphere, al
though that has never been de-
cided. 1t caused quite contro-
versy few years ago, among
arch8ologists, and although
many facts were produced pro
and con, yet there were such
grave doubts in the minds of
careful scientists. and the sub
lject was so important, that they
would neither accept or deny.
but let the matter stand as ii
was until such time as proof was
forthcoming, which would be
undisputable. Though in the
minds of many, there remains nc
doubt that man existed as early,
or even earlier, in the western
hemisphere than in the eastern
But be that as it may, we do not
care to discuss the point, merely
bringing it forward to prove thai
it was not necessary to spend a
fortune or a lifetime travelling in
q foreign country to study the
early history of mankind.
The existence of prehistoric
man is everywhere evident
Hardly person in the United
States, but has picked up an ar
row or spear head, or some othel
undoubted relic.
There are various kinds of rel
ics-such as stone hammers
hatchets, knives, arrow and speal
heads, pots of stone, with pestl
es, and even saws have beer
found of flint, obsidian, or agate
In the far south hammers and
axes have been found, made o
gold quartz, but they are very
rare. The history, determined
by these and other relics, is di
vided into epochs and ages. th'
same as authentic history is di
vided into chapters and books
So, anyone familiar with the rel
stive ages, and the implements
belonging to each age can tell a
a glance to what age relic be
, longs, and by so doing can tell T.
what tribe and age the man be
} longed who made and used it, an,
by the amount of territory owe
which he finds these remains, ca
tell the size of the tribe; the ex
tent of their wanderings and tn
particular region to which the.
belonged.
The earliest known "pal9ol
: iths" are merely flakes of fiin
: and obsidian, or agate, associate
! with the bones of men and ami
mails of different species. such a
Saber-Toothed Tiger, Fan-Horr
ed Elk, Mammoth, Cave Beal
ETC., animals long since extinct
They are merely sharp fraga
) ments of flint, few being yer
, rudely fashioned. later they wer
shaped.
In the Chip-stone Age the
were chiped; in the Polishe