The citizen., 1914-01-09

Aurignacian age, bears a most striking resem-
blance to him of the Magdalenian age. supposedly
a much more developed individual
Compare this man of La Colombiere with the
middle one of the three human faces from the
cave of Marsoulas shown on this page. He has
the same respectable skull Development, much
more like that of the possessor of the Piltdown
skull than that of the ape-like "Neanderthal man
and his congerers The nose. it will also be
noted is very similar to that of the Marsoulas
man, likewise the heavy chin.
So much for the contentious of the Frenchmen
who have made this remarkable find Backed up
though they are by good arguments it is not like
ly that they will be swallowed without a struggle.
On the contrary, they will probably be the cause
of still another controversy to add to the already
stormy annals of anthropology. For there is un-
doubtedly another side to the question.
First, as to the pictures just found of La Colon
biere In spite of the fact that those similar to
them-incuding the human faces of the cave of
Marsoulas-are generally ascribed by Frenchmen
not to the Aurignacian but to the later Magdalen-
ian age others think them productions Of Aurig-
nician artists. II this latter theory Is accepted,
the man" of La Colombiere is simply more
to add to the scanty gallery Of Aurignacian depic-
tions Of human beings Even If he proves to be
that and nothing more, he will be accounted
precious find, but naturally his value will not be
so enormous as those who have found him and
those who share their views would have be-
leve.
Second, as to whether the man" of La Colon
biere proves that we are descended from the
NeanderthalSpy-La Chapelle-aux-Saints race or
the race represented by him of the Piltdown skull
There, too, matters are by no means as easy
as they look to the sanguine Frenchmen. Plenty
of learned who have studied the subject OF
the descent of man Of the opinion that man
may be descended from neither of these interest
ing groups they contend that both of these races
may have become extinct and that mankind
sprang, possibly. from some race which appeared
later.
The latest news from abroad shows that the
man OF La Colombiere has already set learned
tongues to wagging against each other Already
Messrs Mayet and Pissot, the savants who found
him, have a hornets nest about their ears. In
London Mr.. J. Leon Williams, writing in the Illus
trated London News, has placed himself on record
as foe to the belief that he of La Colombiere Is
the earliest picture of q Mr.. Williams idea
is that we have to do here not with faithful de-
lineaton of the human )rm but with carica-
ture. He writes:
"As Messrs Mayet and1Pissot say the drawing
is very clear, especially the face and upper part
of the head The back Of the head and the neck
do not seem to very well defined in the pho
tograph.
THE discoverers speak of this drawing as hav-
ing none of the characteristics represented by the
Neanderthal Spy, or La Chapelle-aux-Sa Saints
skulls In their opinion, the mead resembles the
fossil skull of Chancelade. They say:
r The head is large, the forehead round and
III ointment (bombre) rising slightly obliqueiy.
Tae face is long, though pulled out from be-
low upward and is distinctly projected forward
the chin is prominent, and has short beard In
dicated by small lines; the nose is long and very
thick; the eye is indicated by two curved lines.
and has an indeHnable expression.
''In this detailed description 1t is quite evident
that DIR. Mayet and M. Pissot believe that we have
here something In the nature OF realistic draw
ing of Aurignacan This Is confirmed by
their further statement that we have not previous
ly found any engraved figures that teach any
thing definite about the exact form of contour of
the human face of the Aurignacian or Solutran
periods, and that this want has now been filled
by their discoveries.
with these statements and conclusions find
it impossible to agree At least two other en-
cravings of the human face have been previously
discovered one in the Grotte des Fees in the
Gironde and the other in the Font-de-Gaume at
Les Eyzies (Dordogne. }.
Il think 1t will be clearly lseen that the great
interest in this new discovert lies not in the be-
II