Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1914-01-09

Aurignacian age. bears most striking resem
blance to him of the MagdaIenian 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 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 struggle
On the contrary. they will probably be the cause
of still another controversy to add to the already
stormy ann is 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-
nician artists. If this latter theory is accepted,
the man of La Colombiere is simply more
to add to the scanty gallery of Aurignacan 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 be
lieve.
Second, as to whether the man" of La Colon
biere proves that we are descended from the
NeanderthalSpy-La Chapelleaux 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
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 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 ne of La Colombere is
the earliest picture of a man. Mr.. Williams idea
is that we have to do here not with faithful de-
lineation of the human form but with carica~
ture He writes:
LAS 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 discoveries speak of this drawing as hav-
ing none of the characteristics represented by the
Neanderthal. Spy. or La Chapelleaux-Saints
skulls. In their opinion, the head resembles the
The head is large, the forehead round and
prominent (bombre), rising slightly oblicuely.
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
dicatod by small lines: the 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 Dr.. Mayet and NJ. Pissot believe that we have
here something in the nature of realistic draw
ing of Aurgnacan 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 face of the Aurignacan or Sclutrian
periods. and that this want has been filed
by their discoveries.
with there statements and conclusions find
it impossible 10 agree At least two other en-
cravings Of the human face have beer previously
discovered4 Qhe "a fhe 6rotte des Fees. In the
Gironde and tHe other the Font-deGaume at
Les Eyzies K6fee she
II think Il wila 81 clearly seen that the great
interest il tbls new 6iseesery lies not in the be-