Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1901-11-30

startling announce
ment made In
ERNST MAEcKEL. Paris.
1t Is stated that during his expedition
TO Java, begun last year, Prof. Haeckel
has found striking evidence in support
Of the theory, advanced for the first
time only a few months ago by Vir'
chow, that monkeys are descended from
man. and not man from monkeys. That,
In fact, monkeys are nothing less than
degenerated humans.
Ernst Haeckel. now professor Of
zoology mt Jena University, was the
first distinguished scientist to fully &C.
cept Darwin's theory when the "Orlgin
Of Species" was published. The scicp.
tifc world was trembling on the brink
Of the revolution he caused later by
the publication Of "Thc Descent Of
Man." when Haeckel anticipated Oar.
win in his most far-reaching conclu.
slons, and in measure prepared the
world for the startling doctrines limited
at in the "Orlgin Of Species" and fully
promulgated In 1.-THE Descent Of Man."
Since then Haeckel has been the most
advanced among the evolutionists. He
has long asserted that the history ot
man Is complete In oil Its essential Dc.
tails, and that all that now remains to
be done IL to Ill In here and there such
concrete evidence as geological and
archaeological research shall reveal.
In his Systematic Phylogeny." q
monumental work in three volumes, he
made theoretic systematic arrange
ment Of the vegetable and animal
worlds living and extinct on the basis
Of the law Of evolution. The work has
been called vast pedigree tree, with
man mt the top and the lowest non.
indicated cell at the bottom. In this
pedigree there were no empty or un.
accounted spaces. Haeckel construct.
cd hypothetical animals and organisms,
and to him, in theory, there was nc
missing link.
Twenty-Five years before the dscov.
cry of Dubois pithecanthropus Haeckel
had forcsecn In his phylogeny such a
creature, and he had christencd II "pith.
ecanthropus allalus," or the apellke
man before language. He gave to 1t
place midway In the order Of life be.
tween the highest ape and the lowest
human.
In 1890 DR.. Eugene Dubois, Dutch
army physician. travelling In Java, I'm.
carthed the fossil remains Of hitherto
undiscovered creature. There were only
a thigh bone, two mOlar teeth. and
Uranium. Scientists hailed the creature
reconstructed theoretically from these
few fOssillzed bones Us the veritable
missing link. The size Of the Uranium
showed that the creature had cranIal
capacity for exactly 1000 c. NJ. 3, as
against the cranial capacity Of the high
est known gorilla Of 65 C. NJ. 3. and the
cranial capacity Of the lowest form OF
human. the Veddah woman Of CeylOp
or the bushman Of Australia, with 1900
c. NJ. 3. The thigh bone and teeth were
those of a fully developed human Of
medium height.
Dubois called his discovery the plthe.
canthr0pus erectus, or the apelike man.
Scientists differed as to the origin Of
the plthecanthropus, and the late Prof.
Cope, Of the University Of Pennsyl.
yania, was Of the opinion that It was q
species Of the homo neanderthalensle
and about 1900 years old.
TO Haeckel the discovery was Of in
mense importance. In September, las.
year, he organized n small expedition,
and set out for Java In the hope Of max
ing fresh discoveries corroborative q
his systematic phylogeny. He, with al
other scientists who had investigated
Dubois discovery. regarded the pithe'
canthropus az having indisputable WIS.,
ual evidence of one Of the most import
ant steps In the evolution Of man.
III Prof. Haeckel has made any such
discovery" said DR.. Edgar Grant Conk'
lin. professor Of zoology at the Univer
sity Of Pennsylvania. "0r II hc has re-
canted his former multitudinous writ
ings and lecturings sufficiently to make
any such statement 1t means that one
Of the most remarkable revolutions In
biological science has taken place. II
he has made discoveries there" cOntin
ued Prof. C0nklin. having explained
Haeckel's position with regard to evO
luton. (which would cause him to re
verse all his established views, to re
cant the preachings of a busy and q
long lifetime, they must be Of an i'm
n 1x..I 49,