Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1905-05-14
A MUSE TN EVOLUTION
THE ELEMENTS OF THE HUMAN HEAD
AND THEIR ORIGIN.

Animal Life That Is of n Higher
Order Than That of the Fishes.
The origin OF MI the elements Of the
human head cannot be traced. 1t Is nj
most certain, however that they huve
been developed in the life above the
fishes. Among the fishes the hen,l Is
not yet distinctly separated from tho
rest OF the body; there is no neck, and
IN the very highest forms the creature
! must move the whole body In order to
Obtnin Il new field OF vision. The head
OF the fish IL Imperfect In other WAYS
10 IL are attached the breathing organs
In the shape of gils, which require Il
complicated system of machinery to
aid their functions; the Instruments OF
smell and sight are generally pretty
well elaborated, but the hearing is in
the keeping Of very rude machinery
which does its work inadcutatcly. Tie
voice, which hereafter is part of the
head machinery, Is indistinct and quite
innrticulntc.
The next step in advance Is gained
when the fishes pass into the reptiles.
Here we find something like n neck
body Is more distinctly separated from
that which serves the lower functions.
In the reptiles the head IL fairly fin
lshcd. Every essential feature, except
perlups the outer ear. that exists In the
higher nalnlnulia. Is mt least suggested.
ami there Is nothing to be eliminated
In the further advance. Nevertheless,
man sees In the reptile the lowest crca-
ture of the series that contains the
same bodily elements with himself, the
type of all possible degradation, and
views 1t with instructive adherence.
From the reptiles advance to the
llhghcr forms Is made on two distinct
lines. On the one we are led to the
birds. on the other to the mammals.
Though closely akin In structure, there
Is wide spiritual gap separating the
reptiles and birds. We pass from dull
and senseless things to creatures which
are the embodiment of emotional activ-
ity. The mental activity OF birds finds
expression not only In their marvellous
! voices. but for the first time the face
becomes the instrument of II consider
| able range OF expression. Although the
| reptiles may convey some idea OF rage
by their menaclng jaws and by their
| movements. the face Is so rigid that
there Is little to choose between the ex-
preston Of the animal when alive and
! when dead, whereas IN the bird the
| change Is so great that 1t may be pa
| thetic.
| The first clear premonition of the hui
man face Is found among the monkeys
We see here this part beginning to nd
just Itself, as it were, for higher des-
tiny. The jaws become shorter, the
mouth dImlnishcs in size. the nose,
which hitherto has been aut. In some
species begins to assume distinct hui
man outline: the eyes are closer to-
gcther and the eyebrows are somewhat
better defined; the hair. although still
covering the face, grows so rs to sep
nrate 1t more sharply from the head
but. above all, there come n larger de-
velopnlent OF the facial muscles and Il
play Of countcnance greater than that
| Of the lower animals.
| 1t may indeed be asserted that the
faces of monkeys are more expressive
than those of the lower races of men
for the reason that, having no nrticu-
late speech, they are compelled to sig
Nifty by grimace much that human be-
ings convey by language. Although
the vocabulary of the inferior races
may be small. 1t is nevertheless sufii-
cient for the expression OF the limited
range Of their ideas and emotions and
no longer requires grilnace as an ala.
According to this theory, the first re-
suit OF speech would therefore be to
limit the mobility of the face, but With
the higher races the scope OF ideas and
emotions Is such that the voice, most
important organ OF expression, cannot
| meet tho demands of the mind, and in
consequences the face becomes obelient
to The soul.
salc lifting Of the forehead and tie
accentuntion Of the chin have per-
haps more than any other modification
given to the human face its erect and
commanding appearance. The dis
lance from the eyes to the ears has
also steadily Increased and the height
of the cOuntenance compared with the
width become greater. This particular
modification appears In all races in tho
ascending grade Of culture. The most
remarkable transformation. observed IN
passing from the anthropoidS to man
Is found In tue hairy coverings of the
face. The loculiZation OF this hair, al
though characteristic feature of man,
Is indicated in the lower forms. With
the monkeys, for instance, the lower
part OF the face OF the male Is in GER
tain species covered by beard The
change In the hairy covering Of man
is not so much matter Of diminution
as of distribution. If the nine inches