The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1914-02-03
ROOSE Welt SMILE @
OLD AS THE HILLS
Morley Describes the Original
as Being in First Half of
the Sixth Century
MAsETNGTON- D. q, Feb. :

WASHINGTON. ID. c., Feb. 3
The original Of. the Roosevelt
emile" has been discovered IN the
ruins of Quirigua, in the Republic of
Guatemala, Central America, h1ty-
an miles from the caribbean sea.
The discovery is described by Syl7
yanus Morley, in a communicable
TO the National Geographic Society
at Washington, d. @. Quirdguas ne,
says. was one of the older centers OF
the great Maya civilization, whtch
fourished in southern Mexico. Qua
temaia, and northern Honduras DUR
ing the first fifteen centuries OF the
Christian era. f2s'
'sTudging from the dated mopu-
rnents which were erected in dts sew
eral courts and plazas, this ancient
metropolis was abandoned during
the first half of the sixth century A.
D." writes the explorer. Towards
ttle close of the sixth century the
r,1anays moved out from the older
centers of their civilization in the
south and migrated northward into
Yucatan. Here in the stress. of col
onizing a new and unfamiliar lana
the remembrance of their former
homes gradually faded, until Qu!rl-
qua, along with many otner
southern cities, became only a mem
ory. a tradition. FINALLY, long before
the discovery OF America, even the
tradition cf its former existence mad
passed from the minds Of men"
THE exterior of one OF the build
ipgs recently uneaTthed," say Mr..
morley, was decorated with a curl
Gus sculptural mosaic. THIS design
a varia Of the humorous head motive
found throughout the Maya area,
occurs at each of the four corners
and IN the middle of the back and
side walls J, .
IN this particular example" ne
continues, ':the incisor teeth are as
y,rominent as col iRcoseYedt's and the
arst visitors who saw the head tna-
lrnediately called 1T, the original
roosevelt grin, Under this name its
fame rapidly spread until II became
: the chief point Of tourist Interest IN
tine ancient city"
But for the enterprise Of wei
known corporation interested in fruit
Icnltivation. the ruins might have re-
nained uncovered for centuries more
The company purchased large
tract of land in this vicinity for
1,anana grove, and, through an ar
| ,-an semenc WITH the School of Amer
ican Archaeology, the systematic
study OF the ruins was undertaken.
Turing the centuries that had elaps-
I'd since It's abandonment dense
4rop.cal vegetation had overgro"Vn
LIME city, overthrowing its temples
land palaces and reducing them TO
| shapeless mounds OF fallen masonry,
writes Mr.. Morley.
| The Jungle had won its way into
the different courts and plaZas; ana
! hese public squares, once tee'nins
nth the life of q populous commu-
nfty, had become the haunt t,ger.
lI1eccary, monkey, ant-eater and tho
syTfnite host of the tropical forest,
| Ti1e Jungle had again reclaimed lgs
lryrn. AS the work of excavation pros
/ ceeded there gradually deyeloPeo
from this mound Of earth ana ta5 5letl
Istone the ground plan OF what mao
lorfginally been an imposing temple
O5 feet long and twenty-nine feet
More than 200 hieroglyphics haye
5lbean discovered. but of these only
j spout fifty have been declpheEedf an
Is1i OF these deal with some phase o.
line calendar. AS a result, the more
I'M mar: side Of this great ahoristna
ciVlization, the record of It's wars an ~
| rsOn quests. its religious anu socla
4 n4ovennenAs, Its rise and ta4l' Sill ~
Inain q sealed book.
ESQ Ear as the possibilities of tn
/ cite are concerned, the ground
oulrfRua may be regarded as hayini
4 been little more than scratcneGi.
o0ncl,,des Mr.. Morley. Meanwhile
n the deep twilight of tropica
Snngle the crumbling rema MS OF TIM
once proud city lie forgotten. y
huilders unknown, and it's. very na4LL
I1oft in oblivion--a mesancnuly com
Y n1entary Of It's nishled elor =
Cabfe ID ffng British and Mort