Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1900-12-14

near also spotted. The picture is prob
ably imaginary, but it is cuious to
note that this species of deer is found
in Mexico.
We have it that Hwui Shan returned
to China. that he was a missionary
priest, who had been to some country
far to the east. where he had left his
five comrades to carry out the mission
airy work commanded by Buddha. the
founder of their religion. Whatever
became of these five missionaries we
can only conjecture. A thousand years
have passed since Hwui Shan arrived
in the village of King Chow and related
his wonderful discovery, and the prows
Of the Spanish caravels plough the Car
ibbean sea and Mexican gulf. They
find a people inhabiting the mainland
possessing a civilization nearly equal
to their own The Aztecs inhabited
well-built cities, possessed written
records and maps, and made paper
from the fiber of the agave Their ID
vanced stage of civilization was mar
red only by their abominable human
sacrifices.
The Mayas Of Yucatan had attained
even greater degree of civilization
than the Aztecs especially in arts and
architectural science, as the remains
of their cities attest to this day. The
Spaniards, in their blind zeal for the
Catholic faith, destroyed nearly every
thing they could get their hands on
which showed the civilization of these
people. Whence they got this civiliza-
ton has often been asked
The Toltecs appear to be the first of
| the aboriginal races who had attained
any degree of civilization. They in
'habited the valley of Anahuac (the val
ley Of Mexico), built cities and temples
and did not indulge any fendish de-
sire for human sacrifices. The Aztecs,
a fierce, warlike tribe. came down from
the north. desOlated their cities, drove
the Toltecs south. into Central Ameri-
ca and Yucatan, and took to them
selves some of their arts and indus
tries. So that we see the civilization
of the Aztec was that of the Toltecs.
Now we have the remains of the Ma
yas in 1ucatan. who were evidently
Toltec, and what do we find?
In the National Museum at Madrid
there is preserved one of the books of
/ the Mayas which escaped the general
auto da fe of the Bishop Landa. who
burned these books whenever found.
The paper resembles very much the
paper manufactured by the Chinese,
and it consists of long strip doubled
in folds between two boards like their
early books. The text consists of
hieroglyphics and picture writing,
which is the only thing about it not re-
sembling the Chinese 1t is, indeed. a
beautiful piece of aboriginal book
| making.
In Mexico there existed traditions of
the visit of strange people to the
country who tauGht many things, and
| Alexander Won Humboldt, in his
"Views of the Cordilleras," mentions n
number of surprising condolences be-
tween the Mexican and Asiatic civliza-
tions.
CT course, if old Hwui Shan's account
of Fusang is correct. and that country
is really Mexico, his five Buddhist mis-
sonaries left there could not be ex-
pected to change the physiological
characteristics of the people, though
the effect of religion, education and
training is evident in single gener,
alton of our own people Neverthe,
less, the Mayas of Yucatan closely re-
semble the Chinese Some years age
an English company endeavored tc
start plantation in the colony of Brit
| ish Honduras, imported several hun
dred Cinnamon. identured for a mum
ber of years to work their plantation
IL was hOl lonS DSlOlc lilSoC SlllIdllVl
disappeared, They had seen some o
the Maya Indians, and discovering
some similarity between them anC
themselves had taken to the bush will
them. Among the people inhabitint
the lake city of Peten, on the southern
borders of Yucatan. the writer of thi
article discovered Cinnamon whom
he did not distinguish from any of tn
natives, although he was general!
called the "Chinaman." He was on,
of the survivors of the collie traffic t.
British Honduras and when ques
toned talked freely of the little h
could remember of the past, He die
not seem speculative enough to dis
cuss any affinity between his own rae
and the Mayas, though he spoke thei
language, probably better than he dit
Spanish He showed me the woodel
outside door of Q house which one o
his countrymen had artistically paint
ed with pigments and brushes of hi
own discovery and invention.