The record-union., 1897-07-15

to show cause why that boat might
survive the warning elements which are
generally conspicuous by their alb
Sence.
DIR. Angelo Heilprin, of the Philadel-
phia Academy of Science, has this to
say regarding the pre-Colum bian dis
covery of America by Asiatics:
mo problem connected with Amerl-
can history is of deeper interest, or is
more difficult to approach, than that
which is associated with the origin of
the true American people, the Indians,
and the ancient civilization which is
reflected in the stately monuments
which are so abundantly scattered
through parts of Mexico and the re-
gion lying further to the south. The
most casual observer cannot fail to rec
ogniZe in these monuments a design
and method entirely foreign to the spir-
it and capabilities of the Indian of to-
day, or of his predecessor of 400 years,
and with equal certainty would he
point to a registration in them of ele-
ments that could seemingly not be 9TH
erwise be borrowed from an Asiatic
or Afro-Asiatic source. Alexander Won
Humboldt already in the early part OF
the century emphasized the existence
of Asiatic influence in the culture of
ancient America, and he did not hesi-
tate to express the conviction that in
some manner or other direct communi-
cation had been maintained between
the continents of the opposite sides of
the Pacific Ocean. The views of more
modern scholars, especially of the
A
however, tended more and more from
the conclusions of Humboldt, and in
the direction Of recognizing in the mon
umental edifices and sculptural pieces of
new Spain merely the effort of an au-
tochtonouS race, whose development
was entirely independent of imported
influence of any kind. It is only recently
that the question has again been put
to the test of a more direct or scien-
tifc inquiry, and such facts as have
already been obtained make it appear
by no means unlikely that direct inter-
communication existed in pre-Colum-
bian times between Asia and America,
and that the former country gave much
to that civilization which is ordinarily
considered to be purely American; nor,
indeed, does it seem exactly impossible
that one or more tribes or races of So
called American people, as the Mayas
of Yucatan, for example (who unques-
tionably possess a certain type OF Ash
attic physiognomy), are, in fact, more
truly Asiatics than they are Ameri-
cans.
"Dr. E. B. Taylor, the distinguished
British anthropologist, in an address
delivered two years ago before the
British association, called attention to
a remarkable resemblance existing be-
tween Mexican pictures, as shown in
Vatican eodex, depicting the scenes in
the journey of the soul in the land of
spirits, and certain scenes from the
Buddhist purgatory, as represented on
Japanese temple scrolls. From these
and other correspondence he thought
he was justified in expressing the opin-
ion that an ancient American culture
was due to great extent to Asiatic in
fiuence. In this opinion he now consid-
ers himself to be specially fortified by
a closer examination into the almost
identical games of mingled chance and
skill which are at once ancient Mex1-
can and Hindu. Such a one is the
game of pachiSi, an ancient and still
popular sport in Hindoostan, and pa
tolli, which was seemingly an estab-
ished diversion in Mexico at the time
of the Spanish conquest. The principal
and even the details of these two
games are said to bear so close a re-
semblance to one another as to make
their Independent invention highly i'm
probable, and to justify the inference