PREHISTORIC ART. 513 



It is the iuteution in this cliapter to leave aside all speculation as to 

 tlie, origin, theory, practice, philosophy, and poetry of music, and to 

 deal only with nuisic as one of the fine arts of prehistoric times; the 

 study thereof to be based upon such knowledge as is obtainable from 

 prehistoric musical instruments. 



There have been some students, even some ])rofessors, who, wiser 

 than their own generation, declare music to be a manifestation of an 

 innate principle in man. The author does not contrndict the proposi- 

 tion, but he denies the knowledge and authority of these wise men who 

 say so. 



While the proposition may be true, yet the statement is valueless, 

 because it is only the assertion of these gentlemen, the truth of which 

 they do not know. It is, on their part, theoretical, and an assumption 

 which should be proved before being stated as a fact. It is a priori 

 argument, and as such is vicious. Investigation has demonstrated that 

 similar assumptions have been erroneous. Illustrations of this can be 

 shown in the life history of Paleolithic man, deduced from discovery. 

 Xo person Avould be justified in the assumption, without proof, that the 

 man who lived in caves and aiiparently had uo more notion of civili- 

 zation than the wild beasts with which he disputed the possession 

 thereof, who knew only to use stone implements, and these made sharp 

 by chipping, and who did not know to rub one stone against another 

 to make it either smooth or sharp — no person would be justified in 

 assuming that this man was capable of making artistic designs repre- 

 senting almost the entire fauna of his district; yet in an earlier j)ortion 

 of this paper we have seen that he did this thing. It has been said or 

 assumed, without knowledge for foundation, that man in his earliest 

 condition had an appreciation of the rhythmic character of music; but, 

 in opi^osition to this, we will show that this same Paleolithic man, who 

 developed an artistic taste in such high degree, had no taste for and 

 did not emjdoy even the rhythmic principle of music. The most we 

 have found of his ability in this direction was the simple whistle, made 

 from the phalange of the reindeer (p. 524). While it is not impossible 

 that this might have been used in cadence and for rhythmic represen- 

 tation, yet there is no known fact on which to base the belief. No 

 reason has been given, and I take it no reason can be given, for these 

 manifestations on the part of the early man in fiivor of one kind of art 

 and not of another kind. This becomes less subject to the a priori 

 theory herein denounced when we consider that to a large extent the 

 contrary appears in the higher civilization of the Neolithic period, ^vhich 

 follows the Paleolithic. 



The object of this ])aragraph is to protest against the a priori method 

 of argument so often used by the student or professor who, studying 

 or knowing the instincts or capabilities of modern man, argues there- 

 from that man in a ^tate of nature did the same. It is not deuied 

 NAT MUS 9G 33 



