The Savannah morning news., 1902-05-11

On these reverse pages. it may be
noted. the coloring differs from that of
the diverse side of the skin, and the
detail is much more profuse.
Some thirty or forty years ago one
of the members of the Propaganda at
Rome told the monks of San Marco,
who then owned the codex and who
had submitted it to him for identifca-
ton, that the document was prob
ably intended for the amusement of
children, but was so foolish that it
could only bore them" and, indeed, to
unframed modern eyes 1t looks much
like grotesque picture book for jul
venile readers. Page after page is COW
cred with squat figures whose SEEM
ing exaggeration of features and ges-
lures is characteristic of Aztec art,
and with symbols and figures illumin-
ated in the rich colors of which the
ancient American artists were so fond.
Reds and greens and blues, warm
browns and gaudy yellows, gray and
violet shade of purple. contrasting
with the white of the deer skin, fill in
the black outlines. But evidently all
the colors were applied with the great
est care, and it is probable that each
had a special meaning-many are
known to have had, indeed-just as
there was a definite significance, arch
biologists think, in each different shape
of nose or eye.
Generally speaking, the codex is to
be read in exactly the reverse way to
the custom in reading English; in other
words, its first page is what would be
last in a modern book; the lines run
from right to left as in Hebrew,
instead of from left to right, and,
the sequence is from top to
bottom Some of the other Mexican
goddess are arranged differently; and
there seems to have been no fixed
rule in such matters, for it is evident
that in several cases parallel columns
OF pictures are to be read up and down
like the Chinese word signs, while in
the CodeX Nuttall there are a number
of places where long lines SO divide the
pages as to indicate that the reader
must turn at right angles, as it were,
and run his eyes up the page to follow
the story that had been, a moment be-
fore, working it's way back and forth
across it. Moreover, the cross lines
are very often not perfectly SYMMETRY
cal, some of the figures being larger
than others, so that the text weaves in
and out in way that is somewhat
confusing to the inexperienced STUDENT
but Mrs. Nuttall, who is one of the
most accomplished "Americanists" now
living and who has devoted years to
the examination Of the writings and
other records of ancient Mexico, has
traced in it's sheets story-or rather.
a series of stories-which is full of life
and movement and which seems TO
reach its full completion with the end
of the codex, though the last page of
the picture manuscript appears never
to have been finished by the artist
The Interpretation of the old Aztec
inscriptions and codiceS is, necessarily,
to some extent, based on surmise, but
Mrs. Nuttall has succeeded in bringing
out the meaning of the present docu-
ment clearly and intelligibly, although
she says that from our lack of knowl-
edge of early Mexican customs, il is
still not entirely evident just what the
exact character of the document is 1t
is much like the other codiceS in a gem
eral way and like them. also was prob
ably taken to Europe by the Spaniards
at the time of the Conquest of Mexico
Somewhere in the meantime, while it
was lost sight of. an unknown student
made annotations on the text
in Spanish characters. but these
were probably only differences. and in
the light of modern knowledge not very
correct differences either. There is a
belief among arehaeologists that the
codices were not complete records, but
rather in the nature of notes which
were used TO preserve legends, and per-
haps history. for bards and poets. who
recited their epics or ballads in i'm
promptu song or verse as they travelled
about the country. much as Homer is
supposed to have first told his story
of Ulysses. The care with which the
several characters whose experiences
are the groundwork Of the story of the
Codex Nuttall are labelled with their