The evening world., 1910-12-15
R.Gx~-I.
T@~
Unearthing Of Clay Figure Of an
Aztec Ball Player in Mexico
Proves the Game Of Baseball
Originated Centuries and Gen.
turtles Ago.

n century or so. I've heard old-tlmcrs
claim that they remember very well the
beginning OF baseball. As n matter of
fact Methuselah. II he were living now
In this country, would have n hard
time establishing a right TO he called
the Father of Baseball" wen II he
swore that he played II when ne was
a mere boy of a hundred or so.
h oldest known race on this con-
tlnent is the Aztec. Cortcz and piz-
xaro and the other spanish maraudcrs
who came pirating about these shores
In the wake Of Columbus found the
Aztecs n powerful people In Mexico.
They had a confederacy OF nations,
great cities. standing armies. and a civ
iIxation as high as that Of ancient
Egypt Even In the time OF the Span
ish conquest the Aztec land was filed
with ruins of big cities so ancient that
all trace of their history had been lost
Tor thousands of years.
These old ruins ave been explored
a little in recent years-just scratched
on the surface. you might say-and
! thousands OF idols. images and his
toricai monuments covered with curl
GUS carvings have been found. Just
- - wv 'A'NhHt NV h6A'N hh''
10 perpetuate events in solid stone. In
the museum at Athens ! saw hundreds
OF baked clay caricatures of Greek
stateSmen, philosophers. warriors. and
common people. They were very funny.
Thousands OF years old. they looked
Just a. II they had been baked a week
II ago. You can Imagine the chuckles OF
the caricaturist as he worked. and the
inclination OF the caricatured party
II when he beheld the result. The Aztecs
also turned out innumerable portraits
Ard caricatures and comic figures IN
baked clay. Down In Mexico the ex-
plorerg dig them up every day, Sorne
are OF warriors with their Weapons.
come Of statesmen waving their hands
rs cloquently as any Tammany speaker
on the tail OF a wagon. And At least
one In a caricature of an Aztec ball
piayer-some prehistoric Hans Wagner.
Yes. a ball player! The great Amer
lean game Is older than we knew. Look
at his picture on this page. The bat.
unfortunately. Is broken off just above
the hands. But he has a ball players
cap. with a club emblem on top. lie
" wearing the original 1T shirt" Just
hike the T SKIRTS worn In practice to-
day by every professional ball player
on the continent. The only difference
IN costume lies in his stocklt which
are padded like shin guar, from
VI which we may infer that the Aztec
League didn't use our modern regula-
ticn league ball.
XVI This figure fixes the antiquity of the
~ good old game of baseball. II suggests
TOO. that the game may have been ever
more ancient than the nrst of IN,
American Aztecs, for the scholars tel
I.Fus that signs on some OF the Aztec
M monuments prove absolutely that tn,
III Axtecs are descendants OF the Chinese
NlYN the interests OF historical truth II
have 10 Ldmit that the Egyptian
R{I2 do play ball. OF a sort. but !
Ml wasn't the American game. They use'
NE paddle. while our Aztec used a rca
hat. Moreover. the Aztec seen In tn
ID, Illustration has a typical ballplayin
face. with q high beak OF a nose exactl
fI,iite Haxs Wagner's, while %everybod
knows that the Egyptians (exccpt In TN
Mtroyal line) were nat-nosed. The Greek
Wlptayed ball too. but they only thre'
tfrom one player to another and didn
Et;bat at all. The Greeks can claim tina
E3Ithey originated such sports MS discu
Nthrowing. stone putting. and sprint n
I1iarathon running, but they Ecv'
thought Of baseball. That was left (,
tAmericans.
In scotland they originated tossIr
1.-THE caber. and that's a very anclei
fName. In Ireland the first hamnu
rthrower pulled a Briton's war chart
apart In a pattie one oay' Inc axle al
zone wb3el came away in his hands. J
xwhirlA this missile around his head al
f4hrew A. AT the enemy, and that W
Ihs h.yinninv NJ hammer throwinu l.
80 af,.ruar, Ir,sh nt,ic,
-
always tooh an aNhe WIN one ""ee' .
ttached 10 'hrow III '"e'r s""'es' "
DAY an Inventive athlete appeared on