The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1882-11-12
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tho civilized nations Of the Nnhua and
Maya groups were not unlike their Euro
pcan contemporaries Thus they had fcasts.
onlivcncd by professional testers or with
music and dancing. while after dinner
they enjoyed the spectacle Of dramatic per-
formanccs. OF games. gymnastics. and gadia-
torial combats they were not without their in
toNicating drinks. and. like Europeans OF
later day. they at onco INDUCED in drunken
ness and denounced it. They had their near
cal faculties their systems OF surgery. their un-
dertakcrs or burial men. also their orators.
poets. litcrati. men OF letters. and men Of sci
encc. In connection with their scientific and
literary attainmcnts we should not forget to
note that they had an arithmctical system. q
calendar. a knowledge OF astronomy HER
ogiyphic books chronological records.
public libraries. and national archives.
Other striking condolences may be mention
ed; thus tho horoscope OF infants was cast rs
it was in Europe Mt the beginning OF tho six
tcenth century. the symbol o. the Cross was
lifted up. incense was burned. the rites Of bap
tism and circumcision were practscd. AS to
the progress in the arts which had been made
by tho Nahua and MAYA nations. 1t is GER
tain that the Spanish conaucrors examined
with admiration the manufactures OF gold. sill
YER. copper. tin. and lead wrought to exquisite
''' "'." "i S'" S' $500
with establishment upon tho huge monuments
Of the native architecture upon the temples.
causewuys fountains. npueducts. and light
houses set off. rs they were. with statueS and
intricate and costly stone carvings. The Span
iards found that the Americans made CLOTH
paper pottery anu dyes ana that they were
nrohclcht IN painting. WHO thclr mosaic
feather work was u marvel.
In their religious customs ana ecclesiastical
systems the civilized nations of America We're.
in Mr.. Bancroft's opinion. rs consistent and
reasonable. II not as abstractly cdifying. as
those of Europe. No one. OF course. would
deny that. SO far rs dogma Is concerned Chris
tianity is higher and purcr religion than had
over been evolved on this side Of the Atlantic.
not excepting the sun worship of the Incas.
but Mr.. Bancroft contends that If we study the
ethical precepts Of the foremost American ma
tons we shall that in many respects they
were not far behind and in some respects ac-
tually in advance of the practice of Christen-
dom. 1t is true that the Aztecs had recourse
on certain occasions to human sacrifices, but
what were the medieval butchory Of tho Jews
and burning OF heretics what were the re =
lgious wars which devastated Europe from
the thirteenth to the middle Of the seventeenth
century. but human sacrifices on a portentous
scale? Now of wars for the purpose OF prose-
lytihg, ana OF tnat most lnllultous OF crimes,
persecution for opinions sake. We hear
next to nothing in tho New World.
Moreover. while contemporary Christians
with their Holy Inquisitions and autos da f6.
taxed TO the utmost human ingenuity for the
contrivlnce OF eXcruciating engines of torture.
and not content with killing the body. doomed
also the SOUL as they devoutly believed, 10 etcr-
| nal asonies. the Mexicans on the other hand.
treated their victims as gods. ana sent them.
thouS somewhat prcmaturely along Il path OF
mowers 10 what was hcid to be a blisstul home
III ue"'eh certainly 10 those VINO know some
'hihs Oh the Europe OF the sixteenth century 1t
seems u kihu oil irony 10 call tho civilile1 Amer
leans OF Ahahuac or Guatemala superstItious.
treacherous. revenSeful. and cruel. Where,
ihoeed. was IL possible TO iind men more SUPER
s'''ious or re'eheeiui thah the so-caiied MINIS
tefs Oh CHRIST VINO crossed the ocean III order
W ouStow upon 'he hca'heh eternal me- where
small We nhu examples oil more detestabie
"o"e"o' ,""., "''oH. ~" 'uriStl'h eNtrhi-
h"'oia vi 'iic -'"h"' anu maya ciVl'iza'lohs
VII 'ho Mhu'c' scchis 10 Mr. bancroft that
'no 'iio, "'ncichco oo'"een INC pcopie OF Eu-
,op' a"u WV '''oio "n'"hcco nations Oh Amer