The Stone Period. 25 
this system that made it instantly popular. Every one could dis- 
tinguish between stone, bronze, and iron implements, and as this 
was all the knowledge required to determine the relative age of any 
‘find, or of any monuments, it was universally adopted.”* Now, 
although these passages form strictly a criticism of the Danish 
system of classification, yet many readers of the article would be led 
’ to suppose that they really express the present views of archzologists, 
or at all events of Sir John Lubbock, whose work, “ Pre-Historic 
Times,” is the first upon the list which heads this article, and is 
supposed to be, although it actually is not, reviewed by the writer 
of “Non-Historic Times.” But in order to prove that Sir John 
Lubbock does not hold these opinions, it is only necessary to turn 
to the third page of “ Pre-Historic Times,” where we find this pas- 
sage :—“ Stone weapons of many kinds were still in use during the 
age of Bronze, and even during that of Iron, so that the mere 
presence of a few stone implements is not in itself sufficient evidence 
that any given ‘find’ belongs to the Stone Age.”? Had this pas- 
sage been written, purposely, in refutation of the views ascribed to 
archxologists by the writer of the “ Quarterly Review” article, the 
wording could scarcely have been more precise and to the point ; 
and yet this passage was in print five years before the article in 
_ question was published, and in a book which is supposed to be 
_ reviewed in this very article. If, therefore, the passages I have 
cited from “ Non-Historic Times” are not wanton perversions of 
Sir John Lubbock’s views, it is clear that the reviewer either did 
not read, or did not read aright, the book he professed to review. 
And yet statements such as these are frequently allowed to pass 
unchallenged, and become articles of faith with such as are either 
too indolent, or too careless to examine into the subject for 
_ themselves. 
_ The writer of “ Non-Historic Times” notwithstanding, the Stone, 
Bronze, and Iron Periods, do afford us valuable tests of human 
culture, although they are, even at best, no more than rough tests ; 
for, whether in ancient or in modern times, it will be found that 
; 1 Quarterly Review,” No. 256, 1870, pp. 433, 434. 
_ *“Pre-Historic Times,” Ist edition, 1865, p. 3. 2nd edition, 1869, p. 3. 
