West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1885-12-04

peDslNe poet away back in the
nineteenth century, named BRYANT
wrote that
All that tread
The Globe are but "A handful TO the tribes
That siumber in its bosom
We can form but little idea, even from
the estimates at hand, of the number.
and characteristics of the human race
in past ages. 1t is no more easy task
TO conjecture the number and import
ance Of the buried cities which exist in
every part of the earth. If we could
but trace the history OF the cites OF
our own country back TO the date OF
their founding. and recall the names of
the now unknown heroes, whose ex.
ploits made themselves and their cities
alike famous, we would undoubtedly
feel the same pride in the ruins OF
America VIII ch the intelligent Greek
was wont to feel in the ruined great
ness of his own, we are told, marvellous
country. The Americans, however.
have not been remarkable for their
records, and we have but little TO guide
us in our study of the annals of
the ages which have preceded our
own. But this year Of our Lord 3, SSl
has beer very fruitful in scientific
discoveries; old Mother Earth has been
forced TO yield some of her secrets. and
IT would seem as though it had been re-
served for the generation that is dying
out to penetrate, and not in vain, tho
depths of enigmatical ruins; 20 olsen
tomb from them the past. and TO re-
store to IT the real aspect that once il
wore, along with a part of It's lost chro-
nologY. Thanks TO the acquisitions of
modern science, for whose progress the
genius and the blood of America have
helped to clear the way; thanks to the
successful eXcavating by our saVant
above the ruins of our buried cities, and
TO their unhoped-for dec 'phering of the
records, rich in detail, that have been
unearthed, through which the Ameri-
cans OF twenty centuries ago seem TO
converse with the men Of our own time:
thanks to this, the historian can at
length present TO us testimony certain
and reliable regarding them. and. al
though the idea of again securing the
thread, hundred times broken. of
American tradition, must be once for
all abandoned, we have it in our power
at last TO reconstruct the most brilliant
part of il almost TO perfection. The
period that il covers fourished i'm times
which nations the most Jealous of their
antiquity do not, in their authentic rec
ords, pretend TO have attained.
The work of subterranean explora-
ton which has been steadily coiny on
in the buried ruins of Chicago for over
century has not yet enabled us TO
form any accurate notion OF the nature
and extent of the catastrophe. Tut it is
clearly evident that the city was swal-
lowed up in a few brief moments by a
most phenomenal conVu sion of nat
ure. OF the discovery of the tomb of
Chicago, there are various accounts
That which is the most credited relates
To the sinking of n well, the bottom of
which fell out, and upon examination
revealed the inside of the massive
white marble structure which has been
unearthed aud restored, and which
bears the inscription: Board of
Trade Prof. Henry Schliemann,
whose excavating efforts in Chicago
have been so successful is a lineal de-
scendant of the famous Schliemann Of
the nineteenth century, who, two thou
sand years ago, did such a grand and
noble work in Greece. But IL Is TO the
records II America that the intense ex-
citcmont Of the day is directed, and
the news which has reached us Of Prof.
Schliemann's rich find In the ruins
of Chicago would seem to indi-
cate that the grandest and most
valuable discovery Of al had lust
been made. Chicago is undoubtedly
the most wonderful of American an
tiquities, and no traveller can be disap-
pointed who has any acquaintance with
ancient history. The impression which
it gives Of the actual preseuce of an
American city two thousand years ago
is 50 vivid and intense that II requires
bat small effort Of the Imagination to
place yourself among the multitudes
which once thronged the streets and
theatcrs, and occupied It's now voiceless
chambers The streets before you are
generally paved; some are we'll worn.
and others, one broad avenue IN par
ticular in as good preservation as
though In use the day before The
houses, many Of them, extend in un-
broken lines, and IN nearly every in
stance the doors are firm y closed One
curious class uf discoveries in Chicago
consists Of the advertisements upon The
dead walls, which relate To city politics
and theatrical affairs. Candidates had
the blushing impudcnce TO bespeak sup
port for themselves from their frionds