The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-07-22
THE OLD NEW WORLD.
Or. Chamberlain Says We Cannot Speak
of Discovery of America Before $780,


DR.. Chamberlain spoke on ''The old
new world" and said in part:
In the ideas of the ancients, the River
Oceans bounded the earth. Late down
into the middle ages it was thought
that ship would fall off the edge. Be
yond this stream all was mystic.
First we find some dim idea of realm
beyond the border of ocean. The first
cycle of myths regarding this land, not
necessarily Of America, was that cycle
OF Atalantis. From that has sprung up
vast cycle of myths.
In 1855 an English writer put forth the
idea that the myths of Atalantis was a
remembrance of America. But assured
ly Ataiantis is only a myth. 1t is prob
able that the Canary Islands are the
top of mountains of great continent,
but it disappeared long before man APP
peared on earth.
The second cycle of myths was that
Of the Cells. The Colts, who had q Gre
alive power, seized upon the idea of the
Greeks and carried 1t farther and
thought in the water beyond France
and ireland were islands upon islands.
Ireland has been a point of departure
for many of these myths. The Irish fish
ermen may have been stranded on some
of the islands of the south or west and
came back to tell of the beautiful lands
they had seen, mostly in their magma
ton. 4,.4a-ls a..4e
A very mythical country was consid-
cred by the Irish, the Island of Per-
petual Youth To this land only one
mortal ever penetrated, and when he
came back he had the lore OF centuries.
We may relegate these Irish legends to
ha nf Of
land and not even look into the history
of the stories.
The Welsh myths claim attention. A
whole cycle of myths circle about
| Madoc, who left his country and was
gone for many years. and when he re-
| turned, he, too, told of the beautiful
country he had seen.
1t is on this basis that the stories of
white Indians, who were called Welsh
Indians, originated Mr.. Mooney of the
Smithsonian institute tells lis that by
the time the story had reached the
Missouri, these Indians had a Welsh
Bible, written on parchment. OF course
this story Is all wrong and should be
classed with the Madoc story.
Then we have the Pacific myths
Identical with the Atlantic myths. The
Chinese legend of Foo San, which is
said to have been America, belongs to
lHe same type. IL is probable that
Japan was to China strange land
They had their idea of a country like
the Greek Hesperides and the Celtic
Island OF the blessed
1t has been attempted to devise an
introduction of civilization into Amer
lea. 1t is unfortunate that the people
of America were called Indians for
the name Is misleading. BY and by
people began to select the tribe of IN
dams from which the Americans had
come, Some selected the tribes that
were descended from the Mongols. In
most Of our textbooks we find the state
r1ent that Tartars and Mongols were
the progenitors of the American. Then
Chinese and Japanese civilizations were
adopted as being the cause Of Amer
lean civilization
We can dismiss without word the
civilization Of America by the Polyne-
slams. Another source has been sought
In that people Of every color speaking
every tongue and living In every coun
try, that lost ten tribes Of Israel. we
can dismiss them all.
1t Is not until 800 A. D. can we sneak
of America as being discovered. sea-
faring man leaving Iceland, sighted
Greenland, but II was not until the be-