Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1860-08-21
1 Lost World.

The past quarter OF a century, disin.
terrlng from the dust of ages the hidden
/ secrets of generations SO long gone by
that the very names of many OF the ma
uons who once figured so conspicuou.ly
IN the worlds annals have persisted with
them, has developed many strange facts
with regard TO ancient America. Il would
be strange, after all, if Instead of having
no past, " no antiquity as has been
alleged by her detractors, the continent
discovered by Columbus should prove to
be the older of the two. Throughout its
entire lie 9Th and breadth, traces Of peo-
pie, who performed their part in the great
LIE drama, at 50 early an epo:h that
nearly every vestige of their existence
must have disappeared centuries before
the discoveries of Columbus; are found.
The hardy Northmen who visited the
Atlantic coasts as early as the fourth or
fifth centuries, found them occupied by
hostile races IN such numbers as 10 repel
every attempt 10 penetrate the interior ;
the Mortimer who made the first au-
thenucated discoveries IN the Western
Hemisphere, IN spite OF the fact that Co.
lumbus has always received that honor,
and who must still have been preceded
by others, whose accounts of the strange
lands they had visited, and the wonders
they had seen, IN the absence OF corrOb-
Grafton, were received as fables by ;heir
countrymen. Had there been in those
days such things as newspapers. the
whole world would have learned of the
existence OF another continent |, would
have been interesting IN historical point
of view, as II would have developed the
existence, and perhaps have preserved
the records Of a number of nations Of
nations of which the last vestiges are
now fading from the earth.
Whatever may have been the origin
of our Aborigines, 1t is certain that large
portions of what are now The United
States, and of countries farther south,
were inhabited by a numerous people,
wearing comfortable clothing, and being
somewhat advanced in the arts, some of
them, as those of Mexico and Central
America, have left behind them vast ru-
ms, proving that the cities which .hey
founded were not unworthy of being
ranked with the proudest of olden time.
Throughout the northern country num-
erous traces of vanished people have
from time TO time been discovered, but
fainter and less absolutely defined than
those of the 4 Aztecs-showing conclu-
sively the great antiquity of the North
erners. The mound builders, indications
of whose industry and engineering skill
have been found by the archaeologist
| Squiers, scattered over the Middle and
! Northern States, must have been more
numerous in their day than the enlight-
4 ened people who have supplanted them,
yet they have vanished so entirely from
the scene of their earthly labors, that,
unless we adopt the theory of retrogres-
/ sion and accept the North American Ia
dams and the Southern Aztecs as the los,
/ representatives of ancient America, we
! have not the slightest clue 10 them.
! The most remarkable circumstance in
I connection with these " peoples" is, thai
they have left behind them no utenal:
or other implements, and that, in cases
where records have been discovered
! they were In an alphabet SO unlike any.
thing before known Che tablets of Co.
pana and Palenque, for instance) as tc
/ defy all research. Traces there are OF
customs similar to those of AsiatiCs-
traces of an identity of language, but
all too vague and uncertain, as yet Il
base theory upon. 1t seems as though
at some far gone period of the world:
history, Almighty Providence, as a pun
ishment for its sins had blotted at once
from existence an entire world, whose
very monuments mock the proud and
vain-g lor:ous spirit which led to them
erection. But there will doubtless arise
/ persons competent to the TASK, who from
their knowledge of dialects and hyerog
lypaic writing, may yet succeed IN clear
ing up this most wonderful and impres.
sive OF mod ern mysteries.