Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1888-02-24
The Mystery Of America

Perhaps patriotism rather than good iudg'
ment is responsible for various recent declara'
tions that the study Of American archaeology
might be fruitful Of more important result
than the search into the ancient life OF tn
Old World. In the nature OF things this can
not be true Of course. The life Of early nation
In the Old World is in its essence our own life
our history, our civilization, our literature, on.
political institutions, our religions spring from
1t or are influenced by IL, while between the
present and the past jewellers upon this con
tinent remains only the bond Of Identity OF
location. There Is between us a gap which no
quantity OF knowledge can ever nil up.
Yet though the past Of this continent is a
matter OF curious interest rather than OF per-
sonal Importance, save as 1t NAV bear upon
the weighty problem Of the unity Of mankind,
there are within this study possibilities OF
knowledge which dazzle the Imagination.
SO many, so varied, and withal so Elusive are
the evidences tn be found upon every hand Of
other and better conditions Of human life than
that led by the aborigines we know. Were
the Indians the builders or the degenerate
sons OF the builders Of the mounds which doy
the whole upper Mississippi Valleyi Who
were the multitudinOus and industrious peo-
pie who cut the vast system OF irrigating ca
nails to be seen In Missouri Who we're the
cliff dwellers and the pueblo builders OF the
Southwest Were they a race by themselves,
or were they driven TO the South there TO build
the civilization whose remains we still wonder
over In Mexico and Central Americai Was
that civilization Aztec or Toltec, and who
were the Ioltecs and who were the AZtecsf
How IL IL that their symbols and even their
architecture are seemingly touched by the i'm
rucncc OF the older world, the western as we'll
as the ~essterni VIII the KEY TO their writings
ever be found, and what will they revealt The
lost Atlantis, = history running back thous-
ands OF years, or q comparatively recent mL
grafton from Asiai The door OF conjecture 10
wide, and 1t is surprising that so little has
been done by US In any systematic and COM
prehensive way to seek out the hidden mystery
whose clew vs. are so many.
Ii is gratifying, however, to see'the increase
OF interest which IL being manifested In this
matter In recent years, and 10 note the inval-
liable work that has been done In Central
America by Chsrnsy, and 10 being done In the
North by such men ss Prof. Putnam, OF HAr-
yard, and Rev DR.. Peet, aud In the West by
Frank Gushing. This last-named gentleman
the schliemann OF our Western world, as
sone one has sptly called him-has indeed
quite bewildered the imagination by the ex-
tent OF the discoveries he has made during
the course OF the exploration which he is nov
carrying on in the Salt River Valley OF Arizona
lie has, in fact found no less than nineteen
populous cities there, and q civilization
colder than the pyramids" and OF a wonderful
development. One OF these cities, partly un-
- Nultt miit mug u lWO Niuc, Anu
contains many buildings 800 feet square, and
one nearly 500 feet long, with walls 7 feet
thick. They understood the art OF irrig
better than do the farmers OF to-day, and the
valley is = et-w work OF canals, fully 800 miles
OF canal having been found cut through earth
and solid rock. There 10 evidence that these
were maintained throughout = long period
and that q population of 250, 900 dwelt on the
plain OF TENT alone, while there Is the same
sort OF proof as that shown Al Pompeii, that
this community OF Pornpeils WAS suddenly
overthrown by q series OF terrible earthquakes
The haste with which these places were left
the multitudinOus implements OF daily life
which were suffered to remain behind, and
the completeness with which even the skel-
etons OF the victims OF the disaster have been
preserved through the ages b. the superin-
cumbent earth open up possibilities OF future
disclosures which must delight every srcheo-
logically inclined mind. The work there be.
gun should certainly be pursued diligently and
systematically. The result may not be TO tell
us the full secret OF HE past, but IL can hardly
help telling US = good deal, which we can now
only think, OF what the past was not.-Pros
idence journal.