May 15, 1885.] 



SCIENCE. 



40. 



investigation. If the existence of man in 

 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 conclusion. 

 They all point to a golden age and an original 

 home to the north ; they all speak of this home 

 as the centre, — the navel of the earth ; they 

 all speak of the revolution of the heavenly 

 bodies about a fixed zenithal pole, the abode 

 of the gods ; they all speak 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 view of Homeric cosmology and geography 

 as represented in his 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 

 character of primeval man ? On this question 

 the author takes a somewhat middle ground 

 between extreme opinions. He thinks that 

 primeval man of paradise 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, religious ideas ; and that the revolting 

 bestialities of savage life are the result of 

 retrogression. A cautious science will have 

 little to say on this question ; but retrogression 

 is certainly as much a law of evolution as is 

 progression. The author's view is therefore 

 not improbable. Childhood, with its simple 

 faith and reverential love, is certainty a nobler 

 thing than a degraded manhood. For obvious 

 reasons we do not think that traditions of a 

 golden age amount to much as argument. 



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 that animals of early times, 

 in comparison with existing species, were 

 gigantic, will hardly bear examination. The 

 true view seems to be this : in the history of 

 the earth, there have been periods peculiarly 

 favorable for the development of different 

 orders and families of animals, during which 

 the}' increased, culminated, and then declined. 

 The mesozoic was such a period for reptiles, 

 the tertiary for mammals. The time of cul- 

 mination, however, is never at the beginning, 

 but in the middle or near the end. Is it not 



possible that the present is such a period for 

 man? All the scientific evidence we have is 

 in favor of increasing rather than decreasing 

 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 Edenic man was a different 

 species, or even genus? He ma}*, indeed, well 

 do so, if he carries man back to the miocene. 

 Again: if he likes analogies of this kind, we 

 would remind him of the very notable increase 

 of brain-size in all families of animals since 

 miocene times. Is he prepared 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 his attention to some scientific mistakes. 

 1. On p. 66, in speaking of polar twilight, he 

 says in substance, that, if twilight continues 

 until the sun is 20° below the horizon, it would 

 make a full polar night of sixty clays ; but. if 

 until 24° (which he thinks probable) , it would 

 make it only fifty days. Now, the inclination 

 of the ecliptic is only 23° 28' : therefore the 

 sun would never get so far below the horizon, 

 and therefore in the case supposed there would 

 be no night at all. 2. On p. 194, speaking of 

 the aspect of the heavens on Pamir plateau, 

 he says that the pole of the heavens is tilted 

 about one-third from its zenithal position 

 towards the horizon. It is nearer two-thirds, 

 for its latitude is about 35°. 3. On p. 412, 

 as an example of degradation instead of pro- 

 gression, the author quotes from Science to 

 the effect that the recently discovered Silurian 

 scorpion is a more perfect specimen than any 

 found in later formations ; but the writer ob- 

 viously meant more perfectly preserved speci- 

 men, not more perfectly organized animal. 



THE LENAPE AND THEIR LEGENDS. 



The Walam olum (or 'picture record') of 

 the Delawares has long been known to scholars. 

 though imperfectly, as one of the most re- 

 markable productions of the Indian intellect. 

 It was discovered about the year 1820, some- 

 where in the west (exactly how or where is 

 uncertain) , by that eccentric naturalist and anti- 

 quarian, C. S. Rafinesque, who held for some 

 years the very comprehensive professorship of 

 the ' historical and natural sciences ' in Tran- 



The Lev ape and their legends; with the comphte text and 

 symbols of the Walam olum. By Daniel G-. Brinton, A.M., 

 M.D. Philadelphia, Brinton, 1885. (Brinton's library of abori- 

 ginal American literature, No. 5.) 6+262 p., illuetr. S°. 



