Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-10-08

that 10 of the tribes of Israel journey
ed northward one and half years in
to a far country, where they might
live UP to their commandments, some
thing they had not always done in
their land Of Palestine; that they were
lost track of at the end of that TIME
and nothing has been heard from them
since. They sent back no word Or
message to their former companions
and friends. and where they went and
what WAS their ultimate fate has been
left to blind conjecture from that day
to this.
The theory that the 10 lost tribes of
Israel, after leaving their own country.
finally landed on she shores of Ameri-
ca and established themselves here is
not a new one. IL found Judgment in
the nina of Lord I<ingsborough, and
has been advanced by many others
since his day. Neither the adherence
to religious creed. nor even belief
in the divine authenticity of the Bible
is essential to the discussion of this
most interesting question.
In the books that comprise what is
known as the old Bible ancient au-
thors wrote exhaustively of the exper-
fences. both physical and spiritual. of
their people They gave their account
of the creation of the earth, the fail
of man. the food, the Tower of Babel
ard many other unique things which
they regarded as the direct dealings of
God with them and their partriarehs
and the first man.
| IL the ancient inhabitants of Amer
| ica were known to have been in pos
| session of legends that conceded al
most exactly with those of the ancient
| Hebrews as related in the Bible, is 1t
nos fair and logical to assume that
the former, at some time or another,
by some means or other, were in touch
with the pregenitors of the Jewish
people or were a branch of that great.
people? Have the discoveries Of ex-
pi0rers and American archfeologists
solved the mystery? Do the ancient
records found in the ruins of Mexico.
Central and South America and in
many parts of the United States an
sN4er the questions as to the lost tribes
of Israel? | think they do.
Before taking up the more serious
evidences that point to the Hebraic or
igin of the ancient Americans let me
call the readers attention 10 the
physical features of the American In
dian. His countenance has the indel-
ihie mark of the Jewish race. The
high cheek bones, the high arched
nose and the slanting brow are UNI
mistakable marks of his Hebrew de-
scent. curse having in all probabili-
" fallen upon the Indian as upon the
descendants OF HAM ! merely men-
ton this in passing, and would not
pretend to advance it as an argument
in support Of my contention, if it We're
not sustained by many other and mere
trustworthy evidences.
There were u tribes that made up
the original number of Israelitish ma
lions. And when they made sacrifices
they made them on an altar built OF
II stones that had not been broken by
any instrument. Priest in his volume
on american Antiques declares
that ne encountered ample evidence to
| show that many of the tribes OF Mex
| leo and Central America offefed up
sacrifices on affairs made of II unheWn
| stones. and that the sacrificial form
and ceremony We're identical with
| those of the ancient Hebrews. Most
| of the Indian tribes still have the an
| cient Hebrew way of reckoning time
as is depicted upon the famous Aztec
| calendar stone
on the authority of DR.. LIE Plonge-
| on. the eminent archaeologist who
spent eight years in Yucatan, assidu-
| ously studying the ancient ruins of
that country, even the barbaric Toll
tees left undeniable evidences that
| they were perfectly conversant with
| the Biblical history of the creation and
| of the Garden of Eden, and. of course,
! the two illustrious personages who in
| habited 1t.
In the ruins of Copan Or. lie Plon-
| geon discovered a crude painting rep
! resenting a woman seated beneath a
I tree and a serpent entwined around
the base OF it. In the passage of the
| years their version of the celebrated
| temptation OF the mother of the race
took ON a more poetic form than the
! one contained in the Bible. The Tol-
| tees had it that the woman "Suchi-
| oueealp they called her-plucked a for
| hidden rose from a tree and by that
act brought death upon the human
| family.
| These same Toltecs had the legend
| of the Tower of Babel Their version
| Of it did not vary from that of the
Bible in any essential feature. They
understood that this tower was built
/ for a refuge IN the event of another
deluge This, of course, also indicates
| their familiarity with the Biblical sto-
| ry of the deluge. They even had the
particulars.
Their legend speaks of the man who
/ built a boat from a fir tree and That
| after the food had subsidized he be-
came intoxicated on vine and allowed