The Irish standard., 1901-01-19

guage more closely resembles the In
dian than it does any of the languages
Of the Aryan group.
While this is true, it yet differs from
the Indian languages in this, that the
principle of Incorporating words in the
sentence, in the Basque language, is
restricted to the verb and few pro-
nominal elements, while this principle,
in the Indian languages, extends to
all parts Of speech. 1t is, however,
quite possible that this differentiation
might have occurred during the two
centuries that have elapsed since the
separation of the two people from a
parent stock. The subject is certainly
suggestive and interesting. Man in
America is either autocthonous, as
some writer's think, or he must have
migrated hither at very early period
in the history Of the human race. We
believe the latter. Navigators and ex-
plorers have found man in every land,
under all conditions of climate, in the
remotest islands of the sea, in every
latitude, in every longitude. Whence
came he? By what means or instru-
mentality was his dispersion over the
globe accomplished? We may be told
that it could have taken place from
America as well as from Asia. True,
but the weight of evidence so far
points to Asia as the cradle of the hui
man race. The great antiquity Of man
on this continent is, however, attested
by human remains found in various
places, and in geological strata indi-
eating an age as great as any similar
remains found in any part of the old
world; and while scientists may differ
as to the distance of time since these
remains were buried, still sufficient
data have been obtained to furnish
satisfactory evidence that man has in
habited this continent from the earli-
I est ages. Father lie Roo's treatment
of this part OF his subject is very in
teresting, and he is not led astray by
the conflicting testimony of scientists.
Far more interesting and instructive,
however, are the chapters of the first
volume treating of Civilization in An
cient America" "Primeval Tribes in
Ancient America" etc. Whence came
this ancient and evidently advanced
civilization whose ruins are scattered
today through Mexico, Central Amer
lea and Peru? Did it come from the
lost tribes of Israel, or did it come
from the Phoenicians? There are
many advocates of both theories, those
favoring the latter (Phoenician) as
sumption being the more numerous.
Mr.. Thompson Crawford Johnston, in
an interesting and well-considered pa
per read before the Geographical Soci-
ETY. Of this city and published in the
California Illustrated Magazine for No.
vember and December, 1892, summar-
rizes the pro-Phoenician arguments,
and proves to his own satisfaction, at
least, that the remains of ancient ar
chitecture found in Mexico and Cen
| tral America bear, Enthusiastically, a
Phoenician character or resemblance
Admitting this to be true, no positive
conclusion can be drawn therefrom.
But there is other testimony not less
permanent and more convincing than
architectural remains that would tell
the story, viz: race and language
These ancient cities, no more thai
Rome, were not built in a day.
Those who built their foundations and
inhabited them must have come in
large numbers and must have occupied
the country for many centuries. Where
today are any clearly perceptible trac-
es of the Phoenician race or language
among the Indians? 1t is well known
that the Phoenicians gave the alphabet
to Greece and other western nations,
and that all our modern alphabets are
but notifications of that of those an
cient and mysterious people. Had they
come to America and lived there long
enough to build those great cities, they
would surely have left some traces Of
their language in the living tongue or
the sculptured stone. Father De Roo
| rejects both the Jewish and the Phoe-
nician origin of this ancient civiliza-
! tion and quotes extensively from many
/; learned authors against both. He
asks page 20O), "Why should not
| the Irish race. now represented in
every nook and corner of the globe,
set forth the claim that their modern
migratory spirit is an unadulterated
inheritance Of their e-Christian an
cestors, and that their ancient fore
fathers who came over to Iberia and
(, Erin, glorious with primordial civiliza-
ton as is vouched by the relics Of