The San Francisco call., 1897-04-04
Myths Scientifically Viewed

was said to obtain these mystical power
by seating herself on tripod over deep
chasm in the earth whence proceeded an
Intoxicating vapor Modern exploration
! has demonstrated that no vapor now
issues from any part OF the Dalphian
rocks, and there has been no convuision
OF nature in that part OF the world, at
least since the time OF Strabo, nor is any
gas known 10 che sts which, If inhaled
or absorbed. could sharpen the faculties
side episode complicates the story.
When Europa was carried away by Jupi-
ter ner family was plunged INTO grief and
her brother Cadmus WAS charged with the
duty OF finding her and bringing her
home. He found her at Delphi, to which
place she had voyaGed from Crete, and
there she was keeping company with
COW. No scientific explanation OF this
myth has been proposed; it seems 10 rest
on pure fancy. and the oracle appears 10
be simply bald fraud.
Crete, the present battlefield between
Greek and Moslem, is full OF myths which
have defied investigation. Some of them
are supposed TO be anterior to the Greek
civilization and 10 have been imported
from Asia Minor or the Phenician
colonies. The Minotaur, who lived in
labyrinth and every year consumed seven
Aihenian maidens and seven beautiful
youths, may rerhaps have been proto-
type of the robber barons OF the middle
ages, who built castles on inaccessible
crags and sailed forth to make captlves
of tho daughters OF the peasantry in the
valleys; but his origin is quite irrecon-
cilable with scientific law. Pasiphae is
the creation OF a morbid and bestial
sentiment such as might exist among
race OF shepherds.
Professor EN- erson .cribes to the myth
of Niobe prehistoric origin. He sup
poses that some pre- historic sculptor made
heroic statue of a woman out cf the
rock in Mount SipyJus. in Lydia, and
left 1t Standing where it was made. Above
the statue, on higher point in the
mountain, spring of chaly beate water
oVe:howed in the wet season, and from it
a stream trickled down and fell on the
womahs head. Thus, to distant or
careless observer she would appear to be
always weeping, and the rocks at her feet
might hgure as her slaughtered children.
Inc professor explains the Noachian
hooa as the result OF the com blned action
~ u
TIDAL wave. Such waves are known to be
common in the Persian Gulf But it was
hardly necessary to invoke the aid of
either earthquake or cyclone Alt myth
ologies and almost all early histories con-
tain accounts of a deluge In which human
life and human habltations were DESTROYED
by water. In prehistoric times no proyi-
sion existed for the overflow of water
which accum mulated in valley, and river
Outlets often proved insufficient to carry
off The surplus. At the present day fresh
cts drown large areas of level land in the
Mississippi and Missouri valleys. and all
the features of the Noachan deiuge ara
reproduced on a small scale. Similar
phenomena used to be witnessed in the
valley of the Rhone in France.
That the water ever rose in Armenia so
high that vessel landed on the top of
Mount Ararat, 1900 feet above sea level
and within short distance from the head
waters of the Euphrates and Tigris i.
requires powerful effort of the fancy to