Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1898-01-30
STUPENDOUS ~NDsRTaKIN

the editor of the Territorial Enter
prise, his work on the archaeology
of Central America. 1t is emitted
"Biologia Centrali-Anericana." and
is beyond question one OF The greatest
example. of the enduring qualities of
human patience. research and pro-
found mental capacity that has ever
been published.
To properly review such a work re-
quires n skilled in the lore of that
remarkable country and in this article
but a mere outline Of Mr.. Goodman S
work can be given. Briefly sum
med up the book demonstrates that
the author has deciphered the cal
endars of a people who fourished in
Central America for nearly 800. 900
years and who passes out of exist
ance as a people nearly ten thousand
years ago. He has reached these
conclusions from a study of the
carved inscriptions left upon stones
and the walls of their temples whose
majestic ruins in Yucatan have for
years past been explored and studied
by representatives OF the French,
English and American governments.
From the dust of this extinguished
ace n history has been built and
men of science delving amid the ruins
of their public buildings have laid
bare facts which show to the present
generation that it knows but little of
the history of the world, not so much
as its alphabet, in fact.
How long this race hourished since
the misty dawn Of creation the author
does not say, but he demonstrates
that they celebrated a zSo, 500 wear of
their era. Think of that you people
IN California who are now engaged in
the celebratian of the 5Oth anniver-
sary Of the discovery of gold at Suffer
Creek.
Over 20 years ago NJ. Goodman
became interested in the archaeology
Of Yucatan aud studied the carv-
ings and inscriptions from published
works and photographs. He selected
the d~eciphering of the calendar as
as the branch of the work to which
he would apply himself and persued
the task with such zeal that at one
time he was obliged TO desist because
of a threatened loss of his evesight.
He resumed the work again at inter
walls and having deciphered the calen-
dar gives the world the result of
his research. The numerals OF the
calendar are represented by face
signs. Thus a face with the hair
falling behind the ear and curling
toward the chin means I, a certain
ear mark means 2, a protruding
tongue 3 and so on. The author has
SO completely mastered these symbols
that he reads them as readily as
modern numerals. He found the
calendars devided into weeks, months
and years and stretching out into
con and circles of time, but all
easily de1nonstrable after the proper.
numerical value of each Sign was
properly fixed and understood.
The amount of study and patience
required to master the seeming in
su~r1nountable obstacles lying in the
the path of success is almost beyond
the human understanding. Some Of
the best trained minds of the century
have attempted and failed to even in
seIt al entering wedge into the prop
osition. The book is ~p1ofusely illus
trated and there are over a hundred
pages Of calendars which demonstrate
the accuracy Of the work. The
author became so proficient in his
study that in several places he was
able to point out errors in the calen-
dars, the result of hasty and faulty
mathematical calculations.
In the preface there is a neat hit at
the California Acada1ny of Sciences,
the members of which considered the
proposition of bearing the expenses
OF publishing the work, but at the
time being deeply engrossed in the
scientific necessities of a thirty thous-
and dollar stairway for their rooms
they were unable t. stand he ex-
pense and in consequence of this lack
of interest the book was published in
London at the expense of two mem-
bers of the London Archaeological