DAWN OF INVENTION, ART, MARRIAGE, RELIGION AND GOVERNMENT
Affairs at the settlement near the fire-cave now moved along smoothly.
Their new weapons enabled the hunters to secure abundance of food in a
country teeming with animal life, now that they dared attack the larger
animals. Cooking made both the flesh and vegetables more nourishing as
well as more appetizing, and soon the enormous stomachs, no longer
continually distended with raw and indigestible food, became reduced in
size and their bodies less unwieldy. Made confident by the use of fire
and superior weapons, the men now walked fully erect and wandered
through the forest with little fear. As their supply of nourishing food
increased, more children were born than before, and the mortality among
infants was greatly reduced. All this tended toward a rapid increase of
population in the settlement. This increase in the population
necessitated more habitations, and this, at the time meant more caves,
for this was the epoch of cave-men. After all the available caves in the
ravine and vicinity had been appropriated, an enterprising young man of
the group who, by reason of mutual attachment and because of the
example, perhaps, of Longhead and Broken Tooth, had induced a young
woman to establish similar relations with him, being unable to find an
unoccupied cave, concluded to establish housekeeping upon a horizontal
ledge overhung by a projecting rocky cliff. This location, protected
only in the rear, soon proved to be too exposed for comfort, and the
couple concluded to improve it. They took several good sized sticks of
different lengths which had been burned off by the fires and after
leaning them up against the sloping rock, piled on brush and grass. This
was much better than the open front, but a coal from their fire having
blown into the grass after it had dried, caused a conflagration which
reduced them to their former condition. The man proved to be quite
intelligent, and he began to select logs of the same length, burning
them off at the proper place when necessary; and these they sloped up
side by side at the front as before, but, mindful of the fire, they
filled the interstices with sticks, stones and moss, finally plastering
the whole front, except for a small opening for entrance, with mud. This
was a great improvement over all former conditions; the rain and wind
were excluded, to a considerable extent; indeed, it was preferable to a
cave. It was lighter and better ventilated, and, when they had learned
to construct movable frames which could be securely fastened in the
doorways, to prevent incursions by wild animals, these lean-tos or
rock-shelters, the remains of which have been found in many parts of
Europe, became the favorite habitations of the people of the group.
The inhabitants of the caves and rock-shelters did not clean house every
spring and fall, or, indeed, at any other time; the refuse and debris of
the household were allowed to accumulate upon the floors of the caves
and rock-shelters, and to this we owe nearly all the knowledge possessed
by civilized man of the domestic arts, weapons, food, etc., and the
general conditions under which the cave-men lived, as well as of the
animals which were their contemporaries. The floors of these ancient
dwellings, when excavated by scientists, show several feet of debris or
accumulations, which are called "brecchia," being a conglomeration of
dirt, bones of animals, bones of human beings, weapons, implements and
other artifacts, which are frequently cemented with limestone
formations caused by the drippings of the rocks and caves, in the nature
of stalactites and stalagmites.
Not only have we learned from this "brecchia" what progress the cave-men
had made in domestic art, but our knowledge of the animals which lived
in the locality and were their contemporaries is almost wholly derived
from rude pictures made by these cave people, who seem to have suddenly
developed an artistic sense and made such pictures by etching or
scratching them with sharp flints upon pieces of bone, ivory and slate.
These drawings are by no means so crude and wanting in artistic skill as
we would be inclined to expect. The animals depicted are readily
recognizable; such drawings show groups of reindeer, now found only in
the arctic regions; the wild horse; the single horned rhinoceros; the
giant elk; and on a smooth piece of his own tusk, we see the
curved-tusked, hairy elephant of gigantic size--the mammoth, or _elephas
primigenius_, whose bones have been found in many parts of Europe and
Asia, and of which at least one specimen was found whole with the flesh
intact, in the frozen tundra of Siberia. But for these drawings--the
natural history of his time--left by cave-men, we would not know that
immense animals, now long extinct in Europe, had contested with men of
the cave period, the ownership of the forests, swamps, plains and
mountains.
In the "brecchia" of these caves, are often found long bones of animals
which have been split longitudinally to obtain the marrow, which was
regarded as a great delicacy by primitive man; and as some long bones of
the human body have been found split in the same manner, some scientists
have concluded that cave men were cannibals, or at least occasionally
made a feast upon the bodies of prisoners captured in war, or upon such
sacrifices when offered to the gods.
At the time when rock-shelters became favorite habitations of the people
at the fire-cave, marriage relations were still loose, and any idea of
male parentage was yet to come, but in a few generations, instead of
accepting the birth of children without thought, it was generally
believed that the supernatural beings with whom their imaginations
peopled the hills, valleys, groves and ravines, were responsible for
their advent. However, the more frequent and intimate association of the
sexes around the fires and in preparing food by roasting, had a great
effect, and it was noticeable that men and women began to pair off in
the caves and rock-shelters; that such cohabitation continued for longer
periods of time, and there were a number who appeared to have formed
permanent unions. There was something about the fire--the social
hearthstone--which tended to prolong such associations. The cheerful
light of the fires; the measure of comfort they furnished, and the
talkativeness promoted by companionship as the hunters related around
the evening fires the adventures and experiences of that and former
days, all combined to make man more of a social being, and the same
influences promoted more permanency of union between couples who found
themselves at all congenial.
Perhaps the example of Longhead and Broken Tooth, who had remained true
to each other, had something to do with this gradual change in the
relations of the sexes, but it was not until many generations after when
the fact of male parentage became known to mankind, that anything at all
like marriage was known or any man regarded any child or children as his
own. There being no settled custom in this matter, many couples
continued to unite and separate as they might feel inclined. The most
that can be said is, that the use of fire in some manner appeared to
promote a longer union than was common before its discovery, and that,
in the progress of ages, fire seems to have been one of the agencies
which greatly assisted in bringing about the present sacredness of home
and marriage.
The hunters of the group still continued their coöperative search for
food, and the fact that it was often impossible to determine who had
killed a particular animal, while it was frequently certain that the
weapons and efforts of several had a part in it, brought about a system
for making an equitable distribution of all the animals taken in each
expedition. First the share required by Longhead and Broken Tooth would
be set apart, then the remainder was apportioned to each member of the
group or to each habitation in proportion to the number of persons to be
supported.
The women, too, whose task it was to find the roots and vegetables,
eggs, berries and nuts which entered into their diet, began to imitate
the actions of the men in this respect. They soon arranged to leave the
older and more feeble women at the settlement to maintain the fires and
look after the younger children, and to these was allotted a share of
the food secured by the others.
These customs were established gradually and without definite
enactments, or even agreements, but by common consent; they were,
however, greatly promoted by Longhead, who seemed to make coöperation a
sort of a hobby. They seemed to have just happened, but they were, in
fact, the natural outgrowth of fire and the changed conditions due to
its influence. In the course of years these customs crystallized into a
communal organization in which all things, except perhaps, the weapons
of a hunter and a very few personal belongings upon which the owner had
expended thought and labor, were regarded as the property of the group
or tribe. This communal organization of society continued for thousands
of years and its vestiges still exist amid the highest enlightenment, as
the foundation for business corporations, partnerships, and, indeed, all
commercial and other coöperation,--communism--the greatest good to the
greatest number, being the basis of all civilized laws.
While the hunters of the settlement at the fire-cave scoured the forest
for animal food, and the women sought vegetables, nuts, berries and
eggs, Longhead was by no means idle. True, he was, by the contributions
exacted from the group, relieved from the necessity of daily effort to
secure sustenance for himself, Broken Tooth and a bright-eyed little
cave-boy who had been sent to the woman by the spirits, and he seldom
joined in a hunting excursion; but, weapons were often broken or lost,
and, as he still retained the secret of their manufacture, he was kept
tolerably busy in replacing them. Continual experience in this work gave
him greater skill and a truer eye for symmetry of form coupled with
effectiveness for use, and he also learned to distinguish the best
materials of the vicinage. He invented no new weapons, for the bow and
arrow and even the stone axe, were to be the products of a much later
epoch; but he discovered that a javelin could be thrown with much
greater accuracy if the two sides of the flint point were exactly alike
and evenly balanced. Experience had also demonstrated to him that the
weapon had greater penetrative force if the flake for the flint head was
thin and the edges and point very sharp. He became more careful,
therefore, in the selection of his flakes, and when he found one
suitable for his use, except one side was larger than the other or the
edges too thick, he found that he could batter off small pieces with
light blows of a pebble, or flake them by pressure with a bone, and
thus bring it into shape. He discovered also that when the base of a
flake had some notches near it, the fastenings remained more firm and
the point was less likely to become detached from the shaft. He
therefore began, by pecking and flaking, to form such notches where he
did not find them to suit him, and soon his spear and javelin heads
assumed a conventional form. There was a slow but continuous improvement
in the weapons of the period, but eventually these spear and knive heads
became much like those still found upon the village sites of primitive
man all over the world.
The worst trouble Longhead had to overcome in the manufacture of weapons
was the method of fastening the points to the shafts or handles. The
small fibrous roots he used at first would fray and break when they
became dry, and the points would be lost or fail the hunter at a
critical moment. The stringy bark he cut from trees with his knife was
little better, but, one day when cutting up a large animal for cooking,
he found its hide so tough he could hardly penetrate it with the knife,
an idea occurred to him, and he cut off a long narrow strip of the skin
for an experiment. This he hung up until he should have time to make the
test he had in mind, and when he came to try it he found that he could
not break it even by exerting all his strength. From the skin of the
next animal that came into his larder, he secured a number of long
strips, and, having dried these, he wet them to make them more pliable,
and used some of them in lashing a point to a javelin. This weapon he
tested by frequent use, and was pleased to note that the new lashing did
not fray or break when it became dry, nor did it loosen, but, on the
contrary, the strings of rawhide shrank when drying and held the point
the tighter. Thereafter the tough hides were removed, dried and prepared
for strings for this and other purposes, and it was not long until he
accidentally discovered that wet wood ashes placed on a skin for a few
hours would loosen the hair and permit its removal, leaving the skin
improved for making strings.
About this time Broken Tooth made a discovery and, like the others, it
was also accidental. In her cooking operations, pieces of food were
continually falling upon the ground or being laid upon it in course of
preparation, and they became more or less covered with sand or fine
particles of grit, which did not taste good, and, besides, they hurt her
teeth. She had no idea of their uncleanliness; it was simply a matter of
discomfort. One day she observed a long strip of bark hanging to a tree
which had recently blown over, and the idea occurred to her that if she
had some pieces of this bright, clean bark on which to place the food,
the disagreeable sand might be avoided. She tried to break the bark, but
it was too tough and stringy, so she went to the cave and returned with
a flake of flint. It happened to have a sharp but very ragged edge, and
she found that by drawing the edge back and forth across the grain of
the bark and at the same time putting on some pressure, she could cut it
rapidly. That evening she surprised Longhead by presenting his supper on
a set of clean bark dishes. The man examined them curiously and asked
how she had cut them. She produced the flint and demonstrated on one of
the plates how it would cut. She had invented, or at least, she had made
the first application of the saw.
The man examined the flake thoughtfully, and, picking up a piece of
stick, tried it on that. He soon sawed it off, and was greatly pleased.
To get the staves of his spears and handles of javelins the right
length, he had been burning them off in the fire, but now he would use a
saw. He soon found that the more numerous and regular the notches the
faster the implement would cut, and, as few, if any, of the flakes came
off the nodules in this condition, he applied pecking and pressure, and
soon had a saw with small and regular serrations or teeth, and found it
very useful.
Up to this time, all his knives had been made of long flakes with a
wrapping of roots at one end to protect the hand, but he had found it
difficult to secure many flakes long enough for both blade and handle.
One day he had the misfortune to break the shaft of his favorite spear.
It had a thin blade which was very long and sharp, and the rawhide
strings held it firmly. He attempted to untie the lashings, that he
might use the blade for another shaft, but they had become so hard and
dry that he could not succeed in untying them. He picked up his saw to
cut them, but first began idly to draw it across the shaft. At once he
noticed that if cut off at the point where he was sawing, the spear
would become a knife with a wooden handle. The operation was quickly
completed, and he found the new style of knife much superior to the old.
Flakes of this size were much more frequently produced in breaking a
nodule with fire and water, and all his knives were thereafter furnished
with wooden handles.
The saw thus became one of the most useful of his few tools. Thus the
flint saw, discovered by accident by a primitive woman, was the germ
from which has been elaborated, with little change except for material,
one of the most useful tools known to civilized man.
When the little cave-boy of their family was something over a year old,
a small girl was brought by the spirits, and as the children grew and
thrived, Broken Tooth began to suggest that their present home was
becoming crowded. The cave was indeed a small one for two, three made it
uncomfortable, and now four was certainly a crowd. Longhead first
proposed searching for a cave of larger proportions, but to this Broken
Tooth raised several objections. All the larger caves in the vicinity
were already occupied, and, while they might no doubt use the authority
of the spirits to compel the present occupants to vacate a cave for
their use, this course was sure to create ill feeling which, sooner or
later, might work to their disadvantage; and, besides, where could they
find one with so large a platform in front and so well protected by
overhanging rock. Could not some plan be devised to enlarge this one?
and she called Longhead's attention to the fact that the rock inside was
soft and friable, and that small pieces were continually falling down,
which she carried out and threw over the edges of the platform.
The man undertook to make the cavity larger by pulling down and removing
all the loose pieces, but, when this was done, little increase in the
size of their home was apparent. On one side the man noticed that the
rock was full of small cracks and seams, but these were so tightly
fitted and irregular that he could remove but few of the stones with his
hands. One piece that was quite loose he tried for a long time to pull
out, but it pinched too tightly at one corner. In a rage, he picked up a
large, sharp cornered piece of flint with both hands and struck it with
all his might into the crack which held the tightest. The piece that
bound it was broken and the stone fell out, followed by a number of
others. Another discovery of the value of flint pieces had been made--a
pick had been found, and daily both Longhead and Broken Tooth spent some
hours digging at the loosened rocks until, in the course of time, they
had a cave sufficiently large for their needs, and in succeeding years
this was extended, as the growth of the family and their ideas of
comfort demanded.
By the same means Longhead removed the irregularities of the floor and
side walls, and finally he somewhat enlarged the doorway, gave it a more
regular shape, and substituted strong wooden bars, held in place by
notches cut in the stone, for the large stones they had formerly rolled
into the opening at night to prevent the entrance of dangerous animals.
The curious inhabitants of the settlement watched these operations, and
it was not long until many other caves were thus enlarged and more
comfort secured.
During the remainder of Longhead's life, little further progress was
made in the manufacture of weapons and implements, other domestic arts
or the conditions of the group; but the flint saw became a common
implement and was applied to various uses; many of the families used
bark dishes, and a sort of rude basket had been evolved from naturally
curled cylinders of bark into which a bottom of bark or interlacing of
rawhide strings had been inserted. These were used to transport nuts,
berries, wild fruit, eggs, etc., to the caves and as receptacles in
which to retain the same afterwards. No basketry or other weaving
process had been thought of, nor had there been any attempt made to
manufacture or use any kind of clothing, the skins of animals being used
only for strings, or occasionally to carry food products.
Social conditions also remained practically the same, but food was more
easily procured in consequence of slowly extending coöperation, and the
method of its preparation by cooking made it more nourishing,
consequently more of the children grew to manhood and womanhood, and the
average of life was longer. The possession of effective weapons
continued to render men less fearful, they became more and more erect
and grew to a taller stature.
The inventions and improvement in conditions already described were the
necessary and almost immediate results of the control and use of fire,
and when this point was reached, further progress for many generations
can scarcely have been considerable. Primitive man was not fertile in
original ideas, nor inventive, except from accident aided by necessity,
and the use of the bow and arrow, stone axe, baskets, weaving and
pottery were to come many generations after the death of Longhead,
Broken Tooth and their fellows of the fire-cave settlement. A method for
producing fire by friction of wood upon wood, after the method of the
fire-drill, which has been common to nearly all primitive peoples who
have come under the observation of civilized men, probably came with the
other later discoveries, but it was doubtless still longer before any
clothing was used, and then, at first, it was most likely more for
ornament than for comfort or any feeling of modesty.
However, the succeeding generations of the group described never lost
the inventions of Longhead, and in after ages, when the idea of a
Supreme Being or beings had been elaborated as a religion, he was
deified and worshipped as a god and the founder of the tribe or people.
The descendants of Broken Tooth--for descent for many ages was still
reckoned only in the female line--continued to be the weapon-makers and
rulers of the tribe, and from them were the fire-priests always
selected, when the worship of fire, with a consecrated priesthood and a
more or less elaborate ritual, had been developed.
Many ages were to pass with a slow but continued upward progress before
this group of fire-people entered even the lowest stages of barbarism,
but certainly the discovery of the use and control of fire had much to
do with the early progress of the rude people described, and whose
individuals, we have assumed for the purposes of the story, were our own
far away ancestors.
THE END
Works of
C. H. ROBINSON
LONGHEAD: The Story of
the First Fire Net $1.00
HAWK: The Young Osage $1.25
POLLYANNA
_By Eleanor H. Porter_
Author of "Miss Billy," "Miss Billy's Decision," etc.
_12mo, cloth decorative, illustrated, net $1.25; postpaid $1.40_
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_Of "Miss Billy" the critics have written as follows_:
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--_Brooklyn Eagle._
THE CAREER OF DR. WEAVER
_By Mrs. Henry W. Backus_
_12mo, cloth decorative, illustrated, net $1.25; postpaid $1.40_
A big and purposeful story interwoven about the responsibilities and
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noted specialist, and head of a private hospital, had allowed himself to
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by him in furthering his schemes for the glorifying of the name of
"Weaver" in the medical world is threatened, it is frustrated through
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plays such an important part in the lives of both men.
"The story becomes one of those absorbing tales of to-day which the
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THE HILL OF VENUS
_By Nathan Gallizier_
Author of "Castel del Monte," "The Sorceress of Rome," "The Court of
Lucifer," etc.
_12mo, cloth decorative, with four illustrations in color, net $1.35;
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This is a vivid and powerful romance of the thirteenth century in the
times of the great Ghibelline wars, and deals with the fortunes of
Francesco Villani, a monk, who has been coerced by his dying father to
bind himself to the Church through a mistaken sense of duty, but who
loves Ilaria, one of the famous beauties of the Court at Avellino. The
excitement, splendor and stir of those days of activity in Rome are told
with a vividness and daring, which give a singular fascination to the
story.
_The Press has commented as follows on the author's previous books_:
"The author displays many of the talents that made Scott famous."--_The
Index._
"The book is breathless reading, as much for the adventures, the
pageants, the midnight excursions of the minor characters, as for the
love story of the prince and Donna Lucrezia."--_Boston Transcript._
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"A splendid bit of old Roman mosaic, or a gorgeous piece of tapestry.
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incident."--_Cleveland Enquirer._
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THE WHAT-SHALL-I-DO GIRL
Or, The Career of Joy Kent
_By Isabel Woodman Waitt_
_12mo, cloth decorative, illustrated by Jessie Gillespie. Net $1.25;
postpaid $1.40_
When Joy Kent finds herself alone in the world, thrown on her own
resources, after the death of her father, she looks about her, as do so
many young girls, fresh from the public schools, wondering how she can
support herself and earn a place in the great business world about her.
Still wondering, she sends a letter to a number of girls she had known
in school days, asking that each one tell her just how she had equipped
herself for a salary-earning career, and once equipped, how she had
found it possible to start on that career. In reply come letters from
the milliner, the stenographer, the librarian, the salesgirl, the
newspaper woman, the teacher, the nurse, and from girls who had adopted
all sorts of vocations as a means of livelihood. Real friendly girl
letters they are, too, not of the type that preach, but of the kind
which give sound and helpful advice in a bright and interesting manner.
Of course there is a splendid young man who also gives advice. Any
"What-shall-I-do" young girl can read of the careers suggested for Joy
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THE HARBOR MASTER
_By Theodore Goodridge Roberts_
Author of "Comrades of the Trails," "Rayton: A Backwoods Mystery," etc.
_12mo, cloth decorative, with a frontispiece in full color by John Goss.
Net $1.25; postpaid $ 1.40_
The scene of the story is Newfoundland. The story deals with the love of
Black Dennis Nolan, a young giant and self-appointed skipper of the
little fishing hamlet of Chance Along, for Flora Lockhart, a beautiful
professional singer, who is rescued by Dennis from a wreck on the
treacherous coast of Newfoundland, when on her way from England to the
United States. The story is a strong one all through, with a mystery
that grips, plenty of excitement and action, and the author presents
life in the open in all its strength and vigor. Mr. Roberts is one of
the younger writers whom the critics have been watching with interest.
In "The Harbor Master" he has surely arrived.
_Of Mr. Roberts' previous books the critics have written as follows_:
"The action is always swift and romantic and the love is of the kind
that thrills the reader. The characters are admirably drawn and the
reader follows with deep interest the adventures of the two young
people."--_Baltimore Sun._
"Mr. Roberts' pen has lost none of its cunning, while his style is
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"It is a romance of clean, warm-hearted devotion to friends and duty.
The characters are admirable each in his own or her own way, and the
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"In this book Mr. Roberts has well maintained his reputation for the
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action, and in which love and fighting hold chief place."--_Boston
Times._
"Its ease of style, its rapidity, its interest from page to page, are
admirable; and it shows that inimitable power--the story-teller's gift
of verisimilitude. Its sureness and clearness are excellent, and its
portraiture clear and pleasing."--_The Reader._
THE BLOSSOM SHOP
A Story of the South
_By Isla May Mullins_
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One of those exquisitely simple and appealing stories of mother love and
sacrifice for a little blind daughter, written in a delightful vein,
combining humor and pathos. The reader will love little blind Eugene
(the child had received the name of her dead father) and will rejoice
with the brave young mother, the heroine of the story, when the child's
sight is restored. There is a time for rejoicing, too, when a lost will
is found, bringing wealth and release from all worries, and the young
mother is free to accept the love and protection that in her sorrow she
denied herself.
Southern types are amusingly contrasted with those of the North; and the
simple language and fine sentiment of the story will charm readers of
all ages.
JOHN O' PARTLETTS'
_By Jean Edgerton_
_12mo, cloth decorative, illustrated, net $1.25; postpaid, $1.40_
The reading public is no longer content with the old hackneyed love
story, the impossible mystery story or the superficial tale of
adventure. It is necessary that a novel to be successful shall appeal to
the best in us--shall grip our hearts and fill our thoughts. Few first
books by a new writer can supply such an exacting demand, but "John O'
Partletts'" is among these few. Its simple, straightforward plot; its
able and convincing portrayal of character--real character; the author's
mastery of her art--these are the elements which make the book worthy of
wide appreciation. No one character dominates the story, neither "Witch"
Beevish, the eccentric old woman at war with the village, nor Jim, the
little orphan, nor Henry Carruthers, the minister, nor even Kitty
Merryweather, the shrewd-tongued gossip. But if there is a hero it is
John O' Partletts', "Witch" Beevish's great dog, the friend and
protector of Little Jim.
This is a story to compare with "Rab and His Friends" and with "A Dog of
Flanders"--a story that is bound to make its way.
Transcriber's Note:
Italic text is denoted by _underscores_ and bold text by =equal signs=.
p12: "drouth" is an old variant spelling of "drought"
Retained non-standard hyphenation for several words, as in original text
p89: "cooperation" changed to "coöperation", the spelling used
consistently everywhere else in the book
p71: "knive" spelling as in original
In the ad for What-shall-I-do Girl: corrrected printer error, "friendly"
for "riendly"
Moved ad for other books by same author to end of book, prior to ads for
other authors.