White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1920-09-26

AltnOugn you Hdy never h"Nc S"9
pected the fact, you are a finished n
perfect product Of evolution. The
next time you have a cold or a bunion
or a toothache, or your mechanism is
otherwise on the blink. comfort your
self. II. you can, with the reflection
that you are natures masterpiece,
writes Frederic J. Haskin, In Chicago
Daily News.
All of which Is a way of saying
that, according to ]. ". Gidley, pale
ontologist of the National museum,
mans anatomy has reached a stage
where 1t probably will never change
any more-or at least not for about a
million years. Neither in body o In
mind has man made any real progress
In that time. 1t Ia only his culture
the accumulated result Of all the ef-
forts of many generations-which
really changes. and which makes maj
appear to change. The popular idea
that man Is evolving is all wrong.
%Biologically speaking, human progress
ended n million years ago.
The Theory Of Evolution.
According to theories of evolution,
II an animal eats nothing but grass
its teeth will in time be modified In
shape so that they are efficient for
nibbling, but they will probably not
be much good for tearing flesh. In
the same way, a bird that does not
use its wings will In a few geologic
ages lose all power Of flight. But this
principle holds goodsoniy so far. Whetf
an animal has become specialized and
adapted to his environment as far as
his structure will permit without en-
dangering the balance necessary TO
existence. he usually stops changing
and finally. 1t Is supposed. loses power
Of development.
There Is a difference OF opinion as
to whether man has reached the point
where he is best adapted to his sur
roundIngs, or whether he will continue
to evolute. Mr.. Gldley says that mans
present mechanical arrangement is
permanent. He refutes the suggestion
that mans jawboAe will shrink and
his teeth drop N because he eats
more soft foods and does not chew so
vigorously as his cave man ancestors.
Man knows enough about chemistry
TO understand what kind of foods are
necessary to insure health, and there
Is little prospect of his jaw disap-
pearing on a balanced ration.
Our Toes Also Are Safe.
Nor does Mr.. Gidley think we need
worry over the prophecy that u de-
scendants' heads will be all brain
not by present indications.
We have beer further warned by
some men of science that our toes, all
except the big one, are already USE
less from lack of exercise, n that
eventually they will grow shorter and
disappear altogether. like the horses
long discarded toes. This fear, too,
Mr.. Gidley regards as ~groundless. for
while the muscles of the shorter digits
are not particularly flexible in mod
ern shoes. yet we do use them In bal
ancing. Statues OF the old Greek
poised themselves on the inside OF the
foot. a method which gave both the
appearance and feeling OF lightness.
Had the Greek ideal persisted. the
, outer toes of man might by now be al
most atrophied, probably to the I'm
provement of human posture.
II such a change were taking place.
and q few scientists insist that 1T Is.
we would not be aware of II. 80 slow
ly hoes nature progress. For Instance,
It took the horse q few million years
to grow hoofs. which he needed for
speed. As the horse was not built for
fighting. he had to be always poised
ON the tips of his -four toed feet, ready
~ escape when an armored dinosaur
or n megatherium came numbering on
him. II you go into almost any big
museum you can see the bones OF the
horses foot at different stages of his
development. Biologists have I'M
earthed the bones of horses that lived
100000 years ago. These horses
were about the size of II dog aud had
four toes. Before that il is believed
that there must have been five. Three
million years later there were only
three. aud the middle digit had by
that time become large and resembled
a hoof. while the bones OF the toes
on each side had shortened until they
did not reach the ground.
Man 10 Weak Animal.
Because he specialized in speed. the
horse can nov u as fast ss thirty
two miles an hour, while man at his
swiftest can make only about ten.
Man Is not q specialized animal. II
has been pointed out 10 his confusion
! that a dea can jump 1000 times it's
height, whereas o man needs a pole
10 40 only twice his six feet. In pro.
portion to his size, man has MOI as
much lifting power as IN ant he can
not walk so fast as a dy. He has not
learned to see In the dark like the cat.
But IL Is lucky for the man that his
ancestors did not concentrate on beat.
Ing the monkeys Ut tree athletics or
the horse ~ foot racing If they had,
No ubauId nnf todav bn much 10 rtbor