uria during its first four sub-races, had achieved sufficient
self-consciousness in the Lunar Manvantara to differentiate them from
the animal kingdom, they had not yet received the Divine Spark which
should endow them with mind and individuality--in other words, make
them truly human.

[Sidenote: Size and Consistency of Man's Body.]

The evolution of this Lemurian race, therefore, constitutes one of the
most obscure, as well as one of the most interesting, chapters of
man's development, for during this period not only did he reach true
humanity, but his body underwent the greatest physical changes, while
the processes of reproduction were twice altered.

In explanation of the surprising statements which will have to be made
in regard to the size and consistency of man's body at this early
period it must be remembered that while the animal, vegetable and
mineral kingdoms pursued the normal course, on this the fourth globe,
during the Fourth Round of this Manvantara, it was ordained that
humanity should run over in rapid succession the various stages
through which its evolution had passed during the previous rounds of
the present Manvantara. Thus the bodies of the First Root Race in
which these almost mindless beings were destined to gain experience,
would have appeared to us as gigantic phantoms--if indeed we could
have seen them at all, for their bodies were formed of astral matter.
The astral forms of the First Root Race were then gradually enveloped
in a more physical casing. But though the Second Root Race may be
called physical--their bodies being composed of ether--they would have
been equally invisible to eyesight as it at present exists.

It was, we are told, in order that the Manu, and the Beings who aided
him, might take means for improving the physical type of humanity
that this epitome of the process of evolution was ordained. The
highest development which the type had so far reached was the huge
ape-like creature which had existed on the three physical planets,
Mars, the Earth and Mercury in the Third Round. On the arrival of the
human life-wave on the Earth in this the Fourth Round, a certain
number, naturally, of these ape-like creatures were found in
occupation--the residuum left on the planet during its period of
obscuration. These, of course, joined the in-coming human stream as
soon as the race became fully physical. Their bodies may not then have
been absolutely discarded; they may have been util