Salt Lake Telegram | 1928-12-07 | Page 25 | American Type Won't Change in Ten Million Years, Expert Says

American T Type Wont Won't nt Change in I T Ten en Iii Million illion Years Expert Says I W WASHINGTON NEA Ten million million million mil mil- lion years ears from now when most ofus of ofus ofus us will be dead our descendants will still look just about as we do But Chinese will think and act like Americans Hottentots will vi viI vibrate vibrate vi- vi I brate mentally with Scandinavians and will react similarly to Tasmanians Tasmanians-it if inde indeed d. d they dont don't also all an look alike as so many beans in a window guessing con con- test That is one o of the lessons which the fossils in the rocks are trying to teach to man But Dut not by any means the most important in the tha opinion of Stuart Weller president I o of the society who knows how to interpret the messages messages messages mes mes- sages from the fossil world Whatever Veller Weller says may be re regarded regarded regarded re- re as authoritative for or the Smithsonian Institution has thought well enough of one of his papers to reprInt it in the institutions institution's annual report Paleontology and Human Relations was Its title Weller believes be believes believes be- be I that students of human so society society society so- so I can learn from the dead fossil fossil fos fos- sil sU organisms of the past and that such study can help hell guide the so social so- so cial 1 evolution e a of the present generation generation generation gener gener- of or men All the inhabitants of the earth says he have been subject to the same laws of or evolution evolution tion in all an its aspects that are di directing directing directing di- di the life of the present In n all probability he asserts man manwill manwill manwill will undergo little or no essential morphological change for centuries to to come Perhaps disuse may lose him certain minor parts but in 10 A A. A D. D he presumably will be essentially what he is today as regards his physical form and organization or or- or Because says saS the eminent eminent emi emi- nent paleontologist man has be become become become be- be come master o of his environment He lie HeIs Heis lieis is able to adapt himself individually to almost every condition on land and In sea and air Nevertheless Weller Veller sa says s 's his social organization to i a far far from complete te warfare a and d strife are continuous Geologically Geological Geological- ly speaking man is an infant we wa look forward to thousands of generations generations gen ben under the- the laws of evolution tion Now ow look to the rocks the rocks the pale pale- ontological record is a vast sotto sotto- socio sociological logical record Parallels between ancient and extinct fauna and our own social history are arc man many Some groups of fossil fauna isolated from contemporary groups are m recognized recognized as provincial so certain groups of human beings have been isolated and held back by the same cause lack cause lack of intercommunication Lacking contacts they have developed developed devel devel- differently and come come to exhibit exhibit ex ex- ex- ex I hibit conspicuous differences When hen environmental conditions were more or less uniform over the earth and means of intercommunication cation between those ancient animals ani animals ant ant- mals were comparatively free and andopen andopen andopen open tendency toward widespread somewhat uniform faunal assemblages assemblages assem assem- developed though the stage was never set for a world-wide world cosmopolItan cosmopolitan cosmopolitan cos cos- fauna During the upper Miocene time so o om m many n species of ot mammals in Europe and d North America resembled each other ather as to prove provo that there must have havo been intercommunication and migration over some bridge of land nd Tho same sam a thing went for plants In Inthe inthe the Carboniferous period Strange and unmodified animals exist In Australia because of that continents continent's isolation But Dut Weller holds that passage o of ancient fauna from one sphere to another closely closely closely close close- ly resembles discovery o of the AmerIcan American American Amer Amer- ican continents by European white men a little over o years ago Other adventurers followed and a continuous stream o of white men poured ov over r the new lane The earthly habitat where the most uniform environment exists today Weller Veller points out is found roUnd In the abysmal depths of the ocean and the life of these cold dark ab abysses is essentially the same In all oceans I I Citing ClUng the the- trilobites Weller ller sets forth that man many groups O of organisms organisms organ organ- isms through the geological ages have developed along certain sidelines sidelines sidelines side side- lines of evolution e ext extravagant and apparently useless characteristics o of ornamentation which have culminated culminated cul cul- in extinction o of their line Simpler forms survived Development Development Development Develop Develop- ment o of extravagant ornate characteristics characteristics characteristics char char- is a condition preceding extinction of the race involved Veller Wei Wel ler ter offers this warning as a a- a sug suggestion sug- sug 1 Human civilizations ns and social organizations have arisen in in the past and have dwindled and become extinct just as have the societies o of Inhabitants of our earth Their places have been taken by other social groups arising from more or less obscure sources May not the underlying causes o of the waning of both these thesa sorts of or societies be similar Too great prosperity perhaps and the expenditure expenditure expenditure o of vital Ital forces in the time development development development devel devel- o of ornamental characters not fundamentally of service to the race And may not the general recognition recognition recognition rec rec- of this lesson serve to guide in some measure the future destinies o of humanity The big words in this stor story are all Wellers I