The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-04-26
SCHOLARS WITHOUT osrExrA IRON.
The Americas Oriental Society.

Of the independent. in scientific seclusion and
without the flourish OF trumpets which usually
accompanies such gatherings. And yet the
American Oriental Society Is ono OF the oldest
scientific societies founded In this country.
Since 1912 small band OF scholars interested
In the languages. literatures. and civilizations
of the East. In its widest sense. have boen band
ed together for mutual help and encourage
mcnt. In n certain sense it's existence has
been an ideal one for the scholar. 1t has never
come before the public or sought the aid of the
public 1t has held its meetings and published
its papers with the small means ut it's
disposal: and yot 1t Is safe. to say Tint no
series Of learned publications in this country
can exceed In value the sixteen volumes
Of tho journal and Proceedings Of tho Amcri.
can Oriental Society" We must remember,
too. that. outside Of the society worry little has
In former years been done for tho promotion
OF studies like these. 1t is true that Hebrew
had found n place In the curriculum OF some Of
our colleges from thoir very inception: but 1t
was Hebrew as part OF theological not philo-
logical. science. The American Oriental
Society will next year celebrate its soml.cen.
tennial. 1t was founded in 1872. with Boston as
its centre. Its meetings were held chiefly in
Boston and New Haven-sometimes in Now
York. but with the building up of our great
universities the study OF Oriental science has
taken on new life. Boston is no longer the
Ge'phia Baitim ore and Washington. and on
th h .nes n SSeetxH whtsye q %sch N
bids lair to luke q flrm foothoid in the Vest I"
The growth and range Of TIE society; work
phia and baltimore: Now i pas, taken steD
tRe as
partly Of the new Catholic University Its aim
must now b. to unite in n 2ne common bond all
have been made independently. and which babe
fair. by their Independence. to DO lost to tho
"A good instance Of, this was brought before
fhe meeting here ct Mnsihingt0' n In lSSS
yaiasfe eoeet'on Of Oriental mappssripts.
existence had completely vanished. but 1t was
Cyrus Aaisr Of tho Johns Hopkins rnysrsty
took upon himself this task. and he has ut
this meeting given us an account OF his search.
located in the Teifuir. Academy Of Arts md
Sciences at savannah. Grorcin.the Inst place
ures Of this kind. There they might have
lain for many year had not chance brought
the manuscripts as were found have been sent
to the United States Museum in Washington.
But their Is ony out q
eerne er' out Of whieh another Chance must
But the coli ector.%; b. Hodgson. himselfis an
interesting figure He was Amorican CharEe
lie sent S Spf Pf HeH
studying the living Oriental dialects. This
recommended too highly It las been in
speaest t and Il "daptHd BY Sn owe
Goverpp!ment will give orr students oppprtuni.
IRE Orient is dear to us not only for that
fuencej tbe life q their time: The resusei.
the. sod is perhaps the most Interesting and
fruitful result q archaeological investigation
n ehe o. its Europsaa
eeran na G IN F hs i
to IL the sun@ ms sf9 EabY
lont;a.;; The eypedition attacked the mounds
cities Of that ancient cvilization. The leader
OF that. expeditiun. Or. John 7. Peters. was
two s toll nna 81 Ge ina:
which now enrich the Museum OF the Uniyer-
M Ssy Of at hs most on sr0ss
inilnitesimai part Of what remains to b
a1ns ., wa at the old Temple Of PEI
outlines and the general contour OF It's differ
ent ports. 1t contains a .iggpst. or seven
distinctly traced. The walls smrronrding this
temple were found to be 200 feet thick ut the
bass Unfor'unnts!y Dr. Peters it ,I was Unable
where the Kings were accustomed to
PLACE q record OF the building upon clay
he was led to study the oricntution OF tho
whole building, 1t is generally supposed that
were most carefully oriented but the oxaIni-
nation in this and Other cases proved this ORR
to have only Of tine
several thousand inscribed tablets. some Of
century y: C--nn antiquity OF which few an
Away back in the time Of Daniel were written
those mysterious words uron tho walls OF the
tn Ss s much n s isss
Though the record itself gives us the mean
Ing Of meme xxx tx, nas n hEy haze re-
Very many and var ous are he attempts which
have Leenn made to solve the riddle. Mr.: y.
made another sucn attemIt and. In. the
opniom Of many: he su H;,, The words as
IL w fit Hhe N frsneh
scholar. ,CIeremont- Ganncnu. in 1886. sng-
Bsft yn hst w We hsyo Ms sif the Hs
:ioas Words ; ThHre has been conn, Cd nina.
!
'eceivcs additional weight when We consider
hat. according to Tamudic usage. an unwor.
by son OF q wort by fnther is metaphorically
'alled "a half-mna son Of NINA" Thus
he nina. which is the largest Babylonian
Weight. my be taken to contain an aiIsion to
e-siyth he value Of the inmate be tho sym.
'ol II Balshazzar whom the author OF Daniel
onnder q the Bpssh.ylonisR empire; Tho
I tho kingdom OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS between
As American Oriental science is still in ito
infancy, it dovotes much time to the history Of
minenty t preser thss tre' H. Hi hy 1s q
he Catholic University OF America laid before
he society an Historical Sketch OF tho Work
i the Pores and Of the Propaganda. for he Ad:
.ow; even before e the estahlishmept Of the
v; and Clement v. We're ins tru ii ID
Il stablishing ut Rome colleges where orpor-
uEitles nigh Is offered fer the study oftisss
rdsrs Of the Dominicans and Franclscans.
M the revival OF Oriental studies in Italy
vent hand in hand with the revival Of classical
raI sic