Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1898-02-18
A VERY Old subJnc1.
Birthplace Of Man-A Reply to Rev. DR..
HarwOod.

The doctor assumes, contrary TO the
views OF ethologists who have made care
full Investigations a. to the origin Of
American races, that they NAV have
come from shipwrecked marines from
many countries who have been driven to
our shores by ocean storms; or that they
are the descendants Of WEIGH. Norwegian,
Irish OF Italian n~ayigators who sought
new lands In the west; or even that the
early Egyptians may have been the dis
coverers and FIRST settlers Of the Western
hemisphere. Possibly, however, the doc
tor thinks with Donnelly, that the tabled
island OF Atlantis may have sent colon
ies to people the American continent.
Major ]. W. Powell, director Of the
American bureau OF EthnolOgy, whose
opportunities for the study OF the prob
lem as TO the origin OF the American In
dians are certainly a. great as those Of
any man living, there having been en-
ployed under his Immediate direction for
many years a corps Of distinguished
ethnolOglsts investigating the very ques-
tion, has published in the February, 1888,
number OF the Forum, his conclusions a.
10 the origin OF the American Indians,
aud his conclusions, which are certainly
entitled to great weight, are by no means
In accord with those Of Dr.. Harwood.
After assuming that there Is a region
which was the home Of the first man, or
the primordial species, he calls attention
to the fact that attempts for a long series
Of years have been made 10 discover the
relationship between the American In.
dian and other people OF the globe, hop
ing thereby TO discover their origin.
SOmatologists have carefully examined
their bony structure, their cranial deyel.
opment, the slant OF their eyes. the tex
ture Of their hair. their color. etc but
have not been able 10 discover any anal
Ogy between the races OF the new and old
world. Powell says that the conclusion
Of somatology ia that the original peo-
pie OF America cannot be allied preferen-
TALLY with any one branch OF the human
family In tho old world"
An investigation OF the industrial arts
Of aboriginal America alike fails TO dis
close any connection between the peoples
OF the two h~emlspheres.
Powell concludes from all the evidence
30 far discovered that "The Industrial
arts Of America were born In America"
He says further, america was inhabited
by tribes at the time OF the beginning Of
the industrial arts; 10 that II WI lnd a
region or q people, from which the tribes
Of America sprang In the eastern hemi-
sphere, We can only conclude that they
left the old world before they had learned
to make stone knives and arrow heads.
Is that probable DR.. Harwoodp
Powell further refers 10 the result Of
linguistic investigation, stating that
each tribe had a separate language, and
comes TO the following conclusion: AS
we cannot reduce the languages OF the
eastern hemisphere TO one common pri-
mordal tongue, 30 we cannot trace the
iahbuoBco ~ VIC Wootciu hounihpucIc W
one common body OF speech; nor can we
discover any primitive. or fundamental
relationship between any one language
Of the east. We are forced, therefore, TO
conclude from the evidence OF language
that the tribes inhabited this hemisphere
anterior 10 the development OF articulate
or grammatical speech"
Powell also refers to Investigations a.
10 the forms OF government, myths and
religious opinions found here, with the
same result, finding no connecting link
alling them with the orient.
The final conclusion reached by Major
Powell Is that, I'VE are forced TO conclude
that the occupancy OF America by man
kind was anterior TO the development Of
arts, industries, institutions, languages
and opinions; that primondal occupancy
OF the continent antedates present geo
graphical conditions and points 10 a re-.
mote time, which can be discovered only
by geological and biological inyestiga-
ton"
So far asthe tribes occupying America
at the beginning Of the Columbian period
is concerned, | agree with Major Powell;
but, | think evidence will yet even nov
has been-De discovered, showing that
anterior TO the birth Of the races
found In America when discovered by
Columbus, there existed here a race or
races Of men who were practically all
destroyed during a great cataclysOn
which occurred when New Mexico, Utah.
Arizona aud much Of the Pacific slope
became covered with lava ! do not agree
with POwell-while recognize ng his
great ability and exceptional oppOrtn.
nitlGs AZ an inyesiigatOr-when he says
that, prior 10 the Columbian period
'metallulgy was scarcely developed In
the western hemisphere, no tools OF
bronze, or iron being used In manufac.
turing" and especially do / dissent
when he says further that in the mounds
aud ancient tOmbs 'nOthing has been
found which could not have been made
by the tribes discovered In the Columbian
epoch; and the pious offerings OF antiq-
uity tell the same story by the Rrtifacls
discovered In use among the tribes by
the European invader"
Certainly, tools Of hardened copper
we're f0und-still are fOund-in mounds
and prehistoric burial places from
the Allegheny mountains to Peru; and
bronze implements, according 10 Hum
b0ldt and other archB lloRista, have been
found not ~infrequently In both North
aud South America. From my own per-
sOnal knowledge | know that stone arti-
facts coated with copper, and over that
with silver, perfect specimens Of plating,
have been discovered; but these were eYi-
IDENTIFY the work Of tribes or races older
than the North American Indian -tribes
which | believe 10 have passed out OF ex
istence 20 far as North America wa con
cerned before the Columbian tribes came
into existence.
In closing ] wish emphatically Ia pro.
test against the title professor" with
which DIR. HarwOOd hOnOrs me. want
only TO bear the title given me by my
parents, plain A. NJ. SWAN.