Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1914-01-09

Aurignacian age, bears most striking 'ssem-
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 ind. 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 I'M
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-including the human faces Of the cave of
Marsoulas- generally ascrbed by FTenchmen
not to the Aurignacian but to the later Magdalen
ian age others think them productions OF Aurig
nican artists If this latter theory is accepted
the man" of La Colombiere is simply one more
to add to the scanty gallery of Aurignaciap depic
tons 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 US be-
lieve.
Second, as to whether the man of La Colon
biere proves that descended from the
Neanderthal-Spy-La Chapelle-aux-Saints race or
the race represented by him Of the PiltdoWn skull
There, too, matters by no means as easy
as they look to the sanguine Frenchmen. Plenty
Of learned men who have studied the subject OF
the descent of are 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 Wnlcn appeaIeu
later.
The latest news from abroad shows that the
man of La Colombiere has already set learned
tongues to waggng against each other Already
Messrs Mayet and Pssot, the savants who found
him, have hornets nest about their ears Ia
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 Colomblere is
the earliest picture of man. Mr. Williams 1dea
is that we have to do here not with faithful de-
lineaton Of the human form but with carlca
ture. He writes:
"As Messrs Mayet and Pssot 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 me very well defined in the pho
tograph
.sThe discoveries speak of this drawing as hav-
ing none of the characteristics represented by the
Neanderthal Spy or La Chapelle-aux- Saints
skulls In their opinion, the head resembles the
fossil skull of Chancelade. They say:
The head is large the forehead round and
prominent (bombre), rising slightly obquely
The face is long, as though pulled out from be-
low upward, and is distinctly projected forward;
the chin is prominent, and has a 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 indeinable expression
In this detailed description it is quite evident
that Dr. Mayet and NJ Pissot believe that we have
here something in the nature of realistic draw
ing of Aurignacian This is confirmed by
their further statement that we have not previous
ly found any engraved figures that teach US any
thing definite about the exact form of contour OF
the human face of the Aurignacian or Solutrlan
periods and that this want has now been filled
by their discoveries.
with these statements and conclusions md
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-deGaume at
Les Eyzies (Dordogne. D.
Il think it will be clearly seen that the great
interest in this new discovery lies not In the be-