davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The New York herald., 1920-01-25
Antiquity of the Swas tika.
puzzled the wisest heads for generation

The Swassika has an important and learned
literature of it's own Every explorer of ancient
sites has been compelled 10 include some refer
ence to it in his chronicles, because it is for
ever Intruding itself upon the archaeo logist no
matter where he mhy be occupied in disinter-
ring the debris OF civilizations past and gone.
one OF it's most pains&aking connosseurs is the
French Jesuit Father Gaillard for many years
a missionary in China.
Pere GaTllard frankly. Says that the present
state of our knowledge enriched by the
most recent acquisitions OF geography. ethnog-
raphy and monumental archaeology does not
permit us to Judge Of the moment of first APP
pearance of the Gamma Cross" or Swastika.
or to Identity its real place of origin.
The name OF Gamma Gross says he. lis
derived from its form. that of four Greek letter
Gamma or inverted LIS radiatng from
central point. The English Orientaiist. Gen
cra Cunningham, tells us that the name
Swastika is the Sanskrit term employed by
a Hindoo sect who use it to signify their be
lief in Swasti. term taken from 'su. meaning
well and asst. meaning it is This phrase,
IT is we'll implies a complete resignation to
fate under no matter what advantage ad-
versity Of fortune. Its literal translation is
near 80 mote il be-, anything else which
can be imagined. among the Chinese it is
very important sign with many In the
table Of PA radical signs which form the basis
of the Chinese written language ii is synonym
Gus with the character Wan meaning both
scorpion and Ten thousand. which latter
sense it most often conveys when employed in
expressions of compliment The Chinese cheer.
Wan sol meaning Ten thousand lives. is
actly the same the Japanese 'Banzai, mean
ing the same thing and written the same way
Travellers in India report the sign OF the
Swastika as being traced on the foreheads Of
young Buddhists but. in this caseG the latter
merely copy a Brahmn custom of enormous
antiquity The ancient Hindoo scripture. the
Rama yana. cites the Swastika the device
the prov OF the bark of Rama Cthe sun boat
The Buddhist legend of the cremation Of Gau-
The New York herald., 1920-01-25

tion at Guatemala city yet the damage was
just as great Tremendous shakings that not
even the dwellings built to Withstand the earth
quakes so frequent in these Central American
countries could weather transformed the sur
face Of the ground into one vast unduating
"Witching Wave" so strong that the people
were thrown TO the ground If they were
suddenly tripped All Central American quakes
are usually of great intensity. causing great
fissures in the ground stopping the flow of
streams and closing up fssures left by pre-
vous shocks. This intensity is accentuated by
the peculiar slanting formation of rock strata
in these regions which under the influence of
the shocks tend to slide over each other and
thus cause the peculiar rapid motion of the
surface. 1t this form of strata that caused
trouble from slides" when the canal was being
constructed and often in few minutes the
excavation made by steam shovels during a
period Of several weeks suddenly filled
with rock and soil caving i'm from either side
Notwithstanding the props and retaining walls
eruptions of volcanoes In these sections that
many of the seals and other insignia Of Cen
trail American republics contain active volcanic
scenes. while even their political affairs seem
to take on an appearance Of the same nature.
The most disastrous volcanic eruption during
the volcano Kaut. in Java which opened up
without warning on May 70 1919 Contrary to
many volcanoes those or Java throw out very
The New York herald., 1920-01-25

huse tidal wavss which. when they rcccded
carried thousands of bodies Ear out 10 sea. lcav-
ING the remainder covered with debris and mud.
e is claimed that the earthquake az Jeddo.
Japan. in i7@, caused an equal number OF
oasualtiss. but N, figures % this latest hap
peninE are always credited ~ the highest
Staiisiics In Japan more than two hundred
Seafs $40 are rot 20 reliable a. those of today
The California region has been visited by
many minor guakss hut the most severe of
thess occ1rrcd early in the morning ~ April
"a. rs.. GOVERNS the san Francisco district
from Point Arena On ihs north 10 just below
Monterey on the south Coming 80 thirteen
minutes past five o'clock " - remarkable that
me ioss of ufs totafcd but Es persons. al
though more than soeo IN san Francisco alone
were rendered homeless ~ a result % the quake
and the disastrous fire that followed. Alto
Eethef. the property loss footed 90 sssos. 90
Later on In 90. same year violent treml,rs we're
felt aionE the western coast ~ south America
in Chili. and for time u Was feared that they
might follow the cosst iins up through Can.
fornia again. bui nothing came ~ h. Al on
lime the entire region through ths Sierras Of
California and southern oregon was intensely
volcanic. some of the highest peaks nov being
extinct volcanoes. witch explains ln a noasav4
why these localities have beer subject 10 ST.
mic disturbance. but t is al least earnest,
hoped that McNico's volcanic sad political er,1p.
lions will content themseiyts with ren,ainin.
discreetly south ~ ths Rio 0rsndsi
The New York herald., 1920-01-25

ing second great explosion which added
shower of huge rocks to the streams OF mud
flowing at frghtful rapidity all over the sur
rounding territory The suction Of the water
into the cavity. and probably earthquake
further out at sea. formed a tidal wave that
wrought great havoc In all the coast towns
During the first week in October. 1919. the
Hawaiian volcano. Mauns Los. was in con-
stand state of activity. great streams 81 fiery
lava flowing down its sides and running into
the sea amid "a cloud OF steam thrown up by
its contact with the water. No earth tremors ~
any consequence were noticed during its entire
period OF activity. Preceding this about three
weeks a terrible earthquake visited the region
around Mount vesuvius. shaking several viz
lagos into ruins and causing great loss In
killed and injured. The old city Of Pompeu.
discovered after lying for hundreds OF years un-
der deep beds of lava that suddenly swooped
down from the crater Of vesuvius IN ~ A. ~
is in this region and along with it's sister city.
Herculaneum Is q Mecca for tourists Again
earthouske that carried 100 900 persons away In
it's sweep but the most destructive quake that
ever. occurred both in life and property loss
shook this district in the recent year i.e Two
hundred thousand lost their lives in this great
catastrophe. affecting area less than sew
sina and Reggie were razed to the ground
along with countless surrounding villages and
al those on the coast were inundated by tho
The New York herald., 1920-01-25
Wide as the World.

1t has been remarked over the entire extent
of the immense region traversed by the latitude
extending between the British Isles and the
japanese archipelago. occupying almost the
tirety of the Eurasan continent. the shores of
Africa and the islands of the Mediterranean.
where it in in the days of the Chinese
sa ge Confucius (B c. 551-479. 1t seems also to
have crossed the Atlantic in the East and the
Pacific in the West. 1t is met with among the
Peruvians and Mexicans of the New World in
Nucatan in Paraguay, and the vast ex-
panse Of the United States. Another famous
learned Jesuit. Pere Allard has admitted the
Swastika to be the most ancient known sign of
the Cross and that it is found frequently i'm the
Roman Catacombs The Italian archaeologist
Ross has noted its presence upon Assyrian
statues Etruscan sculptures and on both
ancient British and Itao-Greek pottery A
number of antigua rians. notably NJ de Morti-
let. have jumped at the conclusion that the
existence of the Swastika proved the emblem
of Christianity to be derived from the ancient
religions of India
However this may be, in another there
is however, as will be shown. direct
nection between the two symbols
The Buddhist legends enumerate thirty -two'
perfectons of the body Of Gautama mote how
these specific Masonic numbers are also of a
universal character). The first of these perfec-
tions were the extraordinarily long finger nails
which still mark of distinction in China
and the last was the Swastika upon the breast
the "fou sin yn. Seal of the Heart OF
Buddha, which expressed the 'synthesis Of the
whole Buddhc intelligence divine wisdom)
The Swastka is the ornament most frequently
found ornament the Buddhstc books
and is accepted by those sectaries as the sym
bo Of the oral instruction involved in Buddhism
which is communicated from mouth TO ear but
not contained i'm books or manuscripts
The German Orientaist Eitel says that the
Swastika was accepted in the lands penetrated
by Indo Buddhism such India Indo-China.
The New York herald., 1920-01-25

little lava. but instead flood the surrounding
travels much faster than the fiery lava and for
that reason is more difficult to escape The
official number OF deaths was given out as 5000
some time after the happening but probably
many thousand natives still listed as missing
viii add more to this great number Kalut's
river of boiling mud in this particular instance
was more than ten miles wide and five feet
deep, wiping twenty-six native villages out of
existence and destroying numerous coffee plan
tations owing to the great velocity OF the
mud river railroad trains were overtaken
and STALE when the slimy waves OF mud swept
across the tracks. When government geolo-
gists examined Kaut's crater after the eruption
that cost many lives and such destruction
of property they found il empty Until the
recent burst Of activity this famous mud vol
cano had remained dormant for eighteen years
it's last outbreak being in 1901 at which time
an activity very similar to the last one took
place The Java region contains many more
volcanoes than any other section of the world
yet on account of the uniformity Of the earths
strata earthquakes do not always precede nor
follow volcanic cruptions. as always happens in
the Central American countries. However.
Java's mud singers" are much more destruc-
tive. more than 5000 losing their lives i'm less
which was situated the coast. actually burst
open and threw boiling mud in every direction.
The cold sea water rushed into the cavity, caus-
The New York herald., 1920-01-25

years, but on this occasion il awoke from it's
long nap and Immediately contributed it's share
of the destruction Previous to this tine a
beautiful lake had occupied its crater. on
which tourists often took long rides in the
numerous pleasure boats that dotted it's peace
ful surface. This lake was turned into au i'm.
mense caldron OF boiling water and seething
lava which overflowed the steep walls sur
rounding it and whirod It's way through the
streets OF the city. In addition the red hot
lava flowed from series OF vents in the side
of the mountain. and the total area covered by
this fiery fluid was a length Of seven miles and
an extreme breadth OF three miles while it's
average depth was thirty feet covering build
ings. railroads. coffee plantations or Whatever
hardened the san Salvador Railroad had to be
raised to the level Of the lava for distance
of several miles and now passes directly over
It's former roadbed, almost thirty feet below
ln the few hours that the volcano was active
it is estimated that it threw out stones and lava
enough TO rim two Panama Canals. or more
than ico.coCo cubic yards of this heavy ma
tcrial
Within a month the entire city of Guatemala
was destroyed and many lives lost as the re-
suit of series Of earthquake shocks extending
from December y, 1917 to January e. 1918. when
the most severe shock Of the series shook
down every remaining structure Contrary to
tine quake thnt contributed To tho destruction
Of san salvador, there was no volcanic erup-
The New York herald., 1920-01-25

tana Sakyamouni is that when his body
placed on the funeral pyre it refused to con-
sume by natural means. but after the prieses
had exhausted their efforts flames suddenly
burst from the Swastika inscribed on the sacred
breast and. spreading quickly. deVoured the
body.
1t considered by the HndooS
monogram of Vishnu and silva and passed into
Scandinavia the fylbot Hammer of
Thor. the god of thunder or Jupiter ronans Of
the North. 1t is also said to have been the
sole symbol employed by the Manichean
heretics of the early part of the Christian era.
Gaillard says that of the most striking
characteristics of this symbol is it's universality
The New York herald., 1920-01-25
By FRANK c. HIGGINS, 81, A. A. S. R.

~ AN symbol antedate the philosophy
which it illustrates and which explains
it?s Upon that question hangs the answer
to a problem in archaeology which has
puzzled the wsest heads for generations.
The Riddle Of the Sphinx" is a nursery tale
compared to the Riddle of the Swastika.' No
ancient lore explains it, The Vedas of old
Aryan forefathers allude to it something
already very old. The scrbes who penned those
mighty pages knew il and questioned it not, for
it had always been before them.
AS we re-roll the scroll of history back to its
nebulous beginnings. to the point where, less
and less decision exists and the fantastic
ina sinings of later ages commence to take the
place of faithful contemporary detail we find
the mystic symbol OF the Swastika increasing
instead of diminishing in Importance. We find
il scrawled cliff and cavern wall by per-
ished races which could have known but few
OF the amenities of social life; find il
the crude pottery and earthen sherds of people
10 whom the art of the smith was yet a distant
prospect We find it scratched on. tools and
pots and weapons of bronze and it intrudes it,
self upon the iron age. The commencements of
architecture find the Swastika a rude but un-
mistakable decorative motif wall and INTEL
the glory of architecture its greatest de-
velopment Of grace and elegance finds the
Swastika, singly and the dominant note OF
graceful meanders carved in the glistening
marble of Grecian cornices and pediments or
bordering vast eXpanses of delicate mosaic
paving the courts of temple and palace alike
So much for time, and for place. great
scientist has said that map of the entire habit
able world could be constructed by merely
charting the localities, where the SwastiNaihad
been found to be the Oldest relic of forgotten
ages. Likewise in our day and era the
mysterious Swastika is a favorite charm. Even
those who do not much as pretend to under
stand it are fascinated by its curious perver-
sty y symbol of motion, incessant, resistless.
tireless motion. which almost deceives the eye,
in its insistence to be off and away, the Swas-
tika decorates the tattooed breast of painted
savage. glistens among the trinSets OF semi
barbarism and finds it's way into the fetichism
of twentieth century occult culture. Whence,
how and why? These the queries heard
every hand and newer, till now, adequately
answered
The New York herald., 1920-01-25
Mother Earth Is Warpat When Her Sons Start Caacysn

UENlCO the land of almost constant
~ III social aud political upheaval is being
4 Y i assisted in her work of destruction BY
the powerful forces Of nature. The
latest catuclysm of fire water and violent
dulatous Of the earths crust occurred in the
state Of Vera Cruz. the known dead running
into the thousands while the total human loss
may never be known on account OF the large
nr.a and general wildness Of the devastated
regions Nevertheless this latest combined ar
tnery ana liquid fire attack from the masked
batteries under cover OF the earth's surface is
sure to be listed along with the grent catas-
trophies of this nature all the way from the
distant past up to the present time.
Curiousy enough the very inception OF the
world war seems to have set the Internal
forces Of the earth to renewed efforts in as
serting their importance. Tor less than two
months after. our entrance into the struggle
The city Of San Salvador. Central America was
levened TO the ground by a combined earth
quake shock and volcanic eruption. Scarcely
had the stricken city finished rebuilding its
shattered walls when. on April 2S 1919 still
greater catastrophe visited il and all the re-
ssored houses along with others that had with
stood the previous quake. we're levellcd to the
ground and much greater loss OF lfc resulted.
rhc volcano San Salvador just outside the city
lad been inactive for probably hundreds OF
The New York herald., 1920-01-25
With the Old Greeks.

The association Of the swastiks on count
less specimens OF archaic Greek pottery from
the isles OF the Mediterranean with chequered
or mosaic pavement patterns. is highly signf-
icant, In connection with a hypothesis which
shall attempt to establish as supplying the
one and only tenable reason for all OF the vari-
Gus manifestations which the labor of so
many enthusiastic ssVants permits us 9.
establish.
There are many false swa-tikas or swastika-
only. such as the "triskeles. which the Nor
mans found in Sicily and CARED To the Isle
OF Man. where II is str the symbol some OF
the most perfect rectangular Swastikas ever
found emanate from the Ames lean Indian
mounds. notably the Copper SwasdAas. from
the Hopewell Mound. in Ross county. ohio
found in the vicinity OF a perfectly cubical
altar The North American Indians. who have
for centuries done so and sul erploy the
Swastika extensively as a decorative rnosif
either carved painted or in quill or bead work
admirably preserved the tradition of the rec-
tangular Swastika. Professor schliemann's
personal testimony is that 'the swas,ika may
be found in nearly all countries of Europe and
many OF Asia We see them. rays ne. on
ops Island. near Kengswaidc. on the right
bank OF the oder. well vase found
al Reichersdorf. near Guben. whole row or
them may be seen around the famous pulpit
of ST Ambrose at Milan. The sign occurs a
thousand times In the Catacombs of Rome
We find II very frequently n the wall paint
ings of Pompei. even than 100 times IN
the so-called street of Vesuvius We see II IN
three rows. and. thus repeated. sixty times
upon an ancient Celtic funeral urn found al
Shropham. In the count of Norfolk. and now
in the British Museum. II is found very often
ancient Athenian and Corinthian vase and
exceedingly frequent on the jewels, on the
coins OF Leucas and Syracuse and In the large
mosaic in the royal palace garden a. Athens
Notwithstanding all this wealth of varied in-
forma tion. which constitutes the SNastiks
one of the best known. not 10 profane u by
saying most common. of emblematic figures
II has remained to this day entirely inidenti.
fled Even Professor Wilson. following upon
all his painstaking research work. was able To
advance no farther than his predecessors. My
principal opJect." said he. in the preface TO his
admirable book already quoted. has been to
gather and put in a compact form such infor-
nation as Is obtainable concerning the Swas-
tlka. leaving to Others the task OF adjustment
of those facts and their arrangement into a
harmonious theory. The only conclusion sought
TO be deduced from the facts stated IL as TO the
possible migration of the swastika In pre-
historic times.
NO conclusion u attempted az TO the time or
place of origin of the Swastika. because these
are considered to be lost in antiquity
The New York herald., 1920-01-25
The Eye Is keenest.

When II comes to explaining the derivation
of specific symbols from such considerations.
the eye tells far more than any words are ca
pable of conveying. hence we are dependent
upon several diagrams to exhibit how the
popular chessboard of sixty-four squares Is
blocked out to exhibit graphically the four
seasons twelve months and fifty-two weeks
OF calendar year. the original sixty-four
being the combined value of thirty-six added
To wenty-eight. which, to the ancient seer.
represented the solar and lunar factors
through astronomical correlations Reference
To the manner in which this is done will at
once exhibit the construction of the Sway.ika
as symbol OF the annual solar revolution
The next feature which meets our eve is the
fact that. supposng our Swastka to he en-
dowed with circular notion it's inner corners
perpetually declineate n circle of equal circum-
ference TO the sixty-four divisional square
The manner in which the circles of equal
perimeter and equal area To the same square
and their relation both TO the triangle OF Py-
thagoras and the pyramid structure of the an
cient Egyptians is also exhibited. The second
Swastika, which II The form best known to
the chinese and TO Greek art. divides the
square into iNci. or 80 parts. and by its rev.
olution produces both circles. Another dia-
gram shows that when these two circles are
made concentric. their respective diameters
crossed. give rise to a rhomboidal figure CON
sisting Of two ie-5-s-5. or JHVH trapezoids
which Figures a. the bases OF cones of i7 deg
determine the actual physical structure oil
our solar universe
II II well known fact that the ancient
Hebrews expressed their theological axiom OF
divine unity by writing the neffable name base
to base 50 that upright IL represented good"
and downward evil" as abstract principles
crystsllized in the phrase Thou art the Lord
our JHNH. creating both good and evil" The
final figure shows the association or the good
principle with the months of summer and the
svil with those Of winter. while defining the
zodiacal circle in he relation to the sun in the
centre 81 our system. exactly as the prehistoric
seer Intended to convey. Remembering the
Aryan orisin of not only tho swastika. but Of
al the philosophical principles involved in this
explanation ~ u not difficult now to rccogniz.
In this oldest of human symbols the first exo-
teric emblem - Jehovah. Almighty Cod
The New York herald., 1920-01-25

1.-The straight line the circle, the cross the
triangle are simple forms easily made and
might have been invented and reinvented in
every age of primitive man and in every quar-
ter of the globe, each time being an inde-
pendent invention, meaning much or little,
meaning different things among different peo-
pie at different times among the same
people; they may have had no settled or
definite meaning. But the Swastika was prob
ably the first to be made with different in
tention and continuous or consecutive mean
ing, the knowledge of which passed from per-
son to person, from tribe to tribe, from people
to people and from nation to nation. until, with
possibly changed meanings, it has finally cir
cled the globe"
So science leaves the Swastika suspended like
Mahomet's coffin between heaven and earth
without sponsor, guardian or interpreter,
II is noteworthy, and have referred to the
fact in my article the Operative Masonic
Guilds, that the Swastika as representing the
Great Bear" is Operative Masons symbol
1t is also emblem of the Theosophical So
ciety. in connection with the Hexagram the
Crux Ansata or Key of Life" and the serpent
OF eternity. All of which point to the proba-
biity of its being Jehovistic symbol of tre-
mendous antiquity. One of the best tests as
to whether n symbol have had a given
significance in the past is to endeavor to collate
il with that significance in the present We
have already seen the Swastika to have a very
pointed reference to the Supreme Being and in
dicative in India of philosophy closely re-
sembling that of the four Cabaistc worlds Of
c'nanation Its four parts suggest the four
letters or numbers OF the "Tetragrammaton"
Its peculiar shape is Enthusiastically a suggestion
of cyclic progression We have also seen its
frequent association with the chess board
squares of ancient divination. What can the
arch ancient chess board tell us of the
Swastika?' All such games chess, checkers
dice, &c. which have been played in almost
Identical fashion for thousands of years and
many archaeological remains of which. well
known to antiquarans. are the remains of old
priestly methods OF divinaton. combining as
does modern Masonry. a modicum of genuine
science with much mysticism