The New York herald., 1921-10-23
Basque Women Undisturbed by War

but painstaking efforts to present nature
as it appeared to the primitive beings who
made them.
1t is evident that there must have been
some light with which to see the work
done in the deep recesses of these great
caves. One can picture the artist working
by crude lamp held near the rock, with
the skill that must have required much
practice. Only here, deep in the kindly
earth, was he safe enough from the myriad
dangers that encompassed his frail life to
patiently work out on the rock walls the
scenes and objects which his eyes perceived
i'm the world around him.
There are some scientists who believe
that the inhabitants of southern France
are descendants of the so-called Cro-Ma-
gnon race, to which the cave artists belong.
There are several striking facts which tend
TO substantiate this idea. In the first place,
the heads of the Cro-Magnon people as
proved by the fossil remains of their skulls.
are very long and narrow, with broad
face. The only other people known to an
thropologists to have the same cranial
characteristics are the people who live in
this part Of the world now
Another significant fact is that the most
primitive language in Europe is that of
the Basques. whose country is not far from
this region, which was thickly populated
by the Cro-Magnon people. This is COM
mented upon by Prof. Henry Osborn in his
interesting work on the fossil remains and
ancient cave drawings and sculpture of
Europe
IL this resemblance of cranial develop
ment and the supporting coincidence of a
primitive language are to be trusted as evil
dence, the people of this part of France
certainly represent the oldest living race
in western Europe, and it, is the most
striking instance known of a population
remaining unchanged through the ages.
To the visitor to-day the buildings in
this area seem symbol of those prehis-
toric men who thousands upon thousands
OF years ago dwelt in these same hills and
valleys and piled their trades with imple-
ments of stone lately discovered in the
river drifts. For in contrast to northern
and middle France, the barns and houses
OF these peasants are all built of stone
The fields are divided from each other by
such walls as are those of New York State
The native peasants are an intelligent
and handsome race. with goodly mixture
OF Spanish blood in their veins. They are
much interested in strangers and more
kindly disposed to them than are those in
some of the other departments OF France
They speak with great affection of their
particular pays" and we'll they may. It
would seem ungrateful not to have appre-
citation where nature has been so lavish in
her gifts. These peasants are hard work
ers through the summer months that they
may live through the long severe winters.
Their principal occupation is stock raising,
breeding horses, cows and sheep which are
sent to the adjacent city to be marketed.
Just enough crops are raised on their land
to take care of their stock and themselves.
their principal food being cereals
In the yard of an old granite house built
in the early eighteenth century father is
threshing in true biblical style, while a
younger member of the family is near at
hand to lend assistance. The old man
stands in the middle of pile Of straw
about fifteen feet square as two horses