Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1905-07-01
OF
HUMAN HEAD

III almost certain, however, that tine
| have been developed in the life abov
the fishes. Among the fishes the hea
is not yet distinctly separated fror
the rest Of the body; there is no neck
and in the very highest forms tb
creature must move the whole body il
order to obtain a new field Of vision
The head Of the fish is imperfect il
other ways To it are attached tn,
breathing organs in the shape of gills
which require a complicated system OF
machinery to aid their functions; tn,
instruments Of guell and sight arc
generally pretty well elaborated, but
the hearing is in the keeping Of a very
rude machinery which does its work
inadequately. The voice, which here.
after is a 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 a neck and
a head; the ennobled part of the body
is more distinctly separated from that
which, serves the lower functions. In
the reptiles the head is fairly finished.
Every essential feature, except per-
haps the outer ear, that exists in the
higher mammalio, is at least sugges-
ted, and there is nothing to be elimi.
mated in the further advance. Never
theless, man sees in the reptile the low.
est creature of the series that contains
tho same bodily elements with him.
self, the type Of all possible degrade
tion, and views it with instructive alb
horrence
From the reptiles advance to the
higher 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 a wide spiritual gap separating the
reptiles and birds We pass from dull /
and senscless things to creatures which
are the embodiment Of emotional ac
tivity. The mental activity Of birds
finds expression not only in their mar
velous voices, but for the first time
the face becomes the instrument Of a
considerable range of expression. Al
though the reptiles may convey some
idea Of rage by their menaeing jaws
and by their movements, the face is
so rigid that there is little to choose
between the expression of the animal
when alive and when dead, whereas in
the bird the change is so great that
II may be- pathetic.
The first clear premonitiou OF the
human face is found among the mon.
keys. We see here this part beginning
TO adjust itself, as It were. for high.
er destiny. The jaws become shorter.
tho mouth diminishes in size, the nose.
which hitherto has been fiat. in some
species begins TO assume a distinct hu.
man outlinei the eyes are closer 10.
gether and the eyebrows are somewhat
better defined; the hair, although uiul
covering the face, grows so as to sep.
arate IL more sharply from the head;
but, above all, there came larger
development Of the facial muscles andI
play Of countenaneo greater than
that Of the lower animals.
Il may indeed be asserted tha, 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 10 sip
Nifty by grimaee much that human be.
ings convey by language. Althuu,hl
the vocabulary Of the inferior races mn,
be small, It's is nevertheless sufficient
for the expression Of the limited range
OF their ideas and emotions and NO
longer requires grimoce as an aid. Ac.
cording TO this theory, the first result
Of speech would therefore be 10 limit
the mobility Of the face but with the
higher races the scope Of ideas and
Is such that the voice, a 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 thei
aeeentuatiOn Of the chin have perhaps
given TO the human face its erect and
commanding appearance The distance
from the eyes 20 the ears has also
steadily increased and the height Of
the eountenaneo compared with the
width oecome greater. This partieu.
lar modification appears in all races in
In the ascending grade Of culture The
mosi remarkable transformation oh