Denver labor bulletin., 1917-08-04
AMERICA DISCOVERED IN A. D. 45S?

America was discovered, not by
Christopher Columbus in 1892 and not
by Leil Ericsson in the year 1000 A D.,
! but by five Buddhist monks of kabul,
in ASS A. d.
This is the testimony of Hui Shen,
Buddhist missionary who visited
America in .99' A. D., and returning to
China made full report of his travels
TO the Emperor WI Tt of the Liang
dynasty.
"Fusang," Hui Shen called the new
continent. naming it after the Won
derful fusang tree probably the
Mexican maquey-which supplied a
wonderful nectar (mescaD and n
strangely strong fiber cloth (hsmp).
Fusang, according to Hui Shen, lay
/ 1000 Ii or $500 miles to the east of
the continent of Asia. 1t was 10000
| Ii or about $3.50 miles broad. And
beyond it lay great sea, which we
know now as the Atlantic.
The record of Hui Shen's travels is
found in the imperial archives of the
LANG dynasty, handed down with the
seal of approval of the great Chinese
historian, Ma Tuan-Lin. China's civ
ilization being the oldest surviving on
the earth, it is not surprising that
Left the Lucky, who dislodged Christie
pher Columbus from his pedestal,
Sllphld ilON lil Nhlli bt ytEE
place of distinction with the searching
of the records of the Flowery King
dom.
Professor John Fryer. one of the
most famous Orientalists of the world,
who held many educational posts of
honor in China before accepting the
chair of Oriental languages and lit
erature in the University of California,
found and translated the story of Fu-
] L,. IL -. .
known that DIR. Fryer was at the head
of three different colleges in China
during his long residence there. was
in charge of the translation into Chin
ese of foreign scientific works under
an appointment of the court. and is
the author of more than one hundred
books in the Chinese language.
Probably no man of the white race
ever obtained so thoro a grasp on
Chinese history as has DIR, Fryer, The
| following facts have been set out by
him after his study of the original
| Chinese records:
Hui Shen found on reaching Fusang
that he had been preceded by the five
monks of Kubal forty years before
They had established the religion of
Buddha along the Pacific coast from
Alaska to Mexico. and at several
points had penetrated far into the in
tcT1OT. lnelT course WAS 10 enlist
native converts in their monastic or
der. and after establishing mission
center would leave it in charge of ma
tive priests and go to new field. Hui
Shen told the Chinese emperor he had
found traces of Buddhistic education
at many places, the natives practicing
the religion of Buddha with the rites
which marked it in the Orient. He
found the natives had n knowledge of
Buddhist books and possessed images
of Buddhist origin. A plant which
doubtless was the spineless cactus was
described by Hui Shen, who said the
people ate the tender shoots and he
told of the cloth woven from fiber
plant, the threads of which also were
used for embroidery.
| He even declared that they made pa
per from the fiber, and told Of "red
pears" which undoubtedly were the
prickly pears known today. There
was copper, but no iron, and no money
value was put on gold or silver. Hui
Shen described the customs of the peo-
pie, their marriage and burial rites
and their lack Of military weapons or
fortresses, with n detail which verifies
] the present day discoveries Of native