Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-04-06
THOUSAND YEARS BEFORE co
IUMBUS.
The Tradition of Ancient Chinese \oy
ages to Mexico and Alaska.

| The Tradition of Ancient Chinese Noy
| ages to Mexico and Alaska.
There is man III this city, says 1
| San Francisco letter to the New 1orB
Sun, who would strip not only Coium
| bus. but even Lief, the Norwegian. OF
his honOrs as the first and only original
| discoverer of the American continent
He believes that he has indiSputdDle
proof that the Chinese monks, inspired
| by missionary zeal, visited, cOloniZed
| and attempted to ciyilize the western
coast Of America 1000 years or more
before Columbus ever dreamed that he
| might sail the world round.
This is the Rev. Frederick J. Masters,
superintendent of Chinese missions OF
the Pacific coast, who has spent seven
teen years-nine in China and eight III
this cOuntTy-in active missionary work
among the Chinese. During all that
time ne has given constant study 10
the Chinese language and literature, un-
til he is almost as familiar with them
as he is with the English.
Among the first things in the Chinese
literature that interested him was the
tradition of their discovery of Ameri-
ca, and he has studied everything he
could find in that tongue bearing upon
the subject, comparing with their state
ments the collateral proofs to be found
in this country. The result is that he
is thoroughly convinced Of the truth
of the Chinese claim.
The Chinese stOri;,' says Mr.. Mas
tiers, lis that about 400 years ago -
possible little mOre-;l party Of Chi
nese Buddhist monks, fired by mission
airy zeal, set out to spread their reli-
giOn throughout the world and
1T a period. rs is shown by the history
of the time, when unusual enthusiasm
prevailed over the Buddhist religion
throughout China.
This party of monks-there were five
Of them-sailed toward the rising sun,
and the description Of their trips across
the Pacific is definite enough to enable
one to trace their route across the
ocean.
They found a continent and one at
least OF them, Lay Sang by name,
stared in that new country forty years
and then returned to his native land and
wrote such a description Of that far
cline, it's people and their customs,
as plainly shows it was Mexico he visit
ed
Several trips across the ocean must
have been made, and on one OF these
their vessel must have sailed farther
north The tradition of their visit still
remains among the Alaska Indians,
and Chinese coins bearing date previous
to the time when the voyages We're
made have been unearthed upon Alas
kan shores.
1t is my opinion that Il good many
Chinese must have made their way to
these shores, for the Indian tribes Of
this western coast show SO much SINH
lality in appearance, language, and Gus
toms to the people of that country that
it cannot be dismissed as accidental.
Take Il Chinaman who has worked
sevral years under the burning sun OF
the interior plains. let his hair grow
arond his neck, and wrap blanket
round him, and it is impossible to select
him from a group of native Indians.
His features and stature are nearly the
same, and a summer or two under the
hot sun will make his complexion iden-
teal. In native stoiciSm their tempefa-
ments are much alike and there is
much similarity between the Chinese
language and the tongue of the Digger
Indian.
The Indian marriage customs, their
method of calculation, and certain phaS-
es of their religion bear Chinese marks
as if a stronger civilization had endeav-
ored to impress itself upon a tribe weak
er physically and intellectually, but
had only left traces Of itself bcause its
representatives had been comparativet
few in number.
Then the Aztec and Toltet civilizA
tons show unnlistakable proofs Of Mon
golian communications. The1e IS 81
much in their architecture, their lansu
age, and their customs, as far rs possible
to determine what these Were-that is
closely similar to the Chinese that no
other hypothesis than this Of Chinese
colonization Of this coast will explain
it,