Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1893-05-04

the elaborate illustrations or Gather
wood, are heroic in size, the smallest
of the fourteen there found being
eleven, the largest sixteen feet high;
but all are alike in one respect, that
each Is carved with ap elaborateness
of design and particularly Of detail
that excite the utmost establishment
as to the tools with which the work
was done, for as yet no traces Of iron
have been found In these ruins, and
the copper implements were too soft
to have had much effect on the stone.
Not only in their architecture
and sculpture, but also in their
painting, these mound and temple
builders excelled, for, although the
colors are faded, the work shows no
little artistic taste and skill Of eXecu-
tion. The subject is generally bat
tie or procession, sometimes evil
IDENTIFY triumphal In character, show
ing that conquests In america before
the advent of the whites were COM
memorated in the same way as con-
quests In the days Of Trajan or the
military monarchs of Nineyeh. Above
all, as evidence of high grade Of
civilization, are the lnnumerable
hieroglyphics everywhere to be found
on these ancient monuments. None
of them have as yet been deciphered,
but they indicate written language,
possibly a literature, perhaps as COM
plete as the annals which cover the
obelisks of Egypt or the slabs OF
Nimroud. They have nothing in
common with the Aztec picture paint
ing, which they antedate possibly
hundreds of years. When their mean
ing is deciphered, as in time perhaps
1t may be, the annals Of prehistoric
America will be unrolled for our in
spection and the vexed questions,
who were the mound builders,
whence they came, and what
were their adventures during their
long mlgrations, who were theil
leaders and what dynastles Of
kings ruled when these great pYra'
mids were erected, may all be an
swered. The prehistoric civilization
of which these ruins are the visible
trace reached its highest point In
Central America, where are found its
most remarkable remains. In the
last fifty years the ruins Of over 700
cities have been identified as such,
and as each, judging from the indi'
cations, possessed a population Of
from 5000 to 1000, the density witt
which these regions were peopled
must have tasked even the incredible
fertility of a tropical soil Until
lately these cities were unknown
most of them being located In forests
almost impossible to penetrate, in
tested with poisonous insects and
reptiles, and rendered doubly periloui
by the malarial diseases which al.
most invariably attack unacclimatec
strangers. In such a district OF Hon
duras are found the ruins Of Copan
once great city, but ruin even In
the time OF Cortez, who passed within
few miles, but heard nothing OF 1t
The palace Of Copan is gigantic ruin
900 by 1000 feet In extent, with
wall rs feet thick at the base, com
posed Of enormous stones brought b.
unknown means from a quarry TIVE
miles distant. Close by the palac'
Is the temple, built upon a walled
terrace 624 feet north and south b.
800 from east to west, and rising owe
100 feet above the river which flow
by one Of its sides Over 10000, 00I
cubic feet Of stone were employed II
the construction of this great monu
ment, while idols and affairs, col
arms and sculptured stones innum
Orable are to be found on every hand
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