824 
‘chant, and a great many more, are the 
builders of libraries, which Carlyle once 
called ‘ the true universities.’ When West- 
ern learning is needed in Turkey and the 
Levant, it isa merchant of New York who 
founded Robert College, near Constanti- 
nople, and another merchant, William EH. 
Dodge, and his associates, who established 
the Syria College of Beirut. When it wasa 
question of Arctic research Henry Grinnell 
and George Peabody equipped the expedi- 
tion of Kane and his successors, and when 
a museum of natural history was required, 
ora gallery of fine arts, it was from the mem- 
bers of this chamber that support was se- 
cured. Thus commerce generously has con- 
tributed to the maintenance of learning. Is 
it not that the pursuit of commerce broadens 
the mind? To promote among the nations 
of the earth those exchanges which benefit 
alike the buyer and the seller enlarges hu- 
man sympathy. The study of the world’s 
resources, requirements and conditions of 
prosperity produces wisdom, courage, fore- 
thought and generosity. 
( 
PRIMITIVE MAN IN THE DELAWARE 
VALLEY.* 
INTRODUCTORY. 
A FEW years ago, as a result of extended 
explorations, conducted by the Bureau of 
American Ethnology, questions were raised 
with reference to the soundness of the then 
existing evidence relating to glacial man 
in the Eastern States, and the correctness of 
the conclusions drawn from it. Since that 
time, until quite recently, investigation has 
progressed slowly and but little has been 
brought forward likely to change the status 
of the case. Now, however, strong claims 
are being made of the discovery of new and 
confirmatory evidence of antiquity, and 
discussion is invited with a view of deter- 
*Read at the Detroit meeting of the American Asso- 
ciation for the Advancement of Science. 
SCIENCE. 
[N. 8. Von. VI. No. 153. 
mining its merits ; but before taking up this 
phase of the subject it is desirable that the 
earlier phases of the investigations be passed 
briefly in review. 
The questions raised by me were not 
those of the age of man in America. I 
have always taken the view that the race 
must have occupied this continent for a 
very long period. Great antiquity is 
clearly proved by facts derived from other 
than archzeologic or geologic sources. It 
does not require argument to show that the 
development of many well differentiated 
nations and tongues means a prolonged oc- 
cupation. It does not take argument to 
demonstrate the proposition that, notwith- 
standing the potent influence of local en- 
vironment upon human art and effort, a 
thousand distinct cultures could not spring 
up in a day. 
The only questions I have ventured to 
discuss and the only ones that now claim 
my attention are as to whether the evi- 
dence already brought forward to demon- 
strate the antiquity of man on the Atlantic 
slope will stand the test of scientific 
scrutiny. There is a record of man in the 
valleys and among the hills throughout the 
entire country. There is an important 
record in the geological formations of the 
Delaware valley. Has the key to this 
record been discovered? Has the true 
combination been worked out, or are our 
pioneer investigators struggling through a 
phase of this particular research corre- 
sponding to that encountered by the prede- 
eessors of Champollion in the reading of 
the Egyptian hieroglyphs? The earlier 
readings at Trenton seem to indicate pos- 
sibly three distinct peoples and periods of 
occupation, referred to by some as paleo- 
lithic, Eskimo and Indian ; but are we sure 
of more than one and are the others mere 
figments of the imagination? Time will 
tell, but this year or the next may not 
finally decide it. 
