The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1890-12-23

into their grounds. The civilization. if
such we may call it, had retrograded. and
some of the arts had almost been forgot
ten by the Indians of the sixteenth cen
fury. There can be no question that tbs
change was due to inroads made on the
Indians of the Middle States by foes, but
conquerOr and conquered were of the
same race. These lapses from one con-
dition to another not so high are never
uncommon, and have occurred among
peoples in various stages of history.
There is positive proof that in the long
gone past the builders of these mounds,
with the stone grave Indians of Tennes-
see, dealt with red men living thousands
OF miles from them, certainly with the
Mexicans, and the Indians on the Atlantic
coast, and even with those on the Pacific
side.
1t looks as though the major portion Of
these mounds were constructed for re-
ligious purposes, though there are excep-
tlons. I'm the construction of the irregular
works the skill of the soldier was COM
bined with that of the engineer" Gen
orally these works overlook bottoms"
and a ~favorite situation is a tongue of land
with water on two sides of it. To day
these works are often covered with the
forests, which must date from a remote
period. Mr.. Shepherd gives the age of
some o: these trees as at least 800 years.
Such constructive pc Wer on the part of
the Indians was noticed as early as 1772,
and the Rev. David Jones published at
Burlington, n. j., a small octave about
them in IVA. Messrs. Squier and Davis
gave fairly accurate plans and descript ons
Of some Of these structures, and they form
the first volume Of the Smithsonian con-
tributions to knowledge of 1848. Though
there is a certain amount of skill shown
in the selection of the locality, looking
toward its defense, Mr.. Shepherd believes
that by cutting down trees additional
methods Of protection and resistance were
afforded.
The sacred Enclosures form the larger
proportion of these works perhaps nine
tenths of the en- Ire number. These in
closures were Enthusiastically devised for
places of asse nblage and not for defense,
because they are found not on elevations,
but on the level bottoms. Such works
are mostly square or circular in form and
/" are usually found in groups" There is
a large circle and many smaller ones.
There may be a ditch or a trench, but inte-
riOr to the walls. Openings are numerous
and apparently unobstructed. In describ-
ing 4 of these sacred Enclosures. DR..
Forest writes: AT this day, with our
own instruments, with our labor saving
machines, and the aid of horsepower, to
accomplish such a task would require the
labor Of many thousand men continued
for many months. X X X laboratory
people, dependent upon the uncer: ainties
OF the chase for a living, would not have
had the time, o. would there be the mo-
tive, to engage in such stupendous under
takings." Some me hOdS of taking accu-
rate measurements must have been known
by the constructors of those walls, for the
Enclosures are within fair parallel lines,
and an earth wall 2, 100 feet long to be
thrown up correctly Is no easy task. In
he High Bank works of Ross county the
| circles are accurate and the octagons III
other remains not so much out of the
way. There might have been relation
ships existing of trade or family between
these Mound Builders and the Mexicans,
and SO similarity of form in structures.
Mounds proper, not for defense, are
among the most interesting Cf these relics
of the past. Observers make the distinc-
ton of sa3rificial, temple mounds, and to
these are added enblemati3 and symbol
cal mounds, but these differences are not
of late strictly held to. They are descrip-
tive mainly. Some of the efigy mounds,
such as the one in Adams county, "The
Snake and Egg" and the other in Licking
county, 1.-The Alligator" mound, bear
their names deservedly, as the aboriginal
constructor has positively followed the
lines of the snake and the alligator with
his mound and walls. The sepulchral
mounds, because skeleton remains are
found in them, allow of no question as to
their use. Sometimes more than one
skeleton is found. The body was Zen
veloped in bark, coarse mating, or else
coarse cloth, and placed upon pieces of
wood or other material which formed the
bottom OF the tomb" With these skele-
tons are personal remains, such as brace
lets, rings, perforated plates of copper,
and heads of bone, ivory shell, or metal(0
Few weapons, such as spear hsads or
arrow heads, are found. Plates of mica
are frequently found and sometimes of
such size as to cover the skeleton.
In 1919, in the Arch8 olOgia Americana,
it was declared that among a number of
curious articles found in a mound "were
large circular bosses or ornaments for a
sword belt or buckler. They are com
posed of copper, overlsid with a thick
pla'e of silver" This was written in
1890. Prof. Putnam puts this silver
question quite out of the pale, becau' e he
finds that these silver bosses were of me-
t-oric iron. Early psychologists were
endowed with a great deal of imagination.
1t may be said, however, that in archa
Ology rot to be speculative is to accom-;
times wrong and only once correctly. So
the ancient " mirrors" found in Marietta
mounds did not recall Etru scan hand
glasses, but were simply slabs of mica.
But copper is there, which undoubtedly
came from Michigan. Generally incinera-
ton has taken place, and of en- charred
human bones are found. Sea shells from
the Gulf of Mexico show that traffic ex