Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1871-04-20
Is ruIs snr New or rnE OLD Woetp

lc LHiS TIE NEW Or THE OLD w OELD
The resent discoveries of Mammoth
fossils, and the well-6efued outlines o.
foriification and cemeteries, scattered
IA II over the country, and of which the
aooriginies have no traditions, hay,
awakened the enqui,y. sis tn is the old o,
new world?" Are these the remains O
people of whom history and tradition are
absolutely silent, by leason of their On.
tiqniiy? Are those monster skeleton.
those of the primal creation. come direct
ly from the hand of the great Father OF
all? How Ike the work of God Iu
comparison, those of the present. day sink
into very insignifcance. 1t is very
grave question whether thc race of men
and animals a"e .cailv advancing, or on,
~ recovering from the fall' All over
this County aic innumelable evidences
O; the 70; me. existence o. a people whose
history is wholly lost, who, nevertheless.
mus; have been as numerous as any part
OF the iunaoifaole globe now is. China,
with il. nolG, OF population, ard its long
ex istence as "a nation, has no such mon
unen's to leave beiind as we fnd here.
Pompeii an ancient cities all have their
history. and of comparatively recent orr
gin, and their hic'o3lyphics ale to-day
all decipnered but The mound builders.
whose monuments a,e all around us, are
lost 10 the historian. jhe hieroglyphics
have crumbled back 10 dust.
And YET there are the mounds, and IN
10 any one you nav dive with The Ger
tainty OF finding ou neti ea,ih, broken
pipes and arrows, with broken vessel
ummiStlksD' G evidence O the total des. ru,
ton OF the entire people or nation, of
whom no tradition even now exists
THAT UNFOLD ages must have rolled away
since the bu'lue.s swa. med over our
bread praries, and over our mountain,
along our streams and valleys.
oo.Le of the tallcst and larscst of our
forest trees have grown upon the SPOT
where once, unknown ages ago, was de-
posted the remains Of the inhabitants of
That early and remote period. Some OF
their habits may be in felred from these
di:,cove. les. Evidently they were wor-
shippers of some deity. TO whom t, Q,
offered sacrifices by fire. it is also pre-
'y clear that they burned their dead, rs
but few perfect bones are found; occasion-
ally we'll pres rvcd skull. What the re-
liglou and state Of civilization OF this peo-
pie OF the primitive time was. can onl.
be Inferred from what is found in the
history given by Moses. In the far dis
.ant beginning God mace them. And
they were very good. Anything Else
than this we cou d not expect. What
,hls ''verr good implies We will peye,
luow fully until we see as we are seeb,
and know rs we are known, for God said
let us make man in our own image.
How ere the mighty fallen. How glor;-
ously grand and beautiful this first be-
ginning of life 1t is impossible that ev-
ery!hing in nature is but development.
No, God spahe, and it was doue. He
commanded. and it s,ood fast. The ev.
ioences are innumerable that these broad
plaries we've once the g,andest forest of
The world There is nothing now to be
seen in tie whole kingdom of na'u,e that
Can at all compare with the primitive for
nation. The present formation is one os
g. owth the primitive was called Into be-
ing in state of e lorious and beautiful
nature.