As to man’s origin, two main views may be said at present to contest the
field. Has man sprung from a single or from several stocks? Do the races
of men constitute so many members of _one_ family, or are they _four_
or more unrelated groups? One answer, formerly the accepted one, is
based either upon the literal interpretation of Scripture or upon
natural theology, and regards him as a distinct creation, separate from
and superior to the remaining animals. The other, accepted by many
competent authorities, regards him as descended from a hairy ancestor,
more or less remotely allied to the anthropoid apes. This theory of his
antecedents has been elaborated in profuse detail by Charles Darwin,
whose _Descent of Man_ forms the great storehouse of information and
speculation on the question. In the beginning, according to the
evolutionary view, man was apparently homogeneous--a single species,
speaking a single primitive rude tongue (largely eked out by signs and
gesture-language), and not divided into distinct varieties. At an early
period, however, the species broke up into several races, now inhabiting
various parts of the world.