Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1905-05-31
A MUsE In EVOLUTION
THE ELEMENTS OF THE HUMAN HEAD
AND THEIR ORIGIN.

-ApHVuE ~ 1aNe heen developed Ii
Animal Life That Is of Il Higher
Order Thnn Tint of the Fishes.
The origin of all the elements of the
human head cannot he traced 1t is al
most certain however. that they have
been developed in the life above the
fishes. Among the fishes the head is
not yet distinctly separated from til,
rest of the body; there is no neck, and
i'll the very highest forms the creature
must move the whole body in order tc
obtain Il new field of vision. The head
OF the fish is imperfect in other ways
10 it are attached the breathing organs
in the shape of gills, which require q
complicated system of machinery t.
aid their functions: the Instruments OF
smell and sight are generally pretty
well elaborated, but the hearing is III
the keeping of II very rude machinery
which does Its work inadequately. The
voice, which hereafter is part of the
head machinery, is indistinct and quite
inarticulate.
The next step in advance is gained
when the fishes pass into the reptiles
Here we find something like Il neck
and Il head; the ennohled part of the
body is more distinctly separated from
that which serves the lower functions
In the reptiles the head is fairly fin.
isled. Every essential feature. except
perhaps the outer ear, that exists in the
higher mammalia. is at least suggested
and there is nothing to he eliminated
in the further advance. Nevertheless
man sees in the reptile the lowest crea-
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
higher forms Is made on two distinct
lines. On the one we are led to tho
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 Il consider
able range of expression. Although the
reptiles may convey some idea of rage
by their menacing 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 it 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 adj
just itself, as it We're, for a higher des-
tiny. The jaws become shorter, the
mouth diminishes in size, the nose,
which hitherto has been fiat, in some
species begins to assume Il distinct hui
man outline: the eyes are closer to-
gether and the eyebrows are somewhat
better defined; the hair, although still
covering the face, grows so as to sep
arate 1t more sharply from the head;
but, above all, there come Il larger de-
Telopment of the facial muscles and a
play of countenance 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 articu.
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. it is nevertheless suf1i-
cient for the expression of the limited
range of their ideas and emotions and
no longer requires grimace as an aid.
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. Il most
important organ of expression, cannot
meet the demands of the mind and in
consequence the face becomes obedient
to the soul.
The lifting of the forehead and the
accentuation 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 the
ascending grade of culture. The most
remarkable transformation observed IL
passing from the anthropoids to mar
is found in the hairy coverings of the
face. The localization of this hair, al
though characteristic feature of man
is indicated in the lower forms. Will
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 MAJ
is not so much a matter of dimnutiol
as of distribution. If the nine inche.
of growth which is said to take pluc,
each year III the hair of the head ant
beard were spread over the entire bod,
we should find 1t covered as thicll.
as that of monkey. With the loss o
the hair there has come that peculiar
sensitiveness of the skin which is man
ifested in blushing. This phenomenon
together with the sentiments whicl
give rise to it, is confined to man.
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