The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1913-02-08

volcanic CHARACTER, ohi'
800 square miles in area, mere specK
|1 ,s,s about one-fourth the size OF BarDados'
- vet surrounded by charm OF mystery poS
- by few places in the world.
ma Island merged into the clear light of his
-, sar,v IN the eighteenth century, when 1t was
covered by the Dutch captain. Jacob Royce
-. m 1922 He gave to the island its present
s>ns IN commemoration of the day on whlcn
80 Vas sighted Some so years later II was
|sloascoyered" by some Spanish sailors. From
- tine to the present day Easter Island has
- visited, explored and studied by noted
.<,re1ers, scientists, and investigators from all
4 - and 1t promises to afford these opportuni-
/ - for expeditions for years to come.
Csogaphically considered, 1t lies q degrees 30
nhute south of the equator. so that 1t is not
.oeun1y within the tropics. Its position is about
.D14 niles from the mainland of South America,
.md l4eo miles distant from It's nearest neigh
M ths Pitcairn Islands Within its limited
uu9 triangular in shape, there are three craters
e utnct volcanoes, one of them nearly 1000 feet
Nh Some of the soil is fertile, and the island
| uDuu 10 have been wooded at one time. for
| 6euyed trunks of considerable size are still
|And row. however, there thrive only few
.1nhu nom 10 to u feet high The natives
Uw many sorts of tropical fruits, including
1nnna4 sugar cane, and sweet potatoes Goats.
~ shsep and fair number of cattle are reared
IA hs few hundred Inhabitants, the sole jewellers
Z tody IN that mystic land The climate Is
- nIke that Of Madeira, with one wet and one
~ season The water supply consists OF some
Goek1sA springs by the seashore and pools in
- TIE craters Of the volcanoes All in all,
pvegm. the island Is considered salubrious and
Dl.nAful.
n chief interest of the island is to be found
ne wonderful statues and other amazing
ehaeological remains In its narrow and con-
- expanse 1t encompasses a mystery o. vast
euportions-an egima that has taxed the In
auity Of scientists quite as much as did Of old
y Unframed riddle Of the Sphinx In this tiny
md 10 remarkable display Of hundreds OF
plptured statues. colossal in size, and erected
- Cyelopean masonry; stone houses over 10O
u length with walls six feet in thickness
~ IKE forts; and tablets curiously inscribed
y hieroglyphics in no way resembling any
y else In the world. doubtless the written
1nAee Of the ancient inhabitants but one to
gee the key has been lost
Aemarkable as all Of these ruins are from the
neeness OF their appearance, the greatest In
~ and the greatest problem which they pre-
% us Is the story that they might tell OF the
med civilization which erected them. That
re OF prehistoric origin can not be ques-
-. but who were the builders Of these won
~ specimens? What race of men or giants
20 and placed in their present position the
g stone heads that stand out in lonely ma
amid the barren wastes of this lonely little
Whence came these ancient workers In
3 and whittier have they gone? What tools
0ey use to execute these singular statues
Ndldings and In what epoch did they per-
hese curiosities?
fascinating questions and many others
~ pertinent present themselves to the
but alas, the answer is yet to be had
eoiogists must continue for while longer
ssve among the enshrouded mysteries Of
runs before they can reveal the true story
worlds wonderland. At present the chap
- uuch have been written on the subject are
farvely few in number and not conspicu-
oenuite In context Conjectures are as
,--S - there are explorers, and the number Of
- 1s ventured varies in the same ratio. Prog.
IN all matters Of science is necessarily
~ but let US stop for a moment to examine
sS- aatues, and platforms, and relics, which
eac,fed the student world, and to see what