The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1906-10-30


l1e WIN n IN odl 1qelslrE cFe6l1e4.
~ u Ellls 5Eettsi
IN
tie pil II the dalleIy md an nm
ufeessaIF GrlleIe ClIrgiel l3S men IiIlleS
e Is used as an aid Ia gEllIl1ine when
one Is lame or inGrEn but the usa of
the cane has q deeper sigElIf canoe than
This. even though 4 may sbe useti as
sporting adjunct 70 q paltss get up,n
RnId a gentleman connected with tho
mltlsonian institution.
sgIlhe c1ne Is q relic from prehistoric
ages. when men went around clad In
the skins OF animals and the club was
the only weapon OF assault aud de-
Tense. Those OF our ancient ancestors
who welded the big knotted stick to
the best advantage over their OppO-
nents came out the vletors. The club
saw honored service for some centu-
ries. when It was superseded by the
stone az, which was the same old club,
with an end fastened to the stone az
by thongs OF rawhide, until. a few cen
turtles later, some old white bearded
patriarch conceived the idea of drilling
a hole through the stone ux head and
inserting the end of the club therein.
Then the primitive metal ages were
reached, and crudely wrought metal
ax heads took the place of the stone.
Then the club developed into the short
spear. and the short spear evolved into
the short sword, which as time rolled
along became the long sword, and final
IL into the sharp, slender blade which
was mans constant companion for so
many centuries.
.eAnd now It Is the cane. for the
primal Instinct of man for having with
IN reach ana IN his hand something to
carry for possible attack or defense has
not vet been blOtted out by civilization
and consequent refinement OF manners
ana customs. for the cane Is stin car
ried as a weapon of ASSAULT and de-
Tense, especially at night even though
many men use 1t as n playthtng, an ar
ticle In the nature of personal adorn-
ment or a badge of the man who does
not have to work for living, as once
the light sword was carried by the
GIandies OF the time as the badge OF the
gentleman.
..As the centuries roll on the cane
VIII take its place in museums as m
relic of our own times, and
antiquaries will vie with one another
for fine specimens AS they do today
over perfect specimens OF the other
still existing relics of past ages. Then
our teeth will go in the process OF the
physical evolution. and perfect speci-
mems of fun set of what were once
used for the then unnecessary process
OF eating will he viewed with Interest
and wonder by tie frequenters Of mu-
seums. After our teeth viii disappear
our toes, like the toes from the foot of
the prehistoric horse. Our fingers will
last the longer. as they are used more
than the toes. but they will gradually
shorten and finally disappear from
the hand as the centuries slowly pile
one upon another. OF course the hair
on our heads will disappear by the
process OF physical evolution long be-
fore our toes and our fingers, and the
cvoluted hairless Uranium man will
look with mlrth upon the hairy headed
man of today. for the beard, too, will
have disappeared by that time.
Upon the whole, we will do well to
utilize what we hive now. for it can
not he sud that the future looks es-
peci,llly encouraging for us from the
of today. we will seem as
odd a set of creatures to those Who are
10 come after us. about 10000 cen
ruries from now. as they seem to us
today IN our mind's picture OF what
hey will hc. We should not however.
ct thc.-e minor mattcrs OF evolution
interiors with orr appetite or our
Washington star.