The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1914-01-09

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Auripnacian 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. lie 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, 1t 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 by good arguments, II Is not ike
" 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-including 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-
nican artists II this latter theory is accepted,
the man" OF La Coombiere Is simply one more
to add to the scanty gallery OF Aurignacian depic
tions OF human beings Even II he proves TO be
that and nothing more he will be accounted a
precious find but naturally his value VIII 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
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 men who have studied the subject OF
the descent of man are OF the opinion that man
may be descended from neither OF these interest
ing groups they contend that both OF these races
fnnf md hat
sprang. possibly. from some race whlch 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 man Mr. Williams ldea
is that we have to do here not with faithful de-
lineation OF the human form but with carica
ture He writes:
"As Messrs. Mayet and Pissot 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
'The discoverers speak OF this drawing hav-
ing mono OF the characteristics represented by the
Neanderthal, Spy, La Chapelle-aux-Saints
skulls In their opinion, the head resembles the
fossil skull OF Chanceade They say:
"'The head is large. the forehead round and
prominent Cbombre), rising slightly obliquely
The face is long as 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 indefnable expression.
I'm this detailed description IL is quite evident
that DR. Mayet and VI. Pissot believe that We have
here something in the nature OF realistic draw
ing OF Aurignacian man. This is confirmed by
their further statement that we have not previous
" found any engraved figures that teach US any
thing definite about the exact form Of contour OF
the human fcse OF the Aurgnacian or Soutrian
periods and that this want has now been filled
BY their discoveries
with these statements and conclusions tld
Il impossible 20 agree At least two other en-
cravings OF the human face have been previously
discovered. one in the Grotte des Fees in the
Gronde and the other IN the FontdeGaume at
Les Eyzies (Dordogne. }.
Il think II Will be clearly seen that the great
interest in this new discovery lies not In the be