﻿EVIDENCE 
  ON 
  MAN'S 
  EVOLUTION 
  — 
  HRDLI^KA 
  425 
  

  

  the 
  Rhodesian 
  skulls, 
  and 
  even 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  later 
  crania 
  and 
  skeletons, 
  

   he 
  sees 
  forms 
  that 
  he 
  could 
  hardly 
  believe 
  were 
  truly 
  human; 
  yet 
  

   these 
  skulls 
  show 
  already 
  fairly 
  large 
  and 
  distinctly 
  human 
  if 
  not 
  

   superior 
  brains, 
  and 
  the 
  teeth, 
  with 
  the 
  bones 
  of 
  the 
  body, 
  even 
  

   though 
  more 
  primitive, 
  are 
  nevertheless 
  already 
  clearly 
  those 
  of 
  Man. 
  

  

  The 
  originals 
  of 
  these 
  precious 
  skeletal 
  remains 
  are 
  scattered 
  over 
  

   Europe, 
  but 
  the 
  main 
  part 
  of 
  them 
  may 
  be 
  seen 
  collectively 
  in 
  perfect 
  

   replicas 
  in 
  two 
  of 
  our 
  foremost 
  American 
  institutions, 
  namely, 
  the 
  

   National 
  Museum 
  at 
  Washington 
  and 
  the 
  American 
  Museum 
  of 
  

   Natural 
  History 
  in 
  New 
  York, 
  while 
  more 
  limited 
  series 
  are 
  possessed 
  

   by 
  several 
  larger 
  American 
  museums 
  that 
  include 
  the 
  subject 
  of 
  

   anthropology. 
  

  

  To 
  this 
  invaluable 
  material 
  further 
  originals 
  are 
  being 
  added 
  every 
  

   year 
  through 
  new 
  discoveries, 
  and, 
  as 
  conditions 
  in 
  Europe 
  for 
  scien- 
  

   tific 
  research 
  grow 
  more 
  propitious, 
  it 
  is 
  safe 
  to 
  expect 
  an 
  ever-in- 
  

   creasing 
  flow 
  of 
  accessions 
  in 
  this 
  direction. 
  Since 
  1920 
  a 
  selection 
  

   of 
  American 
  college 
  men 
  and 
  women 
  actively 
  participate 
  abroad 
  

   under 
  the 
  American 
  School 
  for 
  Prehistoric 
  Research 
  in 
  the 
  studies 
  

   and 
  excavations 
  for 
  early 
  man, 
  with 
  the 
  object 
  of 
  bringing 
  back 
  

   first-hand 
  knowledge 
  and 
  experience 
  in 
  this 
  field, 
  and 
  they 
  have 
  

   already 
  discovered 
  and 
  brought 
  back 
  to 
  this 
  country 
  some 
  rare 
  

   ancient 
  specimens. 
  

  

  THE 
  CURRENT 
  EVIDENCE 
  OF 
  MAN'S 
  EVOLUTION 
  

  

  This 
  important 
  phase 
  of 
  the 
  subject 
  has 
  so 
  far 
  been 
  dealt 
  with 
  but 
  

   little 
  by 
  the 
  writers 
  on 
  human 
  evolution, 
  due 
  mostly, 
  perhaps, 
  to 
  a 
  

   lack 
  of 
  perspective. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  thinkers, 
  occasionally 
  even 
  among 
  the 
  foremost 
  men 
  of 
  

   science, 
  who 
  regard 
  organic 
  human 
  evolution 
  as 
  practically 
  at 
  an 
  end. 
  

   They 
  observe 
  that 
  the 
  all-potent 
  natural 
  factors 
  of 
  evolution, 
  such 
  

   as 
  isolation, 
  natural 
  selection, 
  and 
  the 
  influence 
  of 
  the 
  environment, 
  

   have 
  nearly 
  ceased 
  to 
  act 
  on 
  man. 
  Man 
  in 
  a 
  large 
  measure 
  has 
  

   neutralized 
  these 
  factors 
  through 
  ever- 
  freer 
  communication 
  and 
  self- 
  

   protection, 
  and 
  through 
  many 
  artificialities, 
  in 
  the 
  way 
  of 
  housing, 
  

   clothing, 
  heat, 
  food, 
  and 
  other 
  agencies. 
  

  

  Every 
  generation, 
  every 
  year 
  in 
  fact, 
  man 
  is 
  making 
  himself 
  more 
  

   and 
  more 
  independent 
  of 
  the 
  verj^ 
  influences 
  that 
  forced 
  him 
  on 
  in 
  

   the 
  past 
  ; 
  and 
  as 
  there 
  can 
  be 
  expected 
  no 
  changes 
  in 
  nature 
  to 
  which 
  

   man 
  could 
  not 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  readily 
  adapt 
  himself, 
  it 
  is 
  easy 
  to 
  

   conceive 
  that 
  he 
  has 
  reached, 
  or 
  nearly 
  so, 
  a 
  sort 
  of 
  equilibrium 
  with 
  

   nature 
  and 
  hence 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  his 
  personal 
  changes. 
  The 
  future 
  evolu- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  man, 
  in 
  the 
  opinion 
  of 
  the 
  students 
  who 
  hold 
  these 
  notions, 
  

   and 
  the 
  foremost 
  representative 
  of 
  which 
  in 
  this 
  country 
  is 
  perhaps 
  

   Edwin 
  Grant 
  Conklin, 
  will 
  be 
  of 
  social 
  rather 
  than 
  of 
  organic 
  order. 
  

  

  