The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-07-15
A GREAT CATHOLIC AMERICAN
TRACT OF LAND IN NEW MEXICO
SET APART FOR A MEMORIAL
TO THE HISTORIAN BANDELIER.

SET APART FOR A MEMORIAL
TO THE HISTORIAN RANDELIER.
A proclamation recently issued by
President Wilson sets aside a tract
of land in central New Mexico for
a national monument. The tract is
to be known as the Bandelier Monu-
ment To all but few Americans
the name of Bandelier means little
or nothing. Yet Adolph Bandelier
was one of our great men, man
whose career was as colorful and ad-
venturous as that of some medieval
knighterrant, man who accom-
plished things that are destined to
live, who occupied a unique place as
an American historian and an Ameri-
can author.
Bandelier laid the foundation for a
real history of our Indian and Spas
ISL southwest. He lived among the
Indians for years, leading their rude
life, sharing their good times and
bad, speaking their language, adopt
ed by them into their tribes. He had
the mind of a scholar and a scientist
with the temper of pioneer.
He travelled on foot and horseback
over the widest regions of the south
western United States forty years
ago when the Indians of that section
were still on the war path He car
ried no weapons but a light stick a
meter long, that was graduated for
making measurements. He was beset
repeatedly by hostile Indians, and
once saved his life only by playing
on we'll known Indian superstition
and pretending to be insane. The
Indians have superstitious fear of
insanity and will never harm a luna
tic.
The unique feature of Bandelier's
work was 1.-THE method he employed.
He had the typical scientific tempera-
ment-eXact, patient and careful,
willing to pay the price for truth.
But he believed that the truth was
to be found among the living In
dams and their communities as we'll
e]o III O4O Gnu uuoJy
So he went and lived among them,
learned their dialects and carefully
collected and collated their traditions
and stories. He exploded a score of
established and erroneous beliefs by
this method.
The story of Bandelier's life is a
striking example of how man will
find the line of work for which he is
naturally fitted in spite of circum-
stance. He did not make his first
field expedition until he was almost
forty years old. He was born in
Switzerland, but came to the United
States as a small child. His father
was engaged in a banking and general
import business in Highland, ILL.,,
where he was Swiss consul as WE'LL
Bandelier early showed the remark
able aptitude as a linguist that was
to stand him in good stead later.
When he was eight years old he was
writing French and German letters for
his fathers consular Office.
He learned English rapidly, and
also taught himself Spanish. In later
life he became so proficient in this
language that he was frequently TAX
en- for a native of Latin America.
Most of his immense stock of general
knowledge he delved out for himself,
for he. never attended school after
his eighth year. He was a tireless
worker, for. he believed that a man
~ II Ho1I ~ off 10 ho
specialist. He must be at once his
torian, an archaeologist and ethnolo-
gist, and an anthropologist. That goal
Bandelier attained.
He was always distinguished for
his remarkable memory. From 1909
to 1911 he suffered from what was
practically a temporary blindness,
due to cataract. During this period
he went on with his work with the
help of his wife. He had little or no
trouble in locating references in his
large library. Almost always, when
he wanted particular passage, he
could refer to it without hesitation,
by volume, and even by the number
of the page that contained it.
His passion for certainty and ac-
curacy was extreme. He projected a
whole series of novels, such as "The
Delight Makers" which should show
the life of the southwest through all
the years of it's early history. He had
gone so far as to write several chap
tiers of second book laid in the time
of the Spanish conquerors, when he
touched a point where it was neces-
sary to describe an inkwell of the
period. He had no such inkwell and
he was unable to find one. So he laid
aside the book until he should come
across suitable inkwell. Afterward
he searched for that trifle through
half the museums of Europe, but he
never found it, and never went on
with his book.
Bandelier died in 1914, in Spain. |
where he had gone to do research
work in the library of Madrid. He |
was a devout Catholic.