The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-07-03

AhNhNu wv ANNAA NNhV.AIH
flowed southwark. Partedby the great treeless
plains stretching from the Saskatchewan to the
Hio Grande, one moved south along the skirt
OF the mountains and passed to the Pacific
slopes the other went to tho Atlantic side.
From straylng bands seekinR localities pos
sossed OF more abundant food, which bands be-
camo permanently separated from the parent
group, were developed. in all probability. partly
OF growth and partly by combination one
with another. many, II not most, OF the so
called stocks; others. possibly. had boon diff.
forentiated before reaching the continent,
u, as 10 not improbable. tho peoplinE of
North America was brought about by the In
coming of successive parties along substHn-
Italy tho same route, That the chief stream of
emiRrnnts on tho Pacific aide had its source
east OF the Rocky Mountains in the regions
above mentioned Is deemed a fair Inference
from what is hero shown concerning tho general
course OF migration so far as this can DO traced.
The southwark movement both to tho west OF
tho Rockies and to the east OF the Great Plains
was a slow process, requiring. possibly. thou
sands OF yoars, during which many streams
were split into branches, while others,
perhaps, coalesced. We are warned, how
ever, that In studying tho miErAtions Of the
AboriEinos In prehistoric timos wo should
disabuse our minds Of the idea that the populn-
ton was dense. Prof. Thomas believes that the
native population Of tho Atlantic division was
at no time rs great In numbers Us has been sup.
posed by those who have not carefully invosti-
gated tho subject Detached villages scattered
over n large area were TO be expected in the case
OF q people dependent, at first, for subsistence
upon the chase alone; aud when the country
was clear before them bands would continue to
wander further and further from zach other,
and thus, By long Isolation and tho influence of
changed physical conditions, they would give
rise to new tribos and stocks and various Gus
toms. It Is In this restricted sense that what is
termed tho growth OF tho native population Is
to be understood, so long as subsistence do
pended on the chase. Nomad Indians would have
considered Illinois crowded had 1t contained ono
twentieth the number OF souls now living in the
city OF Chicago; and Pennsylvania ovcrstockod
with O population of fifty, or oven forty, thou
sand. AS moro congeniai cllmeB wero reached
In the course of tho southwark movement, and
as cultivation OF tho Soil began, tho tribes
became moro and moro sedentary. and tho
arta developed. Tho discovery of maize and
Of It's use as q food plant was probably one of
the most potent agencies in bringing about
the sedentAry condition, It's use crcpt slowly
and retrokrossively nor:hwRrd against the mi
gratory tide, changing nomRds and hunters, at
least partially, into settled agricultural tribes.
The stronger clans would occupy tho choice In
terror districts. pressing the older. weaker and
broken stocks to the shores. Moving south
WaFd from inc cola una lnh0SpltRblo sections or
the North. 1t is not until We reach moro favored
districts. where agriculture is resorted to as
q partial means of subsistence, that monuments
indicating a moro advanced stage of civilization
appear. 1t Is In Ohio, In the slower Mississippi Val
ley and certain Gulf States. regions of rich soil
well adapted to agriculture, that the most i'm.
pressive mounds and carthworks arc found.
Moving southwark on the Pacific side, 1t Is in
the mild climate of Mexico and Central America,
| tbo 1opa ~ p,oTzo ,-1 tro,I,a1 Pz,lta ,hot rn
find evidences of Improvement in civilization.
Wisconsin. or the efigy-nound section, forms
apparently an exception to the rule; yet some OF
the tribes in tho southern half OF that State,
whore the chief works have been discovered,
may have entered the agricultural stage at the
time they were constructed. although tho OBJ
jects initiated indicate that they still pursued
hunting to a considerable extent.
No evidence of buildings of stone, adobe OF
burned brick has been brought to light In the
Atlantic division. Wood. which was abundant
in most sections east of the Mississippi, sup
piled material for all the structures which
their customs required. It Is true that the
carly mound explorers speak of finding burned
brick In the southern tumuli. but more recent
examinations have shown that tho material
was only the burned plastering of dwellings
consumed by fire. On tho Pacific side adobe
was used as a building material from Arizona
to Oaxaca, while stono was the chief material
of structures from Zacatccas to the Isthmus.
This difference Is, of course, attributable mainly
to the emergencies in the physical conditions Of
the two sections. That stone and adobe would
be used In the construction Of dwellings amid
tho arid and treeless areas OF New Mexico and
Arizona might reasonably be surmised in tho
5 absence Of concrete proof. If We are to judge by
tho difference in the advance made toward
civilized life by the character OF the monuments
t and by The deeper covering Of earth and rubbish
beneath which are buried many of the ruins In
the southern sections of the Pacific division, We
= should be led to the conclusion that the latter
; was peopled earlier than the Atlantic division.
1 Intercourse between the two divisions seems to
3 have been very limited, although there are
some Indications that Q few designs in art found
their way from the Pacific to the Atlantic slope.
, AS the author of this book confines himself TO
= the archaeology OF North America, we find no
s allusion In the body of It to South American
s antiquity. Inasmuch. however. as the hypothe-
sis that South America was peopled from tho
northern half Of the continent has an important
bearing on some of tho thousand problems dis
r cussed, certain suggestions arc presented in a
final chapter. We have said that. in tho authors
Judgment, the evidence thus far adduced points
q to the eXtrome northwest Pacific coast ms tho
t probable point OF entry Into North America. 1t
a Is not q necessary inference that South America
Q was peopled from the saro source or by the
Same race On the contrary, our author thinks
that a careful consideration OF the data points
n to tho opposite conclusion. The supposition
Q that tho southern continent was peopled from
j tho northern demands an immense stretch OF
time that seems incompatible with the aroh1o.
logical features Of tho latter. Tho comparative
ago OF the monuments OF Peru and those OF Con.
trail America, a. estimated by tho moro consor-
o vatiyo students, does not Justify the assumption
that the civilization OF the former region was
carried southwark from the latter. On tho con.
trNry. the antiauitias and the languages OF the
Isthmian region, as wo go north TO tho borders
IS of Nicaragua. indicate a n%orthward movement
n to this point, at which 1t seems to haye been met
. by a migration from tho north. 1t seema, also,
to DO conceded generally that Tho West indies
n wero peopled from tho southern continent
Stress Ahould also be laid nnnn tho fact thai