Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1907-12-04
low WE GOT OUR START.
7 CONTINUED from Page Two.)

cloths. Mention of them is made
more than once in tile Old Testament.
In the book of Esther, 1:6, We find
this record, 4S6 years B. c.: where
were white, green and blue hang
ings," used for decoration on a fes-
tive occasion at the Kings palace.
This textile art was in great perfec-
tton In India at so early date az five
hundred ears<before the Christian
Era; thence It passed to Assyria and
EGYPT; yet 1t was not until the thir-
teenth century that the plant was
cultivated in Southern Europe. The
manufacture OF it into cloth, in imi-
tation of the fabrics of linda and
Egypt, was first attempted in Italy
In that century, from whence it pass
ed into the low counties and into
Western Europe. The fact remains
however, that it did not cross The At
lantic ocean to the Bahamas, It's pres-
ence on this continent must be other,
wise sought for.
Mr.. Weise, in his interesting vol
ume, has these two interesting para
graphs for his opening chapter, which
may point the way to a solution OF
this problem of the aborigines, die
covered on one of the most eastern
islands in the western section OF The
Atlantic ocean, and having the
knowledge of making yarn and cot
ton cloth:
The oldest scriptures, sacred and
profane, attest the antiquity of the
red race. AS early as the antedilu-
Wan period this division Of the .hu-
man family had taken possession of
the islands and continent Of the
Western Hemisphere, where it found
ed an empire, the most famous and
formidable of primeval times. Great
In political power, It's commercial,
agricultural and other economical in
unparalleled. The skill Of i;s archi-
tects and engineers was exhibited in
large and imposing edifices and in
extraordinary and extensive public
works. Aggressively belligerent, it's
armies overran parts Of Asia and Az
rica exacting tribute, deposing and
substituting rulers.
When the Spaniards, in the six
teenth century, began to explore the
interior of the continent of America
for gold, silver and precious stones,
they found populated provinces, great
cities, temples, palaces, aqueducts,
canals. bridges and causeways, The
astonished adventurers also discoy-
people, among which we're many mas
sive tablets of stone covered with col
umns of strange hieroglyphics and
antique images, picturing past CIV
ilfZation for the rise and growth of
which modern archaeologists have
not yet satisfactorily determined
dates.
In the twelfth volume of Memoirs
of the Historical Society of Pennsyl-
yania philadelphia, 1SS1,) we have
an intensely interesting narrative in
"Heckewelder's History Manners and
Customs of the Indian Nations" I
would call especial attention to the
tradition among the aborigintes of
implicitly believing, that they had
many hundreds OF years before, come
from the northwest Of the continent
to the eastward. crossing great rivers
on their long journey.
Apparently in confirmation OF Mr..
Weise's opinion, we have a History Of
Ancient America, Anterior to the
Time of Columbus, by the Rev. Geo.
Jones, M. r. s.; F. s. va very GU
rious publication, in which he calls
attention to the wonderful architec-
tural ruins in Mexico and Yucatan as
existing physical facts which have
been written by Stephens in his in
tefeSllnR WOrE, r. n'.nhSneQ IN TWO vol
lines in the first half of the last CEN
tury. III thi" well-known publi.,a
ton reference is made to the colossal
ruins, still standing, at Copan, Pa
lanqne In Mexico and ut hJxIaal, Yu-
catan, where they can be seen to-day
Here is descriptive narrative of the
size OF the ruins at Uxmal:
*The Discoveries Of America to the
Year 1925. BY Arthur James Weise.
M. A. putnam, 1884.)
Dimensions of the Icmplc Of Uxmal,
Yucatan.
The site covering nine acres of
land.
First Ierrace: $40 feet long on
each of the four sides, feet high,
steps In center on the several sides.
First Platform: 20feet broad.
Second Terrace: 600 feet on each
Of the sides, 15 feet high, steps also
in center.
Second Platform: 205 feet to base
of third terrace. S. "a
Third Terrace: 400 feet at base; !;
35 steps, six inches tread; entire
depth 110 feet
Third Platform: 800 feet, to the
front of the temple; all of the ter
races are cased with cut stone.