Evening star., 1942-06-16
Of Stors, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Laboratory, Field
And Study
By Thomas r. Henry.

By Thomas r. Henry.
The Burma road has been one OF two
major links between East and West
throughout the time of man on earth.
Its significance during the past few
years has been perhaps only of minor
Importance in the vast sweep of history.
Over 1t part Of human civilization,
dawning with the Bronze Age, flowed
into Eastern Asia.
Probably even before the human race
itself, this was migration route for
animals and plants in both directions.
Such is the conclusion of DR.. Carl Whit
ing Bishop, Smithsonian Institution ex-
pert on Far Eastern anthropology, in a
handbook on Oriental civilizations Just
issued. 1t is the first of series on back
grounds OF people involved in the present
world cataclysm which is being published
by the Smithsonian for free distribution
Since fairly remote geological times,
DR.. Bishop says China has occupied a
marginal position to the Near East,
where, 1t now is generally admitted,
human civilization first developed But
1t has been cut of from this source of
culture by great mountain chains, des-
erts and forests, essentially impossible.
The links have been two great land
routes which pass in a generally east
west direction to the north and south.
respectively. OF the lofty tableland of
Tibet. Throughout most of history the
northern route has played by far the
more important role. Now it is coming
once more into prominence The south
ern route is the present Burma road
The sea route between the Occident
and the Far East did not come into use
until well on in the historical period
not, in fact until sails and seagoing
ships long had been known in the Near
East
There can be little question, DR.. Bishop
points out, that the basic elements of
much of China's civilization flowed east
ward over these two routes-naturally
at somewhat slower pace than they
flowed westward out of Mesopotamia,
Egypt and India. China shared, he ex-
plains. in the worldwide polished Stone
Age culture, which does not seem to
have differed greatly there from the
forms 1t took on In most Of the Northern
Hemisphere. Where it originated and
how it spread is unknown. Doubtless the
two major east-west routes played their
part in its distribution.
Many relics Of this stage have been
found in Northern China. 1t was the
time when man began to domesticate
animals and plant various food crops.
For the first time the human being be-
came a producer of food, rather than
depending on what he could find. On
the whole this neolithic culture in the
Orient was tri1e poorer. although cast
in the same general patterns, than in
Europe The men of the West, for ex-
ample, domesticated early in this period
the OK, sheep, goat and pig. The dog
was an inheritance from still earlier
stage. China had only the pig and dog
until relatively late, when the other ami
mails were brought under human control.
This neolithic age in China, Dr. Bishop
believes, lacked many of the elements
needed to develop into more advanced
civilization, such as rose from it in the
Near East. However, it long survived
the advent of the succeeding Bronze Age
and still traces Of its ways of life survive
in peasant cultures.
The Bronze Age, which may be con-
sidered the beginning of civilization as
it is generally understood today. began
in the Near East between 5000 and 1000
years ago, but its major elements do not
China-again probably over these two
major routes-until about 1000 years
later. 1t was characterized, almost from
the beginning, by bronze weapons, the
wheel, in most cases the domesticated
horse, and some form of writing. 1t
arrived in China, however, about as soon
as in Western Europe, where the an
cestors of European races of today re-
manned long in the neolithic stage.
In China, DR.. Bishop says, the Bronze
Age survived at least a thousand years
after it had been succeeded by the Iron
Age in the Near East. 1t started. how
ever, almost fully developed and little Of
it could have depended on natural evolu-
.ion in the country itself For instance
the Chinese had from the first we'll
developed system of writing, a very
skilled knowledge of bronze working, and
the same domestic animals and food
plants as were found in the region
around the Eastern Mediterranean. Also
it had wheeled chariots drawn by horses.
Still certain fundamental elements
were lacking. There was no dairy econ
omy or weaving of woolen fabrics. 1t
was not until about the fourth century
BIC. that the ox-drawn plow finally
made its appearance.
A good deal of this Bronze Age period
DR.. Bishop points out. is matter of
partially recorded history 1t is covered
in China by the so-called Shang dynasty.
The Shangs, group of rather primitive
but warlike bronze using people, estab-
lished loose sort of empire in the mid
die and lower Yellow River basin.
From this time on. DR.. Bishop con-
cludes, the history of the development
of Chinese culture and of the people
themselves can be followed chronology
cally, although naturally with some con-
siderable gaps.
Sees No Danger to Nation