The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1906-03-07
CHANGES IN HISTORY.
Why History is Worth knowing.

of the birth Of Christ.
The Chinese, during the first
three thousand years Of their authen-
tic history, were great travellers.
They visited India; they lived upon
the Philippine islands; they explored
Central Europe. l have no doubt
that they were in the preseut Norway
and Sweden, and that with their
light craft sad their sk:;! as seameu,
they passed over ell that is England
now. That they entered Egypt, there
is no doubt, because we ind authen-
tic evidences Of their presence there.
They wero in South America, and
left the impress of their religion and
their literature upon the native
tribes.
"At that time the Chinese were
not people for making war. They
we're merchants and explorers. They
loved peace and sought peace wher-
ever they could obtain it. How they
reached the Southern California coast
is still a matter Of doubt, But tho
more We examine their manuscripts,
the more certain we feel it to be that
at ono time in Southern California at
least thousand, aud perhaps two
thousand; Chinamea made comfort.
able homes and assimilated with the
natives. 1t will require at least five
years moro to thoroughly and accur-
atoly translate the Chinese manu-.
scripts IN our possession, but I feel
sure that by 1910 the world will know
that the Chinese we're wonderful ex-
plorers of every part Of the earth Gen.
turtles before Columbus ever dreamed
Of searching for the West Indies.''
This then vas the first important
civilized race, 80 far as we know. to
occupy the great coaat limo.
Tho United States Ethnological
Bureau has added to this tbs follow
lug Information:
After the gradual absorption and
disappearance Of the Chinese settlers,
there came into the possession of the
land the ancestors Of the Yaqui In.
dians. They had high order Of in.
telligence in the eleventh and twelfth
centuries. They journeyed from tt Q
plateaus OF Central America and Mex.
ico looking FOR new and fertile land.
They came in bodies as large as TO-.
600 at 8 time, and were pesoeably in
clined.
They divided themselves into three
olasses-the warrior or The deeenae.
Of the State, the worker 10 silver and
gold, and tho farmer. They hsld the
land for oil Of 400 years, but were not
literary people, and kept few
records. Still, 10 building veter
reservoirs and lands that they oul.i-
vated, they left many evidences Of
their thriftiness. In turn. about the
sixteenth century they were succeeded
by the Spaniards, who were almost as
aa=e'akinned "a they. Some of tie
Spaniards came overland by the way
Of wtat IS So= Ns= Mexico aad Ar;
zona, and others came by sea from the
South.
The Spaniards were eventually
overthrown by the Americans, who
took possession of what is the present
California Of today, and retained it.
The "Benniugtou," lying in the har-
Dor Of San Diego. where threo great
races have already ruled, was prepar-
ing to 60 to the 1sthmus Of Panama to
look after our national canal interests
there. The accident which DESTROYED
her shas prevented that journey. It
may be Of interest, though, to the
young atudent of history who cares to
delve into the records, to know that
there are traces Of canals in Califor.
mia which were dug by one of the three
races preceding the American, fully
as long, fully as wide, and certainly
as expensive as the proposed Panama
Canal. There are we'll defined enei.
neering markings of some early race,
showing that at one time it. was at
tempted to connect The upper portion
OF tho Gulf Of California with San
Diego bay ::
Why the efforts failed, we cannot
yet know. That We will know some
day is quite probable. Mother earth
h's no secrets--what we do not know
10 through our failure to study and in
vest'gate, 'and not due to any fault of
hers. While it ia doubtful il the en-
tire Pacific coast west OF the Sierra
Nevada mountains 10 over rs, 600
years old, it has had remarkahla hsa.