Finding Time For The Old Stone Age PDF Download

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1922 edition. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER II THE STBEPYAN, CHELLEAN, AND ACHETJLEAN MEN OF THE OLD STONE AGE We can now pass to a consideration of the most interesting part of our study--Prehistoric man. What did he do on the banks of the Somme, the Thames, or the Wey; how did he fend for himself, his wife, and children? Or did he at first look after himself, and preach the doctrine of self-help to the family? Perhaps before we endeavour to sum up his doings, it will be well to take stock of his scanty belongings. Having done this latter, we shall then have to look about for a model to help us. A painter uses a dummy which he calls a lay-figure; this he dresses up and poses for the picture. In the case of prehistoric man, our model must be drawn from the savage races of modern times; and remember there are still people who use stone, because they cannot work iron, but such types are few and far between now, and have lost their old self-reliance and interest by contact with civilization. Obviously we cannot draw any useful comparisons between prehistoric and civilized man; they are poles apart so far as their lives are concerned; but, if we go back a little to the earlier voyagers, we can find records of people who were still living as simple and primitive a life as the prehistoric men. Darwin started on his epoch-making voyage in the Beagle on the 27th December, 1831. He was not quite twenty-three, and was away for nearly five years, during which time he went round the world, and saw many native races. He wrote his book on The Voyage of the Beagle on his return, and if any boy or girl has not read it, it is a defect which can be speedily remedied, because there is a cheap edition in the "Everyman" series. We shall draw on Darwin, then, for comparisons. Even before his...