Page:Science vol. 5.djvu/439

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��investigation. IT the existence of man iu miocene time in France and Portugal be con- firmed, then our author is wrong. For our- selves, we do not yet accept the miocene man.

All traditions, too, the author thinks, when rightly interpreted, confirm his eondusion. They all jjoint to a golden age and an original home to the norlli ; they all sjicak of this home aa the centre, — the navel of the earth; they all speak of the (■evolution of tlie heavenly bodies about a fixed zenithal pole, the abo^le of the gods ; they all sjieak of a migration enforced by a deluge. To confirm his inter- pretation, he quotes from traditions of Chal- deans, Persians, Hindoos, Chinese. Japanese, Egyptians, Greeks, and Scandinavians. Clas- sical scholars will doubtless be interested in his riew of Homeric cosmology and go(^raphy as represented in hia frontispiece. To them we leave the question. The author's view certainly seems plausible.

For the author, then, the place of origin was the north pole : the time of origin, the miocene period. The third question is. What was the chnructer of primeval man? On this question the anlhor takes a somewhat middle ground between extreme opinions. He thinks that primeval man of parnrtise was wholly destitute of all, even the simplest arts, and therefore, we suppose (although he does not say so ex- plicitly), of language. Nevertheless, he thinks he was endowed with simple, and comparatively noble, i-eligious ideas ; and that the revolting bestialities of savage life are the result of retrc^ression. A cautions science will have little to say on this question ; hut retrogression is certainly as much a law of evolution as is pri^ression. The author's view is therefore not improbable. Cliildhood, with its simple faith and reverential love, is certainly a nobler thing than a degraded manhood. For obvious reasons we do not think that traditions of a golden age amount to much as ai'gumcnt.

But when the author sustains the traditional idea of gigantic stature and millennial longevity of primeval man, science will, we think, demur. The popular belief thai animals of early times, in comparison with existing species, were ^ganlic, will hardly bear examination. The true view seems to be this : in the history of the earth, there have been periods ijeculiarly favorable for the development of different orders and families of animals, during which they increased, culminated, and then dechned. The mesozoic was such a ix'riod for reptiles.

��the tertiary for inination, however, but in the middle c

��line of cnl- nt the beginning.

��possible that the present is such a i>eriod for man? All the scientific evidence we have is in favor of increasing rather than deci-easing size. Also we would remind the author that the decreasing size of which he speaks was in successive species, and even genera. Will he admit that the Kdenic man was a dilferent species, or even genus? He may. indeed, well do so, if he carries man back to the miocene. Again: if he likes analc^es of this kind, we would remind him of the very notable increase of brain-size in all families of animals since miocene times. la he prci>ared to admit the very small brains of Edenic man ?

The millennial longevity we dismiss with the remark that we do not believe it can be sus- tained on natural grounds.

We are sure the author will thank us for calling hia attention to some scientiliG mistakes. 1. On p. fiG, in s]>eaking of polar twilight, he says in substance, that, if twilight continues uutil the sun is '20° below the horizon, it would make a full [Xilar night of sixty days; but, if until 24' (which he thinks prob.ible), it would make it only filly days. Now, the inclination of the ecliptic is only 23° 28': tlierefoi* the sun would never get so far below the horizon, and therefore in the case Bup|K>scd there would l>e no night at all. 2. On p. 194. speaking of the aspect of the heavens on Pamir ))lateaii, he says that the pole of the heavens is lilted about one-third fi'ora its zenithal jKtsition towards ihe horizon. It is nearer two-thinla, for its latitude is about Sr>°. 3. On p. 412, as an example of degradation instead of pro- gression, the author quotes from Scieace to the effect that the recently discovered Silurian scorpion ia a more perfect specimen than any found in later formations; but the writer oii- viously meant more perfectly preserved s[>eci- men, not more perfectly oi^anized animal.

��THE LESAP^ A.\fJ T/lEin LEGENDS.

The Wuiiim o'nm (or ' piclnre record') of the Delawares has long heen known lo scholars, though imperfeclly. as one of the most re- markable jiroductions of the Indian intellect. It was discovered about the year 1^20, some- where in the west (exactly how or where is uncertain), by that eccentric naturalist and anti- quanun, C. S. Rafinesque. who held for some years the very comjirehensive professorship of the * historical and natural sciences' in Tran-

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