The herald., 1895-05-12
HISTORY AND DEDUCTION
The Relations of Women TO the March
of Progress
An Instructive and Bright Pap.r by the
Noted Explorer and Writer on
Topic OF Live Interest

view OF the interest at prescl u DelnS
manifested regarding Central Al nerica 1t
is published for the first time for the
benefit OF The Herald readers. Its author,
Mrs. Alice d. lie Plongeon, was born in
London. December 2l, 1851. Equipped
with the usual English schooling. and
smattering OF accomplishments she met,
when 10 years old. DIR. Augu stus lie
Plongeon. who had gone to Lone lon from
San Francisco to study ancient Mexican
and other manuscripts in the British
museum They became Intereste in one
another, married and went to he wilds
OF Yucatan, where for eleven ye ars they
studied the grand old ruins and accom-
plished work which has gwen them
Worldwide reputation. They toll ed side
bv side. endured many hardsba ps and
dangers. but they made photogral ?hs and
moids By which the old palaces there can
be built in any part OF the wo 'id. and
their greatest achievement is the diseov
cry OF an alphabet by which a mercan
hieroglyphics can be read.
Madame lie Plongeon is the only woman
who has devoted her time and means to
the study OF ancient American history.
Brooklyn. l.. L., has been her hom q
since She returned from Nucatanl. Sac
has written much for magazines etpd pa
pers one or two books. and witt, che OBJ
ect of making further known ancient
America to modern Americans she has
been giving lectures tnis fa~7 winter in
Washington, u. c. and elsewhere. In
all questions OF the day she takes IA lively
interest and some OF the Interesting
matter that she knows concerning uca
tan maS' be found below.
The peninsula OF Iucatan is one of the
most ina erestng palces ON the continent
of North America. wiUl a population OF
2sl, 1911 With Cuba it forms the southern
entrance to the MeXica gulf, thus occu-
pying most important geographical
position The United States would be
naster.of the gulf if 60 atrolling ucatan
and Florida Neverthe less in 1913 this
governments refused prot ection to Yuca-
tan. WI sch at that lme independent
of Mexico The county is treasure
house Oi most interest inS antiquities.
This land OF the Maves is bathed by the
waters of the gulf and the Caribbean sea.
Its people have always teen navigators.
That gifted poet of old India, Nalmika
in his Ramiyana ha' laSontied that
nation as Il man and spears OF Maya as a
great navi gator whose sh ,ps sailed the
seas in all directons in the very remote
times. a magician (wh CHI Eneans scien-
tist. an architect and a warrior, who
took forcible possession and settled in the
co,n tries at the south OF India.
Even when many centuries had fled and
wi them the glory OF the nation the
Maya people were still nayigstors sailing
hundred miles of the terra iirma and
trading with their in 4 tnts. having a
particular liking aln. ..ptituHe for mer-
cantiie life.
They offered for sale the produ of
their soil, ready made garments of VIII te
cotton fine coaks resembling, damask.
.ools utensils. weapons and other things.
In 1902 when Columbus was sailing the
western seas for the fourth anu last time
he encountered Maya traders q the bay
of Honduras. The women accompanying
them were comfortably sheltered beneath |
awnings and decently clothed in spotless
white garments. Both men and women
were self possessed and we'll hammered.
BY strategem those Mayas succeeded in
Keeping the white men away from Iuca.
tan, for they had heard OF their evil
deeds in the West Indies.
Yucatan was not invaded until fifteen
years later, and then its people resisted
heroically against fearful odds for a quar-
ter of a century
Anv one visiting that country now will
at the moment OF landing be strongly inn
pressed by two prominent traits OF all
classes-extreme cleanliness and eXquis.
ite courtesy.
Eleven years ago DR.. lie Plongeon and |
resided in the peninsula making many
discoveries some Of which have oeen
made public though the greater part are
still in MSS.
The explorer travels and excavates; the
antiquarian collects ancient objects, the
archeoogist must be student of history.
of the religious sec6s OF all times and
places, of the architecture of all countries,
OF ancient languages, OF symDoloey. lie
must also thoroue bly, understand drawing
and engineering. Fitted for the task D1.
lie Plongeon with enthusiasm worked for
wears in Yucatan. We found the history
of the Maya nation in olden times al.
most unknown. owing to the missionary
zeal of Spanish frars who burned the
books OF the natives and their archives.
At the same time they enslaved the un-
fortunate people.
That word Maya is the name of q once
great nation and of the language spoken
by its people even now in Iucatan, Peten.
Guatemala, Tabasco, etc. The territory
between Tehuantepec and Darien was the
empire of the Mayas Thence colonists
went forth in many directions. carrying
their customs, traditions ana languages,
which are now found in various parts of
the world. The name Maya wherever in
use is connected with wisdom, and power,
being the memory of potent people
with whom it originated. Among the
wise Brahmins o: India, Maya was the
feminine energy of Brahma they also
applied the name to the whole earth, and
to matter (Which they regard as an llu-
siCn.) Among the Greeks, Maia was the
great soddess-mother of all gods and of
man. This WAS simply the personifica-
ton OF mighty and ancient nation.
Bearing in mind that nearly all the
gods OF olden times were deiiied heroes
it is remarkably. interesting fact that
the Egyptians pointed to the lands of TIE
west AmericaJ as the birthplace of their
gods, and called IT ku-i-and. Ku is the
Maya word for God, while 'l' in Egyp-
tan simply corresponds 10 our English
81 as sigl of plurality. vestige of
Niaia. worship. so prevalent in Greece,
has survived to our times in the familiar
festival Of the Maya or May queen.
The May-pole dance was popular among
the people of Yucatan before the Span
iards arrived i'll America. The Goddess
Maya, yet worshiped in Japan, is but
tee same dedication of the feminine wis
d III and potent power of the great
,.ation.
Dr.. lie flongeon has successfully de-
ciphcred the Maya inscriptions on stone
and in the two or three books which
chanced to escape the fury of the disoov-
erers and missionaries. lie has not yet
gone far enough in the work to decide
from those sources exactly what part was
played hv the Maya women in ancient
times. When he has thoroughly trans
lated tie books we shall know more. In
two of those volumes sof hierogyphics,
and also inscribed in stone, he has found
recorded the loss OF great land called
Mu. which seems to correspond with
Plato s Atlantis.
The record in the Troan manuscript
(Mayan) reads as follows