Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-01-27
PREHISTORIC RACES.
THE MOUND BUILDE s OF THE MIS-
sIssIPPI VALLEY.
Who They Were Prom Whence They
Came-Their Evidences
as to Succeeding Races.

very interesting and instructive lecture by
the Rev. c. G. Stratton, D. d., President of
the University Of the Pacific, delivered in
this city last week, and of which previous
mention has been made. A synopsis can
convey st least but very imperfect and un-
satisfactory idea of the lecturers treatment
of his subject, bu. the outline of thought was
in substance as follows:
If the scientist is justified in devoting his
| powers to the discovering Of the first forms
| of life in geological strata, the arcs llogist
| can find ample warrant for devoting his time
| and powers TO collecting the evidences Of the
origin, history and doom of a human race
! who inhabited this continent before its dis
eovery by Columhus-a race endowed With
the same mental powers and tastes and apti-
! tuces as ourselves, c1ltivating the soil, chang
| ing the face Of nature, carrying on the diver
sihed business of humanity, enjoying life,
suffering, dying and commemorative the dead
much SIS we do to-day. That is the object of
! the present lecture.
| The first OF settlers of the Mississippi
| valley soon had their attention arrested by
the discovery of numerous and remarkable
earthworks. widely distributed, but most
| Astounding in thoss localities where the drift
of population tends to center to-day. In the
States of Ohio. Indiana, Illinois, Missouri,
| Iowa, Wisconsin, and toward the South, in
Kentucky, Tennessee, AID some portions Of
Mississippi and Lcuisians, these are found in
| the greatest abundance. In the single State
Of Ohio there are not less than
TEN THOUSAND OF THESE EARTHwoRKs
In some cases they seem to be mere inclo-
sures, containing from 100 to 400 acres, of
| different shapes, but generally of definite
! geometricsl figure, and frequently in squares
and circles. Sometimes they conform TO the
natural features of the landscape, and appear
| to have served the purpose of Notifications.
Then there are pyramids, and cones, gene
rally truncsted, either by the action of the
elements or TO serve as foundations for super
structures Some of the mounds were mani
testify for the burial of the dead, and these
still contain the skeletons and implements of
industry of the departed. Many represent
the figures Of birds and other varieties of ami
mails, In Ohio, huge serpent, 700 feet long,
and bearing in its mouth what seems to be a
great egg, has been clearly traced. In other
places appear great birds, with wings extending
hundreds of feet, and surrounded with their
brood. The turtle is represented in the same
way, with shell clearly defined and head, tsil
and feet protruding. The elephant, or
mammoth, is not wanting, implying that
these quadrupeds inhabited this country down
to the period of the mound builders, or that
they brought the memory of these types of
life from the old wcrli. It is impossible to
fix the precise dates Of either the appearance
or disappearance of this mysterious race, or
the length of their occupancy. Trees grow
ing out Of the mounds have been felled con-
tanning
EIGHT HUNDRED ANNULAR RINGS,
Aud in general it may be ranked that the
primitive forests of the west when it was FIRST
explored after its present discovery, ere OF
uniform appearance, whether growing from
the bosom of these mounds or on other eleva.
tons. Hence these great forests must have
grown since the disappearance of the mound,
builder-how long since we cannot tell. An
attempt has been made to throw the date ui
these inhabitants back into the remote past
by setting forth the decayed condition of tbs
human remains. But it must be remembered
that the quantity of the rainfall and the
chemical Ingredients Of the soil are important
factors in thus calculation, the exact value Of
which TO one can determine. The mum.
mics of Egypt and the frescoes
in the chambers of her temples
are perfectly preserved after the lapse Of
three or four Thousand years, while the skele.
tons of some Of the first explorers of this
coast, buried not more than thirty three OF
thirty four years ago are far advanced toward
decomposition. So great is this difference be.
tween the natural agents operating in the
two cases. An inference drawn from the ia
that these monuments are not found in the
lower river bottoms of the West, hut gener,
ally upon the second or higher terraces, Ii
modified by the fact the mound builders may
have BEEN as prudent ourselves in guard.
ing sgsinst fl DDS; or, it the level of thu great
valley has been chsaRed since their oecu.
psncy, by the further fact that these great
changes are constantly taking place, and over
the widest areas, and far more rapidly than
we have been want to Imagine.
To sum up, we know If no facts which com
pei us to throw back the date of the dissp-
pearance of the mould builders more than
one thousand years previous to TIE discovery
of Columbus. All inquiries in this field must
be intrusted in determining the
DEGREE OF CIVILIZATION
Attained by this race We may be guided
in this inquiry by considering the number
aud size of the remains and the character Of
their contents. 1t has been said that Ohio
contains at least 10 600 Of these structures,
all of which are still large and some of which
are colossal. Structures of this kind, 70
large and SO numerous, imply settled aeri-
cultural, dense and organized population.
Our red Indians could not have subsisted IN
such great numbers by the chase. B sides.
nomadic races are never great builders.
| But such population as these mounds
suggest must have been considerably
advanced in social life. This conclusion is
strengthened by the fact that the remains
still found consist of axes. AIDES, ersyers.
chisels and cloth, sometimes chemically
preserved, csIled mound builders cloth, of
loose texture, but still implJ ing a knowledge
| OF the use OF textile materials and skill 10
their manufac.ure. Most of the implenl eats
! are Of diff rent varieties OF stone, but come
are Of copper, and others probably OF iron.
/ THEIR RELIGION AND woRsHIP.
In religion they appear tn have been wor-
shippers OF the heavenly bodies, ef different
! types OF animal life, snd probably of the
| geuerative powers OF nature TTbeg, called
| astronomical tubes evnce their tendency to
observe the he&vens, ara probably worship
| their host. The variety aud sizs Of The ami
msl forms iInply their dei6cA.ion and the
presence of phallie devices suggest the pres
ence of an impure worship, winch prevailed
ext ansively III the old world.
The speaker then gave a rapid survey Of
The wonderful RENAME f Central America.
Mexico and Chile, and proceeded to state MS
thsary of the connr ction between the
former and our Owe mound builders that
the entire continent was first peopled from
Asis By way of Behring's Straits; that This
was the source OF the red indians Of THE
country, who, whether found IN the East or
West, and in North OF South Auericn, gem
orally pursue the tradition Of an imfnisrstion
from the Northwest, and possess such strik-
ing characteristics IN common, and so closely
resembling those OF the Tartars of Aais, as 10
establish their relationship to one another,
and to that unsettled, nomsdic. blaek-eved.
black-haired, stToug-featured race CT the old
world; that this race in Mexico was taught
the arts IF ciyiliz ltion by
" BEARDED WHITE MEN
From the east, who fouad sd the Colhuan dv.
nasty about five or six hundred years before
our era That ahous the same time another
c lony Of this same bearded white race set.
tied near tde mouth OF the Mississippi and
themes extended their Influence over the wild
tribes inhsbiting tbs banks Of the tributaries
of the Father of Waters and built the mounds
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