New-York tribune., 1909-01-03
MOST ANCIENT MAN
NOT THE MISSING LINK.
Conclusions of French SaUans Re
garding Fossil Skull and Bones.
Paris December %.

score Of geologists. together with the members
of the Academy Of Science. have completed their
examinations of the skull and part Of the skele-
ton, at first supposed to be fossil remains OF
the missing link" recently dug up by three
priests and srcheologists NM. ]. and A BOuys-
sonic and L. Bardon. IN a prehistoric cave at
La Chapelle- aux Saints. Tulle IN the de-
partment of La Correze. The skull and bones
have been brought to Paris. and were exhibited
at a meeting OF the Academy Of Science They
were found in quadrangular pit or grave stu
ated in at about three metres from it's
entrance. The skeleton rested on its side. with
the legs drawn up and tightly folded After
careful research the scientists feel convinced
that the grave had been made by human hands.
that the body had been the object II ceremonial
burial-the earliest instance OF tine kind recorded
and that the skull and skeleton we're those Of
the most ancient man in the woSld" The fact
OF ritual burial makes it probable that those who
buried this prehistoric man were endowed with
sentimentalIty and perhaps religion"
Professor PerrIer, at the meeting or the Acad-
eny of Science, placed the skull found 81 La
ChapelIe- x-Saints on a long table side by side
with skulls of chimpanzee, gorilla, primitive
Australian. copies OF the skull OF the primitive
man found in the NeanderthaI, near the Rhine.
IN the early COS, q copy OF the frontal bones
Of the primitive skull dug UP at Spy, in Belgium.
and the top OF the skull OF the pithecanthrope
found in Java in 1888 by Dr. E. Dubois. Each
Of these specimens placed in front Of skulls
Of modern Parisians. This arrangement greatly
facilitated the comparative study OF the La
ChapelIe- aux Saints skull. II was with almost
ma prpCfSfop shOWu
discovered skull had It's place between the skull
Of the pIthecanthrops OF Java and that OF he
primitive Australian This is of great impor-
tanCe because scientists have not yet decided
whether the pithecRnthrope skull is that of
very highly developed monkey or OF the abso-
lutely primitive Long discussion ensued
as to whether the La Chapeile-au Saints skull
was that of human being, monkey OF the
famous missing link"
The members OF the Academy OF Science are
unanimous in their opinion that tho skull and
skeleton OF La ChapelIe aux-Saints are those Of
a man, but OF OF the very lowest degree.
and also that they the Oldest. we'll the
most complete. of all the human fossils known.
At one time II was thought, and Virchow was of
this opinion. that the Neanderthal type was
pathologic The French scientists consider
that neither the Neanderthal man nor that
Of Spy. the La Chapelle- aux Saints
man. is pathoIogic but all representatives
Of normal proto- human races probably Of two
races. one being the lower race, that OF the
plthECanthrope. and the other being
slightly higher race. that OF NeanderthaI and
OF La ChapelIe- aux Saints AS compared with
skulls. that Of La Chapelle- aux
Saints has characteristics OF sirnan type.
The absence Of the forehead gives a fat. bestiaI
appearance. An enormous development of the
arches OF the eyebrows surmounts deep tubular
orbits. The backward position Of the occipitaI
hole shows that the head was not placed IN
vertical position on the vertebral column, but
was bent forward.
The prehistoric Correzisn must have walked
about with his eyes constantly looking at the
ground. The front part OF the skull shows a
marked projection OF the lower Jaw. which to-
gether with retreating chin gives the appear
ance Of a snout. The wide but short nose IS
separated from the forehead by deep depres-
sion. The upper Jaw reaches forward abruptly
without being followed out. between the nasal
and the cheek bones. by a furrow. as IS the case
with human skulls OF TO day and which In Iiv-
ing heads. causes the wrinkle extending from
the iObes OF the nostrils 70 the commissure OF
the lips Professor Brandidier points out that
Il Is this wrinkle fold that by its mobility
and rapidly changing aspects conveys to our
sadness. The absence Of this facial line in the la
ChapelIe- aux Saints skull shows that II belonged
to a man who could not smile Many OF these
astrological characteristics OF the smouS
type but there are many others. such for in
stance as the marked capacity OF the Uranium.
that are essentially human. The evidences OF
human burial also Indicate that the skull and
bones were those OF a very primitive man. and
not of a monkey Of the missing link
Geologists have been able TO determine the
period of the burial OF the La ChapeiIe- aux
distance in the interior OF a grotto In this
grotto a number Of bones OF animals found.
such as those Of the rhnOceros- -tichorinus. rein
deer hyena. mountain rat and WOLF Three
wards from these animal fossils the tomb was
found containing the human skeleton and skull.
At the foot OF the tomb there were the bones OF
the hind leg Of q gigantic bovine beast with its
hoof Professor MarCenn BOule thinks II very
likely that this was put there in accordance with
the primitive custom OF placing provisions In a
burial place. The grotto bears no signs Of ever
having been used human habitaton. The
pieces OF slick found near the skeleton are OF the
finest Mousterian age. Moreover, the debris or
fauna are of the same period. From these data
French scientIsts decide that the skeleton OF the
Ia Chapelle-aux- Saints tomb is OF the Mouste
rtsn epoch, when the climate OF the region was
not tropical, but temperate. almost frigid.
forming part Of the pleistocene period. that
rarne Immediately after the last era OF the
glacial extension. The skull and skeleton are
in the opinion OF Professor Per
rier and his coIIea gues. the most ancient human
bones known TO exist G l. b.
STORMY DEB4TE