The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1914-04-05
SCATTERING THEORIES.

A scientific expedition, operating in
the interest of the San Diego fair, has
failed, to find evidence sustaining the
theory that Peru was occupied by any
peoples of great antiquity Whatever
discoveries were made tended TO prove
the contrary.
Tho Investigations extended over sew
eral hundred miles Of the Peruvian
coast and over hitherto untraversed re"
gions in the western CdrdilleraS. The
objects Of the expedition were TO deter
mine tho relation of the ancient Pc
ruvians Of the mountains with those OF
the coast and to extend the investiga-
tions which DR.. Alcs Hrdlicka Of the
National Museum has carried on for
many years regarding Indian and espo-
cislly pre-Oolum binn pathology dating
back about 800 years.
Some results Of the trip are given In
q report issued by the Smithsonian In
stitution. They arc Of curious interest,
but fail to demonstrate either high
civilization or great antiquity. Aside
from the cemeteries or burial caves OF
the common coast or mountain people
and their archaeological remains there
was no sign Of human occupation of
these regions. Not trace suggesting
anything older than the pre-Columbian
Indian was found anywhere; and neith-
er the coast nor the mountain popula-
ton, SO far as study can determine, can
be regarded as very ancient in the re-
gions they inhabit Nothing was un-
earthed to indicate that any Of the
sites were occupied for even as long as
twenty centuries.
The report shods an interesting light
upon the general theory as to the an
tiquity Of man. Since evolution has
been generally accepted as true, scion
lists have sought to demonstrate that
man has existed on the earth 100000,
100000 and even 100000 years. 1t
readily occurs to the mind, however,
that one might Just as well guess hun
dred million or q billion years. Such
guess work can merely add to the mys'
terry. Here we have reputable scien-
fists, after e1hausting all the recog-
nized methods Of exploration, announc-
ing that they cannot trace human life
in South America back even 1000
years. If it be granted that Asia was
tho birthplace Of the human race and
that the birth took place 100000 or
100000 years ago, 1t would seem as if
the migration to this continent would
not have been delayed for $4,000 or
$4,000 years.
Other entertaining If unscientifc
speculations can be INDUCED in, On
tho earth today there are probably not
more than 1,200,000,000 people. We
know that in Europe the population
only 500 years ago was not one-ffth
what it is now. We know that in that
portion of the world now occupied by
the United States there were not more
than 10000 natives; now there are 9o,-
0O0, 900 inhabitants. IF there were only
one fifth as many people in the world
500 years ago IS there are today, the
population in the sixteenth century was
about 250,o00,0oO Turning this invert
ed triangle back through the centuries
we would be unable to trace the an
tiquity Of man much beyond the era
mentioned in the Scriptures, OF at ali
events not farther back than 10000
or $4,000 years. Even the great
plaques described in the Bible
or in the histories Of the middle ages
could not change these figures much. 1t
might be argued that the ancient man
did not multiply very fast, Indeed,
many objections might be brought
against this theory, which admittedly
is unscientifc, and yet it would take
great deal OF explaining altogether TO
remove the difficulty.