The New York herald., 1876-12-13
How Our SayanS Regard DR.. Schlie-
mann'S Discoveries.
FROM FABLE TO HISTORY
How the Explorers Claims May
Be Verified.
Views of Judge DAILY and Professor Baird
Curtius en- Argolls.


BchhsmAnn At Mycena will bc chiefly ici, In ITS In
Ausnco upon the theories Of modern historians, a.
regards what 10 generally called tho heroic or prohIs
torc age Since Nebuhr began the reconstruction OF
ancient history and indeed before his time, tho work
had been seduously pursued, especially by German
scholars, until not even the Homcrc poems had 30
much peg LETT which TO hang historic iact
Achilles and Priam and Hector, Agamemnon the king
Of men," Acneiaus, the husband Of Helen, and Paris
her paramour, disappeared a. The breath OF these
constructionists and the Iad only collection OF
poems OF which Homer was not even tho poet When
the heroic age exhausted and tho ancient heroes
Of Greece and Rome were disposed Of in way that
made them OF no more importance than Oberon and
Titania and Puck and rest OF the fairies Of the
"Midsummer Nights Dream" the obscure
heroes OF still later ages were attacked
and sisher blottcd out altogether rchabtatcd
IN al the glories and virtues oil modern chvary Ar
ninius Of the Romans-the Hermann of tho Ger
mans-becams a myth Little more was lett Of Charlie
magne than would constitute petty predatory chiet.
tain. Joan OF Arc was only crazy enthusiast, who
never led an army against tho English or suffered at
the stake 1t was not Columbus who discovered
America The story Of Pocahontas was only pretty
invention OF man by the name Of Smith. General
Reid, Minister to Greece, wro:ea book to prove
that tho name of Hendrick Hudson was in reality
plain Henry Hudson. Bacon wrote Shakespeare. and
the wonder that nobody sought show that Shakes
peare wrote Bacon.
OFF WITH THE oLD-oN WITH TIE NEW.
With the progress Of the work Of destruction and
reconstruction there werc quiet delivers among the
ruins OF ancient cities and tombs and monuments in
dustriousy restoring the relics OF past ages Layard
uncovered many Of tho wonders Of Babylon and me-
web, and tho gores related by Herodotus werc moro
than proved George Smith restored by his labors
and excavations the Chaldean story of the deluge
which proved to be in evory way more wonderful
and interesting Than the Mosaic account OF that
rather remarkable cvenk But tho deluge
TOO, was myth, and the Cha!dean story
rs unsubstantial in it's relations TO history as tho
Homerc poems The heroic age was synonymous
Rith the mythical age, and there any Aga
nenonon, Clytcmnestra or Cassandra. Troy itself was
lmyth, and even scholars began TO doubt whether
here ever was ancient dycene. which Pausanius
law in ts ruins within the period OF verable history
II became necessity that somebody should the
legends OF the past from the dcsecratng hands which
brushed them aside with little ceremony they
had been taken from the uArabian Nights" and were
OF NO more historic vauo than II they belonged to the
same family with sJack and the Bcanstaik' tho ad-
ventures OF slack tho Giant Killer" Among those
who sought to this devastating havoc was Dr.
Henry Schlismann whose discoveries Troy attracted
20 much attention few years ago and whose more
recent explorations at Mycen@ at this moment at
tracing the profoundest interest Of scholars and
savans in every part Of the world.
EXPLORER
The man whose namo Is SO prominently brought
before the learned world BY late excavations was
of low birth and iron fortune But even 40 child his
lmaginat on ws cntranccd by the story OF the Trojan
war and tho adventures OF Ulysses and AGamcmnon
sswhcn at KalEherst. village OF Mecklcnburg-
49, - g.
mann In the preface to his ''lthaque 10 Peoponnesc
Troie, published in 1869, 81 presented to my father
as a gift for the Christmas OF 1882 an
account In bad Latin OF the principal events Of tho
Trojan war and tho adventures Of Ulysses and Aga
memnon, little thought that thrty-six years later
should publish book on the same subject after hav-
ing the pleasure OF seeing with my eyes the
or that and the country OF tho heroes whose
names Homer made famous" But before young
Sehliemann afforded this pleasure he was
compelled 10 undergo years OF penury and
toiL His FIRST occupation was that OF a boy
10 GREGORY at Fastcnburg, but he quilted this
5lace ls4l to ship before the mast in vessel SAILING
rom Hamburg to Laguayra, In Venezuela This vessel
was overtaken by terrible hurricane, when only four
zen days out and compelled seek safety at the
klc OF TcxeL Young schliemann then determined
b remain permanently in Holland, and by
be aid OF tho German Consul at Amsterdam
te obtained employment as errand boy in
commercial house, where he paid 500 francs a
lear half OF which ho devoted TO his education which
lad been much neglected. Ho subsequently obtained
{pace book keeper in another establishment whore
te paid !, 200 francs IN the beginning and finally
TOGO francs Who in this situation he continued 10
hitivate hrs mind. and by tho aid OF an old gran
Nuctionary aud a bad translation OF "Teemaque" he
3cceeded In acquiring = iair knowledge Of the
ST. Petersburg as the agent Of commercial house,
ID in l8l6 he established himself in business his
tcreased his knowledge OF the languages sup
Iemcncd also, ana he learned Swedish and Polish
1bscquently both modern and ancient Greek In 1858
made tour Of tho O:d World, visiting the different
@untres Of Europe Egypt. Syria and Greece, return
Ag to st. Petersburg IN 1854
EXCAVATIONS TROY.
In 1854 DR.. Schcmann determined upon visit to
de homo OF Ulysses tho plain Of Troy after which
- went TO tho East Indies. China and Japan,
pletng his travels by visit to this country. This
Journey occupied two years, and In 1889 he went
1859 work 70 roay '1d srrsd OF
aud s-s excavations made in different places in IN
Grsecs during the previous year. Al the
time he made some excavations at Bunarbashi,
provousy rcputed the site OF Troy, but these
cries II was Dr. Schicmanns purpose first oil ali,
disprove this old theory as 10 the locality Of Priams
itseii In 1871 ho began his exsavatons al Hssarik
on what he believed was the site OF Troy, and these
explorations resulted in rich harvest for The students
Of history and prehistoric man. He established
act only the real site OF Troy but discntombed
she evidences OF the Trcjans opuence ihcr
their arts. Pottery, weapons implements and silver
rnamsns were found by the explorer and among tho
other curiosties which he dug mp living toad OF
0slcn's time. He uneartncd what he believes 10 be
hot only Neptune and Apollos wall but Priam's tower
tseif DR. Schhcmann communicated the result o!
bsss investigations 20 the HERALD in 1872, and they
serc published IN this Journal December 2, in the
sme year. Subsequently the Turkish govern
nnt inicrposcd obstacles IN the way OF re
uBving the treasure which no had discovered and
bsmes with opposition from tho scholars aud savans
onvcry country who wero not ready 10 accept tho
th9ries which wcrc nocesstascd by such astounding
rsvlatons Schiiemann not deferred, however,
froh his favorite pursuits either by opposition OBJ
etalcs, bat his health failing account Of the MAS
msc levers OF the plains OF Troy, he turned his at
tonlon 10 tho ancient city Of MyccnH, and now by
brilgng 10 light the tomb OF Agamemnon he only
wBus his fame but establishes CLAIM for tho con-
sid~ation Of students and scholars which cannot bc
asegarded
CHIEF JrsricE pALys VIEWS
Chef Justice Daiy, PRESIDENT Of the American Geo
sr.obtcaI Society Who we'll known az n HcIfcn,et