From Cave Dwelling to Mount Olympus. By Edgar L. Hewett.
Albuquerque (The University of New Mexico Press), 1943.
Pp. ix, 143. $1.50.

The dust jacket of this book reveals that Dr. Hewett is to
write a series of books under the general title, Man in the
Pageant of the Ages. This book is the first in the series. Dr.
Hewett's extensive experiences in teaching, travel, and research
are most amply supplied with material and subject matter for
this project.

Following an introduction of eight pages, the remaining
one hundred thirty-five pages contain six essays and addresses,
the longest of which is entitled "What Is Man?" In the introduc-
tion Dr. Hewett says: "I am often told that an autobiography
is due from me." Commenting tersely, "I am not convinced,"
he continues that he has been interested in many things and
has written a good deal about them, "enough to make known
all that is worth telling about me." After two pages of explana-
tion on how he secured information about his world and its
people he scans his life in four one-sentence paragraphs. This
brief autobiography does not include "the record of intellectual
development" found in his published works. In reading this
book I had the feeling that I was witnessing the unfolding of
a portion of his "record of intellectual development."

Besides the chapter title already mentioned, the other five
are entitled "The Quest for Freedom," "Liberty's Landmarks,"
"A Science of Man and a Science of Education," "The Social
Sciences in Higher Education," and "The Place of Research."
In the address, "A Science of Man and a Science of Education,"
delivered at Colorado State College of Education, Greeley,
Colorado, Dr. Hewett says that if man were simply an animal
he would leave the study of man to the biologist and discard
the science of anthropology. Since man, however, is separated
from the highest living form below man by "a chasm beyond
which lies humanity," and since "that chasm has not been
bridged," and since also "Darwinian evolution is a potent hy-
pothesis in the study of animal life" but " falters at the threshold
of humanity," Dr. Hewett argues that "the proper field of
anthropology is man in the realm of existence in which he
stands alone." Thus the science of man -- anthropology —is
"a science which affords a sound basis for education." From
this predicate Dr. Hewett proceeds to show that from the vast
possibilities of exploration which anthropology unlocks a science
of education can be developed because "education is essentially
a science of exploration." And Dr. Hewett's audience heard him
say: "I speak for a Science of Man that is rooted in human
experience. I know of nothing else so basic in a liberal education.
. . . The opportunity of the school lies in making available
to youth the noble heritage of man's past achievements."

I should like to quote more. My purpose in quoting profusely
from the one address has been to show how stimulating the
whole collection of addresses and essays is. This little book will
be read time and time again by many who are fortunate
to own a copy. It deserves to be read many times because it
is a good book.

While reading this address I had the feeling -- yes, even the
conviction -- that the well-trained teacher of history has as
great an opportunity and obligation in this matter as the
anthropologist.

The University of Texas

R. L. Biesele

How to cite:
"From Cave Dwelling to Mount Olympus", Volume 48, Number 1, Southwestern Historical Quarterly Online, http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/publications/journals/shq/online/v048/n1/review_DIVL2247.html
[Accessed Tue Mar 16 15:53:26 CDT 2010]