The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1885-08-12
The Grandeur Of the Inca Empire THE
Misery OF To-day.
irt finn f,or To,nr nr.aa,V ~

II4imA Cor. Inter Ocean.l ~
The Peruvian army ismale up mostly
oflndians and tholoS taS the mixed
raves are called, and are BROUGHT
siRss fhom tic mountstins tied
with ropes. a train-load Of th.ss
volunteers came in from the
country the other day, all Of them.
with their hands tied Lehind them, and
wgro driven into a corral, likO 80 many
cattle, where they were given uniforms
and guns and put through a course Of
sprouts. 1t Is Of little interest to the
Indian on which side he fights, for he
knows nothing about the POLITICAL trou.
blcS Of the country, an serves any
commander who happens to capture
him, like a mule or a horse, until he is
shot Or runs away: They IRE otedient,
tractabIc, and enduring, and although
those who know enough will cut oil
hands and feet to avoid service
in the army, their mutinies always orig.
mate witbthe o':CerS, who are spanish.
Robertson III his History Of America
asserts that 4O,G0O,O OGO Of people wero
slain IN the con uest Of cru. While it
is difficult to believe that this is not an
eIaggeratiOn, it is nevertheless true that
the mere handful OF Indians that re-.
main represent race which, at the
time PisarrO came, was as dense us tho
population Of China. We can see, even
now, that the country was covered with
towns and villages, who we're compelled
10 bury their dead in the sands. aud
build houses upon the rocks in older to
htllize every inch Of soil for agriculture.
The struggle the Indians had to sustain
themselves is illustrated on every noun.
tain side, where they built terraces and
scratched the earth out of the crovices
Of tho rocks to plant a few grains OF
corn; and in every desert where
great basins were excavRt0d in the
sand and lied with gnano from the
Islands Of the sea to make them fertile.
Their cemeteries contain millions Of
bodies mummiGS, which are found TO-.
day in a perfect state of preservation,
and teach a lesson Of civilization which
has been and passed away, superior in
It's age 10 that Of any prehistoric race.
No man can SEQ Peru without won.
dCring at the grandeur, the extent, tho
industry, and the intelligence Of tho
Inca empire, They had arts which the
world has forgotten; knowledge which
the world never knew: Thrift which
their conQucrers could never initiate,
and wealth which made them the prey
OF every adventurer Of the sixteenth
century. Their temples and palaces
were built Of hCwn stone from quar-.
ries that the Spaniards have not been
aLlO to discover, and the means by
which they lifted blocks Of gran.
itC weighing hundreds Of tons is a prob.
lem no antiquarian has been able TO
solve. They knew how to harden cop.
per until it had an edge us keen aud en-
during Ns the finest of modern steel.
they made ornaments Of gold and silver,
and cut Jewels as sSill,ully rs the lapi.
diaries of to-day, and their fairies OF
woOlen and cotton are spun and woven
as smoothly rs modern looms can make.
They surpassed modern civil aton in
many things, and had q system of gov.
ernmOnt under which millions Of people
lived and Ia OrCd as a single family,
with everything in common, knowing
all arts but those of war, and worship.
ping deity whose attributes were
almost parallel to those Of tho Christian
God.
lICmmcd in on one side by the impas.
sale SHOWS Of tho Andes. and on the
other ~ n desert, lifted above tho rest
Of a world unknown to them, in spirit
as well rs fact, us peaceful and
calm as tho Andean stars, they
established system of civilization in
which, lOT the first time since creation,
the equal rights Of every human being
were re ognized and observed. The
great sea heating inccssantly against
their deSolate coast was recognized by
them as q symbol Of tho infinite, the
omnipotcnce, whose force and majesty
their simple logic could not comprehend;
while the SUM- whose heat and light
made existence possible, was recognized
Ns the source of all good. Hence these
two elements, tho sun and the ocean,
were pCrsouied and were tho Oh ,ects o.
tho lncas' worship.
| All their grandeur, all their wealth,
tho results Of all their industry and &C.
cumula!ion, were swept away by n
handful of paniards, and finally life
itself surrendered, and the race of lncas
vas so nearly CXtCrminatcd that Chi
nese coolies were introduced here, rs
the negroes were introduced into the
West lndicsi TO do tho work Of slaves.