The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1907-04-04
AsTYANAx, AN EPIC IN ROMANCE.

from the press ana IS IN the han0s OF
the bookseller.
"Astyanax, an Epic Romance of
Lion, Atlantis and ,Amaraca. is the
name. of the new and unique work by
Joseph NJ. Brown, one Of Georgia's rail-
road commissioners, already WE'LL
known rs an author from his g Noun
tain Campaigns in Georgia. "Kenne-
saws Bombardment, and other writ
ings, WHOSE home is in Marietta.
In "Astyanax" Mr.. Brown has car
ried out conception of his school boy
days, for it was then he first began to
wonder why his own country had no
epic story that could be likened to the
Had of Greece, the Aeneid of Rome,
the King Arthur of Britain, and the
long list of others whose early history
abounds almost as much in myth as
does that of America.
From that time until the manuscript
was placed in the hands of his publish
ers last year, Mr.. Brown has devoted
to this work thought and study in prac-
tically all of the spare time at his dis
posal. Wherever historical accuracy
was possible in dealing with the pre-
historic American races, that Mr..
Brown has attained, for nothing stop
ped him in his search but discovery
of the truth, or the nearest approxima-
tion to it attainable.
Astyanax is the name of the Trojan
prince who, following the devastation
of his country by the Greeks, sets out
NTH hsc follnwops
other lands. Mr.. Brown shows by al
most convincing argument that while
probably the real men or Indians of
North America first came over by way
of Behring Straits, there is every evil
dence that the Aztecs or early white
races which had attained high state
OF civilization, came across the Allan
tic. In this peopling of the American
continent by these civilized races, Pla-
to's famed-lost island Of Atlantis plays
a prominent part
After trying voyage, beset with all
the terrors OF the sea to primitive craft
scarce able to battle with the elements,
the hero, AstYansx, reaches. the king
dom OF Xibalba in what is now Mexico,
where he is royally welcomed and re-
ceived by the king, Oyoyotzin, whose
confidence and good will he further
gains by telling him his Iife's story.
The customs and manners of the an
cient Americans, their forms of wor-
ship, the fauna and flora of the time
about 1135 B. Care carefully por-
trayed from myth and legend, and here
and there such snatches of history as
could be found In all the range of great
libraries to which the author went time
and again in search of material that
would throw light upon the hidden
mysteries of that mysterious age.
There follows the story of the wars
between the kingdoms Of Xibalba and
Anshuac, the latter ruled by Guate-
mozin-the Guatemozin of history
transplanted to the time of which the
author writes. These wars are brought
on by the abduction Of Guatemozin of
the Princess Columbia of Xibalba,
whom Astyanax, as the leader of the
,Xibalban forces, rescues and makes his
bride. Therein lies the pretty romance
which is woven into the story and gives
bright and attractive interest to what
otherwise might have been somewhat
dry narrative. In these wars the chiefs
of the Northern or Indian nations take
parL in the persons of Tecumseh, Os-
ceola and King Philip, also transplant
ed and realized in the characters of
that mythical age. The wars are in
tercstingly described, and their out
| come is the complete defeat of Guate-
mozin's forces, the rescue OF the prin-
| cess for whom the noted actress, Max
inc Elliott has been selected as the
| u pc, and the story closes with the
happy marriage of Columbia and Asty-
anax, who becomes the ruler in her
fathers kingdom.
| In Astyanax Mr.. Brown has furnished
an interesting and an important addi-
| ton to American literature, not alone
IN supplying the attractive epic ro-
nance, but in presenting in such read
able form the stories, myths legends
and practically all attainable history
OF those early Americans who are to us
OF the present day almost creatures of
the imagination rather than actual
once existing beings
We're the work no more than a COM
pilation and collation. of those highly
interesting features, it would prove a
literary monument, for no ore has, up
to the present time, attempted to write
the story of those people and those
times about which historical facts are
almost wholly wanting. Viewed in
this light, Astyanax will have to be as
signed an important place in American
literature, but even more so does this
apply to the story taken as a whole
where legend history and fancy have
been interviewer with always attractive
romance which gives life to the most
iuert OF fact narratives.
Being the product of Thirty years of
lahorious study. yet labor that was
lightened by the authors love of it. It
ID unnecessary to state that it is we'll
written, and not alone in substance.
but in an attractive style are there evil
dences of careful thought. In the
course of the preparation of this work
the author read and studied several
hundred works bearing on his topic.
Some OF these he procured at great
cost; for Others he found it necessary
to search distant libraries.
| An interesting feature of the work is
brief introduction by the author in
which, with a historically accurate
map, he presents proof of the fact that
the name OF America came HOS from
Amerlgo Vespucci, the italian adven-
turer, as is commonly supposed, but
that it was known Iopcy haFa.o To.u,,z