River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1875-09-03
ANTIQUE AMERICANS.
[Chicago Tribune.l

A victorious race usually feels q very
slight interest in the genealogy OF its vic
TINS, 1t is not probable that the Spar
tans investigated the ancestry of the He.
lots. The defeat and destruction of the
successive population Of America has thus
aided in the creation of the mystery that
hangs over the primitive races. 1t is
known that civilization refrigerated here,
step by step, until the European explorers
found the strange new world that yet was
never young" inhabited by mere barbar-
ians. One of the worlds puzzles is the
original settlement Of America. VOL
TAIRE's suggestion for its solution was
that when God was making flies in Amer
lea, He might as well have made men, too
The repetition Of this Bit of flippant wit
during the session of the recent Gamer.
lean Congress" at Nancy, Lorraine, near.
ly cost that learned body the support of
the Catholic clergy Of France. This Con-
gress attracted far more attention abroad
then 1t did here. Its debates and decisions
were Of great value. 1t destroyed rather
than constructed, and left the hall Uttered
with the remains Of roinanceS
The theory Of the Phemcian discovery
of America was the first discussed. The
"Dighton Rock"of Massachusetts, which
has been supposed to bear a phoenicisn
inscription, was dismissed with the state
ment, quoted from FRANCIS PARKMAN,
that the characters craven on the rock
merely tell the story of fight between
two Indian tribes. Another curiously-in-
scribed stone, found near st. Louis, has
imprints like those in the temples of Kar-
max, and Egypt. This rock, however was
but a featherweight in the mines of the
scientists. They registered verdict Of
mot proven" on the Phenician claim
and came near saying something much
more decided.
The story of "Fu-Sang," which CHARLES
| G. LELAND has Just elaborated with so
mnch care, Jared no better. Buddhism
was relieved from the charge of having
inspired the religion Of ancient Mexico.
The zoology and botany If the tabled
land of Fu.Sang were shown to be wholly
different from these features of the Pacific
coast, and the hfth-century mission Of
the Buddhist monks of Samarcand to
America was bowed away as a mere 70.
nance.
The Morse theory received more res
rect. The lcelanders really landed on
the en)yine-clad coast of New England
In the twelfth century Bishop Eric
preached in some American town in be
half Of the Crusades. His colony for
warded skins as a contribution to partly
defray the expenses Of one Of the expedi
tons. In 1907, Mr.. and Mrs. AMOR, Ice
landers, were living somewhere in what is
now Massachusetts, and Connecticut, and
had a son born to them. From this son
the great sculptor, TnoRwALDsEN, was de-
scended.
Some queer scattering theories we're
preached. One savant had little map
with u careful and of course perfectly &C.
curate sketch of the route Of the "ten lost
tribes" across Asia and into America.
A letter was read from Swede in Kansas
who says he can converse with perfect
ease with the Indians Of the state, so
much alike are his and their languages.
A grave professor stated that the Esqui.
maux dances resembled those Of the Ma
lays, SO that the former must have come
from Asia II only remains now TO find
some tribe which filings its legs about as
| DAVID did when he danced on certain
| solemn occasion, in order TO prove the
identity OF the lost Hebrew tribes and
the Western sayages
The next session Of the Congress may
beheld at Philadelphia or Washington,
in the summer Of 1879.