The Press. (Stafford Springs, Conn.) 1883-1935, 1907-03-20
THE FUTURE MAN.
Ne VIII BE an Odd Looking Creature
According to This Forecast.

Qe VIII BE an Odd Looking Creature,
According to This Forecast.
MANY persons consider the cane as
the plaything of the dandy and an I'M
necessary article carried by lSen unless
it is used as an aid in walking when
one is lame or infirm, but the use of
the cane has a deeper significance than
this, even though it may be used as a
sporting adjunct to a mans get up"
said a gentleman connected with the
Smithsonian institution.
1.-THE cane is a relic from prehistoric
ages, when men went around clad in
the skins of animals and the club was
the only weapon Of assault and de-
Tense. Those of our ancient ancestors
who welded the big knotted stick to
the best advantage over their oppo-
nents came out the vietors. The club
saw honored service for some centu-
ries, when 1t was superseded by the
stone ak, which was the same old club,
with an end fastened to the stone ak
by thongs of rawhide, until, few cen
turtles later, some old white bearded
patriarch conceived the idea of drilling
hole through the stone ak head and
inserting the end of the club therein.
Then the primitive metal ages were
reached, and crudely wrought metal
ak 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
ly into the sharp, slender blade which
was mans constant companion for SO
many centuries.
"And now it Is the cane, for the
primal instinct of man for having with
In reach and in his hand something to
carry for possible attack or defense has
not vet been blotted out by civilization
and consequent refinement of manners
and customs, for the cane is still car
ried as a weapon of assault and de-
Tense, especially at night, even though
many men use it as plaything, an ar
ticle in the nature of personal adorn-
ment or badge of the man who does
not have to work for living, as once
the light sword was carried by the
dandies of the time as the badge of the
gentleman.
"As the centuries roll on the cane
will take its place in museums as an
interesting 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 spec1-
mems of full set of what were once
used for the then unnecessary process
of eating will be viewed with interest
and wonder by the frequenters of mu-
seums. After our teeth will 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
evoluted hairless Uranium man will
look with mirth 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 have now, for it can
not be said that the future looks es-
peciallv encouraging for us from the
standpoint Of today. We will seem as
odd a set of creatures to those who are
to come after us, about 10000 CEN
turtles from now, as they seem to US
today in our minds picture of what
they will be. We should not, however,
let these minor matters of evolution
interfere with our appetite or our
p."-Washington Star.