Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1880-02-04

and there are to be found estates
in abundance adorned with fine
buildings" Again he says, ain
deed. it appears on account 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 particu-
lar, agrees precisely with our idea
of Atlantis; and what other land
now in existence agrees in any way
with this description-what is
lands of magnitude that contain
navigable rivers, large fertile plains,
and mountainsl
Turning from our well-known
ancient writer's, we find in all the
traditions and books Of the Cen
trail Americans and Mexicans a
continual recurrence to the fact OF
an awful catastrophe, similar to
that mentioned by Plato and other.
Now, what are we to believe! This,
that either the traditions and mar
ratives of these ancient writers and
historians of both lands are but
a tissue Of fabrications, evolved from
their own brains, with perhaps a
small thread of fact, or else that
they are truths, and truths proving
that the Americas, instead of be-
ing the youngest habitation of
man, are among the oldest, if not,
as De Dourbourg affirms, the old
est.
Brasseur de Bourbour, who
Baldwin says has studied the monu-
ments, writings, and traditions left
by this civilization more carefully
and thoroughly than any man liv-
ing, is an advocate of this theory,
and to him we are indebted for
most of our translation and histo-
ries of the ancient Americans.
To the imagination and low
ers of the marvellous this theory is
peculiarly fascinating, and the fact
that there is a plausible evidence
of its truth adds to the effect. With
their minds eye they can see the
dreadful event, as recorded by
Plato, as in a panorama. They see
the fair and fertile country, filled
with people, prosperous and hap
py; the sound of busy life from
man and beast fills the air. Com
fort and prosperity abound. The
sun shines clear overhead, and the
hugh mountains look down upon
the cities and villages at their feet,
like a mother upon her babes: all
is picture of peacefulness. Sud-
denly, in a second, all is changed.
The protecting angels become de-
stroying fiends, vomiting fire and
liquid hell upon the devoted cities
at their feet, burning, scorching,
strangling their wretched inhabit-
ants. The earth rocks terribly,
palaces, temples, all crushing down,
crashing their human victims, flock
ed, together like so many ants.
Vast rents open at their very feet,
licking with huge, flaming tongues
the terrified people in their yawn-
ing mouths. And then the inun-
dation. Mighty waves sweep over
the land. The fierce enemies, Fire
and Water, join hands to effect the
destruction of a mighty nation.
How they hiss and surge, rattle
and seethe How the steam rises,
mingled with the black smoke,
looking like a mourning-veil, that
it is, and, when that veil is lifted,
all is still, the quiet Of annihila-
ton OF all that populous land,
nought remaining save Tuning,
seething mud. 1t is not to be sup
posed that all persisted in that
calamity. Long before this they
had spread over the portion Of the
Americas contiguous to the penin-
sula, building cities, palaces, roads,
and aqueducts, like those of their
native homes and adventurous
pioneers continually spreading
north, east, and westward, their
former constant increase of num-
bers from their former homes en-
aiding them to overcome the re-
sistance offered to their progress by
both natives and nature, till at last
they reached and discovered the
copper country of Lake Superior.
That they appreciated this discovery
is evinced by the innumerable evid-