New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-01-01
Man In ALL PERIODS.
FUTURE TYPE AMERICAN.
Scientists Discuss Human Race
Rockefeller as Model.

Man past. present and future was the subject
that created most interest at the meeting of the
American Association for the Advancement of
Science which was continued at Columbia yester-
day. In the of a discussion on the sub
ject- DR. w. J. MCGEE. of tn St Louis Museum
spoke of the American of the garure as type
"hlch all men would gradually approach the
human races became blended in big mixture.
As for the present DIR. MCGEE found in John d
Rockefeller the typical Amerfcar.
speaking of race suicide in 4Inericn DR.. MCGEE
held that the agitation about st was all a false
alarm, his argument being that the number of off
spring of type varied fnversey with the length
OF life Of the type. He pointed examples to the
eagle which lives hundred years and has only a
lew eggs and TO the shad. which lives only short
time. but has millions of eggs. Americans he
said, were increasing their average length of life
and so their offspring was decreasing A hundred
years ago. he said. the average was twenty-five
years. while now IL is twenty-nine DR. McC+ee
held that not only were Americans becoming longer
lived but that their period of effectiveness was be-
ing increased. and pointed TO the number of infiu-
entail men IN the United States who were over
seventy.
DR.. McGee's paper dealt directly with the ques-
on OF heTedity and all the other subjects came up
incidentally The American OF Tomorrow he said,
would he taller. stronger. more Intellectual and
more humanitarian than the American of to-day
This increase of strength. he said would be due
TO the blending of types which has made the
American what he is. DR.. MCGEE denied that
there was in the American any tendency toward
any particular type. or that any type such the
blond or brunette gradually disappearing
Nar1aoiity of height, complexion and character
was what DR.. MCGEE expected 10 he cha acteristic
OF the future American.
HEREDTTY'S INFLUENCE
Just the composite Anne -ican has been formed
so, he thought that when the tide immigration
turned toward South America a composite type
would be built up there which would be like the
present North American. DR.. MCGEE. in speaking
Of heredity pointed out how a yellow streak" such
tendency crime disease. was gradually
dying out, and said that anthropoogy clearly
showed that the world growing better. He
said that any tendency in ore generation might
appear in the following generation, but that if 1t
evil one II would gradually die out II
man inherited ten1eacy 10 murder, he likely
10 get into prison and leave descendants, and
the further from the source OF the tendency
gets the less likely II IS 10 appear. In the
way the who has decided tendency 10 virtue
IS protected by the law and is likely to leave
descendants.
John D. Rockefeller pointed out the typ
teal American, because he was the Incarnation Of
concentrated effort
IF Mr.. Rockefeller had been an anthropologist."
said DR.. McGee ''he would have been a great one
The scientist held that while the keenness of the
struggle for existence was increasing. IT was not
doing any faster than the power TO struggle.
In discussing DR.. McGees paper, the Rev. DR..
Il c. Hovey, of Newburypolt, Mass. said that
Aaron Burr victim of heredity. He pointed
the fact that Burr the only OF Jonathan
Edwards's seventy-hve grandchildren who had
turned badly, and said that this was due 10
the fact that Burr's great grandmother
erratic woman. though brilliant one. from whom
her husband obliged 10 get divorce.
NEBRASKA DISCOVERY DESCRIBED.
With the modern man was compared the
found in the Loers formation of Nebraska. Con-
corning him DR.. H. B. Ward said in his paper:
The limb bones are massive and large. indicating
stature of six feet and uncommonly rough, in
larry in the lover eXtremities The st1kingfy large
io% Bowed with 'recsding foreheads which lack
frontal eu1inences. in life these people had nat
bross Shading eyes deep set and close together
the how qa K o1a e Sss d sg
are normal and represent the original developnent
Similarity @ as well as airereaces on the whole they
e2er aSf Bones We're deeply gnswed by rodents
one or more appear TO have oeen backed or scIaped
Witch had knit together without surgical aid and
the other is a case OF e1ostosis between two lum-
bar verebTas whieh haze BECOME ooossined
OF trsgedy an6 The Toqsaened sgr6ece beneath
two sscrs show pec,Iiiarities Interesting though
not unique. the one having neural arch over
Tsrte6r and the Sthsr having nc neural arch
The skull is characterized by riarrowness through
the temples by thick protruding superciiary ridges
Of frontal erntnenceS. by, well expanded parietal
The skull wall seems distinctly thicker than that
The mental process bold and well pronounced like
that Of civilized The CANNES scarcely exceed
the lncisoTs in strength. The molars about OF
ordinary size, but the in which they
worn, evidenced by the several Jaws, is
the first noar being but little the second
considerably. and the third down to the gum
indicating that they had been accustomed tho
mastication Of coarse. hard food
Another type Of prehistoric has recently been
discovered at Mariners Harbor. Staten Island
about which Alanson Skinner read a paper. In
going through a cut where excavation for a
railroad IS being made, he noticed the remains OF
oyster shells. Investigation showed that had
come upon the site Of a prehistoric Indian village
He dug the bank and found all sorts OF Indian
implements in the remains OF fire beds in front
OF the tepees and graves. from which he took
human bones that evidently belonged to the Mo-
hawk Iroquos type
Dr. Charles II. Halves reported that he had m
esrthed In the island Of Crete a complex gambling
apparatus that was evidently ages old II was he
salo, much like the gambling tables now in use at
Monte Carlo, only built of instead OF wood
The Cretans Of the time, he said. almost a
race OF pygTnfes, and economical that they found
IL convenient to their bathtubs as collins
DR.. Karl J. Kennard pointed out Ellis Island az
an excellent place in which TO study anthropolog-
ical types as there were thousands OF people of
different races coming through every year.
9. Stuart eager, OF the New York Botanical
Gardens explained that certain experiments were
IN progress TO test the effect Of radum upon
plants SO far. II appears that when the poilen
or the ovary is exposed to radium the seeds that
result VIII produce plant profoundly IN