New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-01-16
THE ASCENT OF MAN
A Noteworthy Example OF
Popular Science.

PREHISTORIC MAN AND his STORY: Sketch
Of The History Of Mankind from The Earliest
Times By Professor 6. + Scott Elliot VIII
"a Illustrations and diagrams svo pp wi 5ss.
Philadelphia. The J. y. Lppncou Company.
This is a capital survey, for the in
formation Of the layman, Of the field Of
physical and cultural anthropology IN
the prehistoric period. Science has
achieved so much during the last half
century in pushing ever farther back
into the unknown past; with spade and
shovel il has dug its way ever further
toward that dawn of civilization which
lies long centuries beyond the first com
munities of ancient Egypt and the ear
lest cities Of the Asaatic plains; il has,
moreover, given life and meaning to
the remains of primitive men and their
shsrds, their artifacts, the evidence Of
their condition and customs; 1t has in
terpreted with so much ingenuity the
evidence obtained that this general sur
vey of its achievements is as welcome
as il had become needful. at seemed
to me-" says Professor Scott, that the
history of humanity was becoming
quite incomprehensible 10 the ordinary
educated reader because of the very
abundance Of technical and often quite
unintellgible information" Even the
most primitive peoples have their fanci-
full tales Of the origin Of mankind;
here is the wonder tale Of science.
The author begins with the age OF
the earth, its geological periods, and
the time of the appearance of mans
first direct ancestor. As for the first
man himself, Professor Scott assigns
him TO Asia, conceding this CONT
nent's claim TO him only in so far as
"the ancestor of all the primates was
a native OF North America" As for
DR.. Dubois's famous pithecanthropus
erectus, she presumably il was a she)
was just on the border line Of HUMAN
ity. The stride from the bestisl 70
the established human status was
probably taken in the Pleistocene
period. and is seen In such skulls as
that Of Nesnderthal and Piltdown. The
portrait-busts OF these earliest snces-
tors of ours, modelled under the d.
rection Of q great Belgian snthro-
pologist from the fragmentary skulls,
are an interesting illustration Of the
reconstructive faculty OF science, far
more interesting than the more famil-
lar reconstructions Of prehistoric ami
mails by means Of even more frag-
mentary remains.
/ ne Door, winch Is hUly easy
reading, deals successfully with miss
ing links, the evolution of the human
body, intellectual evolution, the origin
Of FIRE and tools, the beginnings OF
art, cattle raising and agriculture;
with the spread OF man over the
earth, with paleolithic and neolithic
tools and weapons, with kitchen mid
dens, ke-dwellings and prehistoric
trade. with the age of the discovery
Of metals, and with hundred other
cognate subjects. For, while follow
ing closely the main line of mans
ascent. Professor Scott ventures upon
little excursions aside in many fields
that all add to the interest of his eX-
position without ever confusing It's
clearness.
His illustrations. from many sources,
form an integral part of the text TINS
is a book that cannot be too heartily
recommended TO those in search Of
reliable. readable popular history Of
the beginnings and the first upward
steps Of the race as science has traced
HON