The Washington herald., 1921-05-29

man TOOK his place.
geologic changes brought about climatic
changes in the central Asia plateau. The
great forests began to disappear and wide
saVannas, plains destitute of trees, came into
existence. The ape ancestors of man began to
nnd It necessary to descend from the trees
to ind their living. The trees became more
and more stunted, and fewer and fewer in
number. The apes had to spend more of
their time on the ground. They began to
have to fight for their food and for their
lives. They had to fight with sticks and
stones, and to fight they had to stand erect
and use their hands. Gradually they ceased
to be apes and became men, walking on two
feet with erect vertebral columns
THERE. in the words Of scientist who
L has devoted long years to careful study OF
the subject, is the definition. the explana-
ton of The Missing Link" that strange
half man half ape thing that the world has
sought so long and failed to find. but which
the world now has made up its mind to seek
once again-and to find.
"As the vegetation disappeared from the
central Asia plateau" continues Mr.. An
drews. "the animal life migrated and man
followed the animals for bis means of life.
We have been able to trace a distinct route
of migration from central Asia northeast
ward across China and Mongolia, Manchuria
and Kamchatka to the Bering Sea. The
open water of the Bering Sea is of compare
lively recent times. Not so very long ago,
according to geologic time, North America
and Asia were connected by a land bridge
across the Bering Sea. The migration from
central Asia of the animal life, followed by
the mans hunting ancestors, crossed by the
land bridge to North America and spread
over the American continents, north and
south.
I'VE do not know whether this was one
sf the first routes of migration, but we do
know that the original human inhabitants Of
America were of distinctly Mongolian
type. The Indians had Mongolian charac-
teristics, and that is all we can say about it.
We do not know yet what was the period
of the migration. Perhaps that is one Of
the things this expedition will enable US to
determine
Our expedition is going to try to find
this first man, the one who came down from
the trees and became man because he had
TO learn to stand upright and fight for his
life with sticks and stones. We are going
to map China geologically and search its
ancient river beds and extinct water courses
and the paths of the glaciers for. fossil re-
mains. The second year We will go into Mon
goia and continue the search there. We
do not know in what part of central Asia
man originated. We only feel certain that
it was central Asia, and we shall begin in
China and trace back the route of migra-
ton to its origin. 1t is more difficult to
find fossils in Tibet. The ice cap did not
reach the plateau of Tibet. but it was COW
cred by the fine dust that was carried BY
the wind from the paths Of the glaciers as
the earth was ground up and pulverized by
the immense masses Of ice. Yet it is more
than likely that it was on the Tibetan
plateau that man originated. At any rate,
We shall trace back the routes of the migra-
ton, and wnen we find its source we shall
endeavor to End there the fossil remains
Of the ancestor Of man."
EXPLAINING the many reasons why
IL central Asia, the worlds treasure house
has remained unexplored for so long a time,
Mr.. Andrews explains that 1t is remote and
difficult OF access, and the cost Of scientific
work on q large scale is enormous More
over. the country aud its inhabitants pre-
sent unusual obstacles to scientific research.
Not only are there vast intsrsecting noun
tain chains, vaterless deserts and treeiess
plains, bot In many parts the climate u too