The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1879-11-13
The Lost Atlantis.

The Lost Atlantis.
Ages ago the Americas presented
very different appearance from what
they now do. Then an immense penin-
trail America and New Granada so far
Azores and the West India Islands are
now fragments of it. This peninsula
was fair and fertile country, inhabited
by rich and civilized Nations--a people
versed in the arts of war and civiliza-
ton, a country covered with large cities
and magnificent palaces rulers,
according to tradition, reigning not
only on the Atlantic Continent, but over
islands far and near, even into Europe
and Asia. Suddenly, without warning,
this whole fair land was engulfed by
the sea in mighty convulsion of ma
ture.
Now, this catastrophe is not impossi-
BILE or even improbable. Instances are
not wanting of large tracts of land, sew
eral hundred miles in extent, disappear
ing in q like manner. The Island of
after a while as suddenly disappeared.
Al AOASs uuA OIL Coh III 1huio,
an immense tract of land near the River
Indus, sank from view, and a large lake
now occupies its place.
The whole bed of the Atlantic, where
Atlantis is said to have been situated,
consists of extinct volcanoes. The ter
rible Lisbon earthquake of 1855, and
the later American shock, created a
commotion throughout the whole At
lantic area.
That Atlantis possessed great facili-
ties for making a sudden exit cannot be
doubted. Its very situation gives good
color to the narratives of Ancient Gre
clan historians and Toitecian traditions,
that cit disappeared by earthquakes
and foundations"
Plutarch, in his life of Philosopher
Solon, Herodotus and other ancient
writers, speaks of this island as known
fact; and it is impossible to believe
otherwise than that Seneca thought OF
Atlantis when he writes in his tragedy
of 4" Medea:" "Late centuries will ap-
pear when the oceans veil will lift to
open a vast country. New worlds will
Thetsys unveil. Ultima Thule Qce-
land) will not remain the earth's boun-
dary." He evidently believed in the
ohhho"h ohu SoheihOhbs oho
knew it would not remain forever un-
known.
Diodorus Siculus says that opposite
to Africa lies an island, which, on ac.
count of its magnitude, is worthy to be
mentioned. It is several days distant
from Africa 1t has fertile soil, many
mountains, and not few plains, unex.
celled in their beauty. 1t is watered by
| h1n NV nnA fhnro oyc
to be found estates in abundance
he says: Indeed, it appears, on &C.
count of the abundance of its charms,
as though it were the abode of gods,
and not of men,"
The situation, the description of the
country, in fact. every particular,
agrees precisely with our idea of Allan.
tbs; and what other land now in exist.
ence agrees in any way with this de.
scription; what islands of magnitude
that contain navigable rivers, large fer.
tile plains and mountainsP
Brasseur de Bourbourg. who Bald.
win says has studied the monuments,
writings, and traditions left by this
civilization more carefully and thor.
oughly than any man living, is an ad.
vocate of this theory; and to him are
we indebted for most of our transla.
tions of the traditions and histories OF
the ancient Americans.
Within the last twenty-five years al
sciences relating to the past and pres.
ent of man have been enormously de.
| veloped. Old, worn-out, useless theo.
ries have been discarded, new facts
have taken their places. discoveries
have followed discoveries-each dis
covery helping to form, link by link
the chain of human history.
We are beginning to perceive thai
of human history; that we have as yet
picked up but bright pebble of thought
or glittering shell of theory, while be
fore US lies the whole vast sea of human
history unexplored. That we are be
ginning to acknowledge this is a good
sign; for, when a man or mankind ac
knowledge their ignorance, they have
at least a sure foundation to build upon
Again, the spirit of bigotry-the spir
it that told men to scorn and deridt
Gallileo and Columbus-is fast passing
away; and in its stead comes the spiri
of rationality-a spirit that tells mel
to look upon a new idea or theory, ever
if it does not run outside of the accus
toned rut, with a reasoning if not ia
vorable eye. And we have faith a:
science grows to grander proportions
and dispels some of the mist that nov
envelops it, that some day not far dis
tant will bring forward an historic Edi
son that shall bring together the fain
voice of the prehistoric past and tn,
bright, clear voice of the present; tina
some future Champollion will discover
among the ruined cities of the Ameri
cans, an American Rosetta-stone tha
will complete the chain of human his
tory.-Poptllar Science Monthly.