The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1843-01-21


by saying that his last lecture was upon symbolic
emblems, as taken in connection with the illus
trations from drawings by Mr.. Stevens. He said he
had been somewhat surprised at the consequences
which had resulted from the remarks which he had
thrown out. He had been accused, he said, of
drawing largely from his imagination that his SYM
bolic interpretations were far-fetched. suppose,
says the Doctor, shall be acquitted of inventing
the symbols; FOR these at least shall not be accused
of drawing upon my imagination. And / shall also
endeavor to show you that did not even the inter
probation of the symbols. And ] make the
remark in the first place that symbolic signs
or writing do mean something; they are not
or meaning. They are writing, and if writing
then it must have meaning, and significant
meaning. Take, tor illustration, the signs which
we ourselves employ In conveying our ideas upon
paper Why do we use them in contradistlnctlon
from other arbitrary signs Is il not because they
serve to convey an idea! Because we understand
them! Precisely so is il with the symbolic writ
ings or signs employed in the cases have alluded
using them And it IS our business to discover their
meaning. BY way OF illustrating my ideas upon
this branch of the subject had thought Of placing
sos who destitute might at fs s
meaning, and impossible to be Interpreted What
is cartouch 1t is roll or scroll the cornice Of
column-a border-a confused mass OF pictures,
with line drawn around them Who would ever
think of reading them, of interpreting them-of
reading cartouch But yet even this can be
done; and in all humility let me say it, can
read cartouch. And so could you, if
you had the Key Key to the symbolic writing is
This may serve to show that we should not form too
hasty conclusions, and that we should not too
hastily condemn symbolic interpretation. l have
also been told that these pictures Of animals and
htrfy ouInarU on1h
the kenesses are not only not good, but impossible
to be traced at ALL | do not say that the likeness
is perfect; we do not suppose that the crocodile
was taken from the Nile and sat tor his picture.
general resemblance is ali that claim And ven
ture to say, that if even these symbolic writings are
published and read on the other side of the water
that the learned there will. be deeply interested in
their Interpretation, but, venture also to say, that
have given to them. The lecture this evening will
embrace the subjects OF usages, customs,
traditions, religious opinions, or practices, &c,
included in the general term of resembIan-
things pertaining to their religion are by them
deemed OF most importance, and are first put
upon record, and are the last to incur change. 1t
is here, then, that must look to trace their his
tory-in matters pertaining TO their religion: And
generally find in those earlier histories, that the
leading men of the state were the most devoted in
their religious worship. There was union, as it
were, OF churchland state-a combination of reli.
slon and politics. Accordingly all the resources of
wealth were expended, and all powers of art ex-
hausted to give permanency TO their religion 1t is
not strange, then, that so much time and attention
was bestowed upon symbolic writing, when we con-
slider tiat the end to be attained thereby was to
give permanency to their religion. Let us proceed,
therefore, with examination into the lnterprea-
ton OF some OF these resemblances. But as have
been accused OF romancing, will not render p,yself
liable to the charge in my lecture this evening,
but will proceed to give you the authorities on
which rely for my support in the interpret ations
which have given you: In my first lecture allu-
ded TO the doctrine held by many of the Pagan
tons OF the succession of worlds-a belief that the
old world would be destroyed or was destroyed, and
that new one would be created, or had been cre-
ated to supply it's place. And it is most remarka
BILE fact that this same belief prevailed in Mexico.
1t was belief in the astronomical cycle, consisting
of 81 years, founded upon the same idea of the
cession of worlds. Here DIR. Hawkes. went infinitely
Mexican religion. He showed the great anxiety
and distress of mind which prevailed among them
at the period of the termination of astronomical
cycle, which was the end of the world drew near
extinguished their fires little before the close Of the
cycle lin order to ascertain by the event whether they
would be longer needed. How they proceeded upon
the last night break all the dishes and furniture,
their victims. And when it found that the
world was not destroyed, how they took thirteen
days to refit again-mend their furniture-patch
theI! dresses and put things to rights again. In
called the game of the flyers, exclusively set apart
to the reoicings appropriate to the personation of
world from threatened destruction. This same
game is now played in Yucatan upon the occasions
referred to. But the most remarkable circumstance
pertaining to this game is that it is also found in
Egypt And so precisely alike are they that the de-
lineation of the one will equally suffice tor the
other. Particularly are they identically the same
were the same reoicIngs, too, when the sun from
his aphehon began again to draw near the EARTH
Another point OF resemblance is the killing Of small
dog 1--WE shall not venture to spell his Indian
name,] at. the decease of person, to accompany
HIM on his supposed journey. Ii is precisely the
same in Egypt. In the next place would call at
tention to the Cyclopean structures, which alike
o1 B1 South south and If dyb The he
Santhey. The Dutch sent out man by the name
OF HERMANN to explore certain mines. And he
found huge stones, of immense size, some of them
wrought, sixteen feet in diameter Upon the next
pared TO stones in Brandt, in Belgium. The charac-
ter OF the arch spoken OF in my first lecture, is
precisely the same as those in Egypt (the horizontal
ing stone. Here Doctor Hawks went minutely into
the description of the rocking stone-it was work
OF art-of great antiquity-found in Egypt, at Annoy
in China, one forty feet long, and from forty to fifty
feet in circumference at the larger end and in tn vi
cnity other stones ofenormous sze round, polished
and piled upon topNof another. A stone precisely
similar is described by MIR. Santhey-it is found in
BraZil-lt was resting upon another much less in
size. You could move the rocking stone, but not
remove it. Another feature of resemblance is found
in the race of Amazons. They are found alike
in both hemispheres. The earliest accounts Of
Amazons are by the Greeks; they were
and equally found in this hemisphere. We
will next look at the subject of dresses--head
dresses. Here we find the lotus, well known
sacred vegetable, the serpent, the crescent,
the bird, and various other signs and emblems The
same are also found in Egypt. Another resemblance
is found in the breast-plate both in Egypt and in
South America the sun is alike found emblazoned
thereon Another is found in the skins of animals,
the manner in which they are used, the tail always
being preserved Again, their sacred edifices-
the three doors-the rear closed-the three dark
chambers-all precisely analogous to the cavern
temples of Nubia, places of worship. Again in mat
which guides the interpre tation Another resem.
bance is found in the ACCOMPLISHMENTS the origin of
the term ''Cimmerian darkness" These were ca.