BOWELS OF THE EARTH

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22257, 9 May 1934, Page 8

BOWELS OF THE EARTH

MILLION-YEAR-OLD GHOSTS

PEOPLE OF THE CAVE PERIOD.

In a village at Cheddar Gorge, Somerset, hundreds of feet beneath the ground, inhabited only by the ghosts of men who lived nearly a million years ago, a newspaper correspondent recently talked with a very practical young man who is searching for treasures which are expected to make history. The young man is Lord, Weymouth, M.P., only sop of the Marquis of Bath, who is now spending every minute of his spare time exploring the bowels of the earth at Gough's Cave. He has made several remarkable discoveries Which are contributing to history. The correspondent sat in an " armchair" which was hewn out of rock at some period in the Stone Age, and Lord Weymouth talked—about the modern girl., " Just pi'cture," he said, pointing to the twinkling lights of an. Aladdin'3 cave, "how thrilling it must have beeu living thousands of years ago. Try, for instance, to imagine the life of the wife of a real caveman, and compare her with the 1934 girl. - r "They say that the modern girl loves a caveman. Does she? On the films, perhaps yes, but'l don ? t think that in these modern times when women are filling so many important jobs and playing such parts in public life the caveman stuff is much more than a romantic ill ision.

"The ladies'-of the caves must have been marvellous wives. They were passive creatures, but they were jealous-of the comfort of their homes. And the husbands must have been equally keen on providing, for their wives and families, judging by some of the amazing spearheads and other types of weapons which we have ■ found during excavations of Gough's Cave." More than £20,000 is being spent by Lord Weymouth in developing Gough's Cave, and later he proposes 'to tunnel several miles into the heart-of the rock and reveal further beauties and! wonders of life in past ages.

Catherine Brickland died at Ballycominon Churchyard, North Ofi'aly, Ireland, recently. Born in 1811, she lived through the Irish famine year 1847, and could recall many of its episodes!. Mrs Brickland remembered the Crimean .War ana the first stage coach introduced to Ire' land by the Italian Bianconi. " I always loved work," she once said, " and I zir tribute my long and healthy life to it." But the modern girl she thought ". shameful, absolutely shameful." She once said: "Her dress is nothing hut a ridicule. It would make a modest man blush."