The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1921-12-18
ORIGIN OF CAVEMEN
TRACED BACK TO
PAST CENTURIES
Race, Now Extinct, Wan
dered Over Europe &
Asia, History Says.

The original caveman. as far as
modern Investigations or histry tells
US anything aobut him, lasted long
er than any other race OF homan
beings or breed Of animals He
roamed about what is now Europe
and Asia for 100000 years before
becoming extinct
In all these years. history tells
us, he learned little or nothing. He
was about as much of brute when
he started as when the last one OF
his line was knocked in the head
with a flint axe.
All that is left Of these cavemen
is a few Of their crude implements
and some bones scattered here and
there which shrewd investigators
have been able to tell US great
deal about
1t took 4 long time for these
cavemen to learn how to come IN
out of the rain and the storms. II
was only when he wandered into
the north Of Europe that he was
prompted TO crawl in cave or
hide behind a rock or a tree 10
keep out OF the weather. Even al
that he followed the tactics OF the
wild animals He watched them
herd together in the forest in a.
of a storm and get under a great
tree. and did likewise.
When he discovered that a cave
was a good place in case OF storm
and a place to hide from his enc
mics, he had first to drive the wild
animals out OF the caves He had
sense enough to keep this up for
long periods and although many
men lost their lives in this fashion,
man finally conquered. but not un-
til he learned that he could use
fire to help him.
Afterwards the csvemen learned
To- store wood in these caves and
Law away food for long stretches
Of had weather. Then he learned L"
barricad. the mouth Of the cave TO
keen out wild animals and his two
legged enemies. BY pure accident
he learned that ne could use the
fire to light the caves on the Ions
winter nights.
While sitting around these fires
at night the cavemen learned 10
improve on their weapons. Every
thing they ate in the way Of meat
had 10 be hunted and killed. He
first used wooden spears, clubs and
flint axes. which were biz stones
sharpened and tied to a stick with
the thongs of an animal they had
killed and eaten.
These caves were always near 4
river or a brook because primitive
man could never get very far away
from his water supply. AS in some
/ countries today the women and
children did all the work. While
the men sat around the fire and
slept the women hunted up FIRE
wood and fixed the meals. The
( business of gathering wood was a
continuous performance because
they had to wander long distances
to get il as their axes were SC
I crude and so dull that cutting dowr
a tree like we do today was out OF
the question. Dead wood VS. used
mostly.
The cavemen took a long time tc
/ learn to wrap an animal skin about
him to keep warm. He learned that
when he was forced to get up from
! his bed on the rock floor TO drive
/ out some wild animal and had nc
time to disengage himself from the
skin.
Every night found the cavemeu
about their fires. II was their best
protection against not only the
] cold winds but wild animals. They
lived in groups. There was usual
| " an old man at the head OF the
/ family. No one knew anythinG
about relationship. Men in those
days lived and died like the wild
! beasts. As long as the old man
kept his strength and his eyesiEht
he ruled. but once he lost his grip
some one of the younger men stood
up to him and struck him down
with an axe. Then the younger
man had his choice OF a wife from
the women in the group.
It was the custom in those days
for the younger men to kill on the
old people because they were null
sance in wandering about
The cavemen, after they had lived
long time in Europe. had quite a
number of things to eat. They ate
the lion, the rabbit, and all kinds
OF wild nuts, fruits, honey, roots.
berries, etc Historians tell us that
there is not much truth in the
statements that the cavemen hunt
ed the large wild animals such as
the bear or the lion and he seldom
ate them unless one Of them died a
natural death or was killed in bat
tie with its own kind.
The cavemen were not bothered
very much about their food being
fresh. They ate bad food along
with the good. as they did not
know the difference until many.
years later. Sometimes on the
march. when hard pressed by the
weather or animals and no food
was on hand. he turned csnnibsl
and ate the weaker or sickly ones
in his tribe and thought nothing
of it