The Portland daily press., 1899-11-25

way Acros. it.-Dr. Becker Thinks
the Philippine. May Have been the
Earliest Home of BTanktnd-The
Apelike Human Ancestor.
(Ccrrespondence OF the Boston Trans
cript)
Washington. Nov. IL Dr. George Il.
Bscker, the distinguished government
gsologist sent to the Philippines not long
ago has juss returns ed with very inter
estlng account of the origin OF the archi-
pelago. But the most notable featpre OF
the report submitted By him to the In
terror. Department has relation to the
presence OF ancient man In Luzon and
other islands Of the group. His opinion
is that the spslike creature termed the
missing link may have bad It's earliest
ha UNITS In thoss isies OF the sea, at = time
when, not less than 800 90 years ago,
they were connected with the mainland
Of Asia by sort OF land bridge, via Bor-
neo.
In this opinion DIR. Becker comedies
with the late Professor .. Q. Marsh Of
Yale University, who expressed belief
that the Philippines were. at all events,
anon & the earliest localities Inhabited
by the human species, even II the latter
did not actually start there. The time
MAY have been halt million years ago,
but science always wishes to be oonserva-
tive Thers are sxcslisnt reasons, how.
g. .~.,,..,, ,b., po,uo s.n,ans
ever, tor peievins 'na' no.o AP
the true numaL being, as oisfins u'sneu
from the ty ypical ape-sxisted on the Is
,.ra ~, I.u,on or In that immediate
.".N y. ~ .s ..,,.s .ha
neignoornooo' In .ns epo'n 's"su ."e
PIiocens. along toward the end Of the
Tsrtiarv period. Now. the Tertiary end
ooo ~, -. h.ok w,th ths
ea aoous <"o'"' 'e" ~,
great Ios Ags, ana thus one gets noSion
of the extreme antiquity assignabls TO
a., a.. t.m,,,.s q, the Pb,I,nnines
'"e Aiss .s'nee - -. ~. .,...
Or' beoker sufmises eoa' sae p"oA
dwarfs of Luzon and other islands OF the
oroun knovn as Nerritos. are actually
.s go, ,ho ,,r,,,,,,va buu.n
ueSoenueu ion vac -,--,..
stock In question. 1ness Diaok Pigmies'
now nearly extinct, who have not ad-
,.,,.a a,sr a. far as ths Stone Are.
70 ss.on,shins,v monkev.liks in espect
ai0 "a A., ths,r az the sounds they utter
I. I,an os iargusos rassmbiiur the abort
..d IA ,sS sS.rn sn,isrs of tboas animsIs' An
.ar.r,Iv n 10 are not distantlv rslated 60
p.,ai,, pH sa.agas S,scovsrad in the ipterior
os-ssin ~ ss'Ss ~. arcssdina fomr feat in
..'ss hs,r ana who sjsep in oayss or in
WV. I,.,na ON mice ana suob other
S, i. ss thav can c.tch. THESE
M1,S ,nai. :, pnrr.o can nsithsr he
s.nad nor am r,nIovei for nny work. and
ssu,v ss .nssoh 4. tSs 1.hhls of brntes.
Ali throuah The larger island groups of
"a sonts -. pac,flc ars fonnd. more or
s..s JSt1srsns,stas trihss Of monkey- like
ss. Th.,. ss No o,,sstion of the fact
49, n,o., ~ shas Of .he World now
40 I,ed Sc.sn,o. was Inhabited by these
l,ttIs bIsok nssple long befors bi QRer races
oams IN boa = and began the work Of
than. They have teen
-,raa ars sntir.lv an ali bnt the Largest
,.,P~as such .s I,uzon and Nindnnao.
..h..s to- ss,ii snrviv, In small numbers
tso s.o1rt.,rcns ana iaaooassible in
,a,tor Swong than a "a oertain aboriai-
- Snn,strs vho.s hodies ara ooveret,
ne n y. Sa ni.h -, ds,t hsir ana who
VT. ana 9sa,n vith the Utmost
s.es..,,.' nronounoa n few MALAY
u.n9' a. Csylor tho yriIst
w9.u rasa1.. Snown ss Vea-
49, mata thamseIyss uuderstood by
sann. ar, macs md inartiouiate gruuts
siSrs, ,~.w ,,sonls. aecording 10 the
..,,ns :, IL RscSsr ana ProfessSr Narsh.
.sa os dasn.ndad =. "a dsrect,v from the oriainsi
or a.e,s ~ ~. so-csljei mi .s,ng link or
so''rs. the missine link Vas not an in
%u,s. 9oe WI S,. srsc,as and the bsst an
.hr,,,s. ars oS the eninion that the t,ps
a ~ nni,ks fhs chimnspzee-a Kind
" wow aI,nost sxtirot. unfortunately.
:, S,,e ePe Ps,,,sd m% as nssrsr tn man than any
othar ~ the ersat anthropoids. Nobody
lii ..ar Inow hov he came about. but
W. ar-i..d somahow-vsr, Iiksly In Lug
10 - ;,s nssr na,~hb,rhs sod-snd it soon
On Sn,on,a y, s ann.,a,t thai he Was there 10
s,a~ Ia Eas smsrter than the other
s.Sy. "a 90 cnnid cot a bsttsr livinr:
tnoh ~ i.asyaa no no. 70 yrssn n s,iok and use
~ NJ as ,su cIuh % ana TINS he was enable TO
hsn 81 ~ cn,,,sr" IN a naht
"Mp ~ ,Sts ,ns..,ns I'M IA M tbsorv.
That y. % and his t,nd-a whole tribe.
c.,n st,.nttna n nav and ,mporvea snsoies
Wd,a actnaiiv eIiss has bean proved by
ths dis ,oyeIy' in Java. NOT very far from
tha phil,nnin,s ~ a f-ssiI sneoimep.
-" ~, k~..a,