New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-10-22
NEW PUBLICATIONS
AMERICAN ANTIQUITIES.


sACKhD oaIcHEs II 500 YEARS AGO. BY Augustus
LIZ PfoSaEoS. sve pp. XVII 1865 new i'fA'
Robert Mscoy.
Mr. Ia plongson spent number OF years expior-
ing and studying the architectural runs Vi
Yucatau and brought to tins country casts OF somc
.fth. scp,ptures at Uxmal which are now de-
nosited with the Metropolitan Museum OF Art In
conjunction with his wife he has written TWO oooAs
m the subject of his discoveries lie compiai"s'
however. that publishers will not take MS manu-
.cr;nt and museums will hardly look at his collec-
tions; and as for the present brochure '"'on1eo
onlv as a small sample Of the greater things be has
IN stors two of tho most prominent firms in New
York have positively refused to publish it." The
anse of these rebus he believes to be the shocking
indiffereuce of Americans to the archaeology OF
their own country We think that he 10 mistaken
The recent extraordinary results of exploration in
Central America and Mexico are highiy "Pp'o
ciated, and Whenever they are properly sou i'''
they command popular attention. but """'o.0'
A. a popueon's merits rs an explorer he certain
10 does not know how to make use OF his discover
les. n,r is he n Judge of their signlhcahce. ms
present purpose is to sustain theory-.ha.
Masonic rites and principles originated IN Ceh'ra.
America IL 800 years ago, and were transports"
thence to India Chaldea, Egypt anu 1reece' ~
wov of platos lost Atlantis, the fabed continent
Scion. disappeared in the ocean IN single night
7. "a ,mnossible to treat this fancy seriously
because lis author really gives nothing SUBSTANTIAL
IN snpnort of it, His supposed parAile1sms
,atwsen tho symbols of the Central American RUNS
and the sims and ceremonies of Free masonry are
very few and very slight and tar from proving MS
conec ;ure they do not even make II piausioie roi
the most part they depeEd upo5 hypotheticai Ga
plantations of the Maya sculptures. when are some
times extrayagant to the last degree Inc iaclli'y
with which the author draws the eravest conciu
sions from the most airy assumptions IS aosoiutey
astounding He goes so far as to take the legend
airy date OF the disappearance OF the hypo,ho'io"i
Atlantis as a reason for believing that the monu-
ments of Mayax existed IL 500 years ago. and that
mysteries similar to those of Egypt were celebrated
in them ": au inference from which he may well
decide that the ruined temple of Uxmal is " the
oldest known ediiice in the world consecrated 10
.acred rites and ceremonies" writer VINO
attributes such an antiquity to the existing relics
of MAYA civilization is obviously entitled 10 no
consideration as an archeologist He has none OF
the critical faculty essential TO historical inquiry
Airy fancies and ascertaned facts are alike 10
him. and all books are authorities Perhaps VIC
ought not to be surprised that he hnds IN the loresss
of Yucatan the origin of the biblical relation Oh
the fall of man. the murder of Cain, and various
other Christian beliefs.
Mr.. lie Plongeon processes. however, to have dis
covered a key 10 the heratic writing of the
ancient Mayas. and to be able to read the
hieroglyphc inscriptions or at least some OF
them-which have so long baa.ed the researches OF
scholars. II his claim is well founded he has
reached an important achievement. But this book
gives us no means of judging his pretensions IL Is
70 be hoped that he i'll be able to sustain them In
cue of the larger treatises which are said to await
o pubnsher. If he will postpone his fantastic
theorie, for while and give us clear explanation
of his great discovery with the particulars neces-
sary to test it, he may be sure of an attentive hear
Ing