FIVE HUNDRED YEARS FROM NOW.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17245, 11 January 1924, Page 6

FIVE HUNDRED YEARS FROM NOW.

WHAT MAN WILL LOOK LIKE IN THE DISTANT FUTURE. The past five hundred yeafs have seen a gradual change in man. His physical powers have become weaker, his senses are less keen, his- teeth are worse, and he would be unable to stand for any length of time the hardships of his forbears. This weakening process will not stop to-day; therefore, in considering the average man of five hundred years hence we must obviously expect him to be a far weaker creature than he is to-day owing to the use of many artificial aids. ONE MEAL A DAY. We cannot expect any striking physical changes in the man of 2423 (writes Professor A. M. Low in the “ Daily Express ”>, for it takes thousands of years to alter our structure, but he will in all probability seek to improve his body by grafting and electrical treatment and by permanently fixed mechanical appliances, such as sight correctors—a great improvement on the present clumsy glasses. Pie will dress in sensible and comfortable one-piece clothing in place of the absurd conglomeration of clothes worn at present, and, owing to the increase in baldness, will wear a hat of some

description practically all the time. Just as our modern meals are of less importance to us than the “ spreads ” of olden time, so v/ili the future man po.v less attention, to food; one meal a day mill possibly suffice, assisted, if necessarv, by “ snacks in concentrated form and, compared with to-day, his standard of living mill be extremely luxurious. His lower limbs mill become atrophied from disuse, for his methods of travel on moving side-walks and communicating by wireless will render any strenuous travel unnecessary. His educational standard will be very high without any exception; thought will be an infinitely quicker j process, and all amusements will be of an intellectual variety. Games of brute strength will die out, boxing mill be regarded much as we regard the ' brutal prize-fights of bygone days, and i in ever)' way it will be an age of brains f and not brawn! WIRELESS SIGHT. . . i

He will treat women ; n what we should regard its a most casual manner, j He will think nothing of stopping one i for a light for his pipe. By 2423 women wiil have educated and advanced themselves more rapidly than at present seems possible, ancl will thus be in a position to compete with man in every wav. However, as he will scientifically understand “ love,” he will treat it with far greater respect. His life will bo, relatively speaking, far more complex than ours, and by 2423 the study of wave motion will have ltd to the habitual use of wireless sight, and many other developments ot that period. The mental transference of thought at present claimed by many tricksters but not a scientific fact —will be thoroughly* ’understood, and that point alone will increase efficiency, and speed up his mode, of life generally . He will most certainly use a shorter phonetic system ot spelling