The sun., 1900-08-19

prOuuotlon OF 1000. there ~ reason 10 Deho'.
that the conversion by man Of natural food
supplies into an artificial basis OF subsistence
WAS an aliiost spontaneous process, those
plants and anlr1als having been selected In each
dlstriot which were naturally best adapted FOR
serving this purpose. II advancement was at
some remote time imported from the Old World
into the New. how happens IL that. at the DIS
oovery, all the domesticated animals ana nearly
all the cultivated food plants of the Old World,
were either wanting or existed only In via
state In the New World7 How happens Il thnt
the chief seats of American Advancement were
far removed from those trncts Of the New
World which an imported advancement would
nrst have reached, and In which II would road
ily have taken perm anent root7 How happens
II that In each case those aeats were In fact pre-
pnred for becoming the cradles ~ progress by
some peculiar combination Of indigenous apti-
tudes Mexico having been thus qualified by
It's suitability for maize growing. and the pres
ence OF the pulque aloe the "Quichua" or tenn
perate- valleys Of Peru by the equal facilities
they afforded for breeding the llama and for
the cultivation Of maize and pepperf itiS GER
tain that every useful animal capable Of domes-
ticatlon had been donestcatcd. and every In
digenous plant capable Of serving alim"ntary
or sub-almontary purposes or the purpose
scarcely less important. though non-alimentary,
OF supporting nerve and brain by some stlmu-
liant property, had been reduced TO cultivation by
the American aborisines at the time Of the dis
covery To suppose that race capableof this
feat-the moro astonishing the more closely II
IL examined was incapable Of counting sos days
TO the year. and Of bringing the game OF throw
and score" TO the shape In which II existed In
Mexico s surely repusnant TO reason: nor Is II
credible that the Introduction Of either time
reckonings or nastmes Of any description into
the New World from tn, Old should not have
been preceded or accompanied or followed by
the commu ncation OF those fundamental ele-
ments OF all advanoement-to wit. useful ami
mails and alimnntary plants. Iron, II should BE-
added. an ingredient Of the first Importance In
the middle and higher Advancement had been
known throughout eastern Asia from remote
times No people Of tho Old World. It may he
affirmed without hesitation, who possessed n cal
endar were destitute ofiron implements. Yet no
traoe Of iron implements 80 far a. We know.
has ever been found In America. except among
the EsaumnuS, who obtained them from 81
IBERIA, and certainly have not inherited any
OF the Advancement. Of civilized Asia
IL may perhaps be contendei that. ne mNn
deesnerateS more rapidly than he advances,
the culture of Mexico may well represent
Asiatic advanced barbarlsm or civilization
IN a state Of retroeression or decay, mingled
with and overborne by persistent Indigenous
savagery. Plausible as the suggestion may
seem. couchet In the verbIage OF abstraction,
II collapses In Mr. Paynes opinion when sub
Jectsd 70 the test Of concrete part iculars
What element Of Advancement can be aAducet
rs TO which such an allegation can he made
with the least semblancs Of probabity9 In
this book will be found enumerated every
Item OF American Advancement. and each
will be found traced 10 It's root in savagery,
In the history Of none can be detected the
least Sign OF decline or retrogresSion. Do
cline there undoubtedly was in aboriginal
America, rs elsewhere but It was n moral and
Ssb neS ..oss sn 9mss hroGFSh S
better nature An the arts, As thev are trace
able in the New World exhibit the. marks Of
Mr.. Payne has shown tho N.ylcan calendar
TO be hsvonl reasonable doubt In 4ro7ous
and incapable Of having originate In the time
adducsi by him shows ii 10 have been pro- pro-
gressive AMI 70 have been In a state OF prog
ress when tho sp.niaros became aconainted
tnued unbroksn by the spanish invasion.
II is by. no means Impossible that the birth
cycle might have been abandoned "a a heck
on The civil reokontng that the years might
and that q bissextile correction might have
been introduced whom observation had at
tained sufflciont accuracy to suggest Il Nor
70 the arts and scisnces' Mr. Payne shows
that Il eHtendei 10 religious conceptions. al
though subject 70 the usual tendency to re-
COTS was already producing its natural fruit
IN n simpllfel theology. and In sonle limitnt
development OF true ethical system based
on conscience and tho needs OF society.