The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-03-09
Primitive Man in the Gee 4ge.
BY WARREN UPHAM.

orally to the coast line Of that time.
Along the sea border y. here food sup
plies such as savages rely upon are most
easily obtained, preglacial and glacial
man may have freely advanced on land
margin skirting the inland ice, as along
the present boroers of Greenland. 1t was
only in the Champlain epoch, closing the
glacial period, that the ice-burdened
lands sank to their present altitude or
lower, bringing the edges OF the ice-sheet
beneath the encroaching sea.
Impossible to Fix Date.
1t is impossible to define closely the
date of mans coming into America; but
it is known to have preceded the end OF
the glacial period. In the late glacial
gravel deposits of the Delaware valley
at Trenton, N J., under a beach ridge
of the glacial lake Iroquois in Western
New York, in late glacial valley deposits
of Ohio, in the similar f1oOdplain of ,-le
Mississippi at Little Falls, MINI, and in
a beach ridge of the glacial lake Agassiz
in Northwestern Manitoba, biologists
have found traces of mans presence dur
ing the closing scenes of the Ice age.
The earliest of these discoveries, at TTen-
ton, was only one or two years before
the observations by Prof. Winchen, in
1877, at Little Falls.
The many divergent branches Of the
progress toward civilization in Mexico,
Central America and Peru before the
discovery by Columbus, indicate for this
division of mankind probably almost as
great antiquity as in the Eastern hem
isphere, where many lines of evidence
point to the origin and dispersion Of men
at a time far longer ago than tie 5000
to 10000 years which measure the post
glacial period. Although we are unable
no ho do 70 in Of
of antiquity, when the American race
came into its heritage, we may paradox
icaly say that it came here before it
had been differentiated from the priTn-
ordial stock of mankind SO as to be
racially distinct
Development Of the physical and men
tai characteristics of the American race
doubtless went forward in companionship
with the development of their industries,
tribal organizations, and advancement
toward civilization. All these changes,
from a very low condition Of savagery to
semi in some districts, great
diversity of tribal and national life, high
skill in various handicrafts, and general
contrast with the races Of the Old World,
took place, as l believe, after the aborig-
inal migration to America. This develop
ment was probably synchronous with the
differentiation of the black, yellow and
white races; and their Establishment was
complete long before the pyramids of
Egypt were built, and, indeed, long be-
fore the Aryan invaders Of Western
Europe in the closing part of the Ice
age, brought the ne0Iithic arts, culh-
waited plants, domestic animals, and the
ndo-European languages.
PetrIe Estimates Endorsed.
My studies as a glacialist lead me to
think that Flinders Petrie has gwen as
satisfactory estimates as can be made
with our present knowledge in his re-
cent suggestions assigning 1GO0 600 years
as the probable duration since paleolithic
man appeared in the Somme valley, and
10000 years since neolithic man came into
western Europe. From my examination
of the implement bearing gravel deposits
of the Somme in northern France where
proofs of mans great geologic antiquity
were first recognized and published,
concluded that paleoIlthic men began their
occupation of that country before the
epoch Of great elevation of the lands
which became glaciated, probably contem-
poraneously, in both Europe and America
american Geologist, vol. XXI, pp. $50
1863, Dec. 1889. The glacial period, inter
vening between the oldest Somme grayeIs
and the coming Of the neolithic people,
had q duration of probably $1,000 years
or perhaps more nearly 10000 years EO-
lithic man, known by his very rude stone
implements in stream deposits which are
preserved on high plateaus in southern
England, belonged to a time consider
ably earlier than 100000 years ago; so
that we may perhaps allot twice that
period for the existence of mankind and
the development of the four great races
Of white, black, yellow and red men
But however long. as 100000 years, we
may estimate the duration Of the human
species, geology confidently affirms that
life began upon our globe in an antiq-
uity about a thousand times more re-
mote. and the beginning of the exist
ence Of the earth and the solar system
was again vastly more ancient
Six great eras comprise all geologic
time, as follows:
/. The Azoic or Early Archean era,
without life.
2. The Eozoic or Late Arehean era. with
the dawn OF life.