The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-10-01

EFw@&1+AN #2 N@twFF $50 k@ &ft
tsa some 80 ass before CHF
ar v.la 81 raF3 = s rrrAt
bef r h5n Hep ~ aa24 have
ten v3th sees dzsa 80
hvazts ara eHlsh Ghaat = geaf liter
Afure back of &ln nAe tfrm @rfware3
T. we mex nm4s maTeff0as h4t 5n
r~ahatlr perhaps RI sts0 Aate
sad ts fT5en5s that So eat 4e#ese ST
mat there arrr -ratarra - perfect
literature before hfn tn The ~lans4@E~
handled ath n4rh mFeFA f-aN sf
shfp Ny reading s. EsrH4p* tN tm
3tv3 ov ~uuit Ano@ teAt s4cn s AH-
crafurr existed ~ >. havv never
corning IL Bat GNv rthrT Gas sea3
ln the %e4s York ~SAtar3a1 re re
an article headed ttxNtFHtb1n before
ghv GrreAa. H4t & srs Is awe}
~ l* arr account - a genuine recnra
high e~aoc literature aste3eftHE Na
m~r Theirs wa~ s stfthEt brt -
rh- Grrek~ uoA tne aut~ntitsn Ia
rAtatuf7 haze beeu al SOFA .n Pre-
historic GandsA. ard discoveries -
j. rHYf 4Euttuu before TIE greeks have
been made ~ eeparied hBw Is inf
proved IA" ET"At Greeks nna hctps
- deselp. the moss eNTAafatnATN Er
nlu~ m al m their Subsequent ite
tar, Is prceiScis NnaE atn 81 evafH
~ what pre-his'ary taudlR had fn
ao la forming and ~teSviapius a great
Greek literature Is precisely wH tt-
quirs I suspect had rsa1t> bust Nft3~ M
any. influence 81 the bulldthE u@ af
either Greek civilization ar uterttufe
The reVirUe ~ lr The saturday RE-
view writing - the excavations IN
Candla. say this
Instead - diminishing rs Interest
further discoveries Al kHne~oss ami
1850
amazemert NJ the udern quality -
fife on that island ar - early arr epoch
one easily recognizes the likelihood
that IL Is their lueui8r CIVILIZATION
which appears a. a survival cof"rTtt
hy tradition when the poet n Homer
describes the visit II odysseur - thr
palace ST the phaccetars iu aren't
lecture ana the arts ~ Mas ~ far
ahead Of the rest II thc world wan
the possible exception ~ l}Hhf iHfda
and Egypt. that after it |dcE"uerhtra
and Was swept AWAY. thc ihtI4"f OF
it fingered about t1e Aegean 3N 81 -
time when demigods HAed ON "dFt
Tho discoveries making IN the
Island Of crete may be highly inter
Csting and 81 genuine historic value.
but carnot set sec hoN Il ~ any way
effected Homer and Greek l~t"rataf e
before his time. How much INC iIha-
ing or clay tablets and cups. etc can
reflect lEht upon tIttAt hN# NAshf@"
ton and literature, IL beyond me
nov The review has this TO say and
/ give 1t for what u Is worth
Meantime his volume introduces
one to a CIVILIZATION in some respects
higher than that which came long
long aftcrward TO Athens IN her
greatest epoch. certainly higher IN
50 FAR as the comforts and refine
ments or existence are concerned
1T appears that in keramics for
example. the Cretans Of the Minoan
Age made such progress that they
discovered porcelain. though We have
no reason To believe hat Greeks or
Egyptians ever possessed the art And
This long before the Chtnesc
Whether the Cretan explorations
will tell US OF literary influences aver
Greece / can not anticipate. But !
hold faithfully 10 the belief that
Greece had perhaps some two. three
or four hundred years Of literature.
Homer appeared After Chaucer
.ried 10 shape English in his most
wonderful Canterbury Tales nearly
two hundred years interviewed before
hat great genius, Edmund SpenSer,
appeared as Il writer Of very high
creative qualities. There was some
writer's Of genius before Homer ]
may not doubt. or the Greek language
would never have appeared as II Is
in THE Had" Of Homer. am
~treading on thin Ice / know, for ! am
none the less an inquirer. and would
rejoice to know who we're the fore
~unncrs OF Homer and the four great
est dramatists hat followed him
later. The greatest marvel IN all lit
erature would be Homer and no an
cestry in letters before him-no lius
~ creative minds and language
builders antecedent 10 him.
Interesting excavations are bctne
constantly pursued in different parts
Of the Old World.
Lately it has been reported that Cu-
rioUs discoveries have been unveiled
al Bismya. believed To be the Oldest -
all the cities known 10 the histories
Of the world through all the genera
tons OF men. That old city that once
fiourishtd is amid the sands OF Meso-
potamia lying in The 'sand-swept belt
of Central Babylon. An interesting
lions. appeared recently In Putnam
Monthly" written by Or Edgar j
Banks. and American. who Was con
cerned in the unearthing Of curious
memorials in that remote part - the
old World His illustrations show
the foundation Of the palace at Bis.
mya. many terra Gotta vases. the heac
OF a statue OF a Samaritan, many I'm.
pressipns made In putty. q marble
statue complete Of a Samaritan kIut
called "Daud" or David At 4 date moi
far from 4500 before Christ Their
is a complete head in a~labaster ~ th'
statue OF a Semetes There are many
Babylonian seals discovered Th'
Bismya Temple hill IS laid before Tol
az IL appeared during the excavation
Morian household utensils. pots, stone
saws, axes and mortars. bronze need
les and knives, terra Gotta base re-
liefs, small clay images. toys. etc.
with which children played = 5.tot
or more years ago. The author be
lieves that Rismya is over 5000 year
old and that others built upon p
rLins OF other cities The blble tirnl
tatiOns appear to har" no Limitation
for him lie writes Interestingly tina
the excavations ~ Bismya have gtyet
us our first picture Of tho lff ~ th'
Pabyloneans Of 5000 years ago. Th'
statue of David tells us that ms hea'
and face were shaved hat ms gar
ment has d skirt hanging 70 the kne"-
and that his feet were bare Ih'
temple tells us that his highly ritual
istfc religion required Offering - Ia
gods and goddess. and that cremation.
Of the dead were practiced
There seems 10 be no doubt Of me
great antiquity Of Bismya The
ruins show broke fragments of pot
terry fin great abundance 4 brici
stamped Dung. Of $50 u 6 "a.
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