The Dallas express. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1893-1970, 1920-09-18


that he Is convincing in his arsunent
from the statement Of Mr.. Connolly
that Professor Wiener lie a man OF
wide and profound knowledge, Be-
sides being the professor of Slavic
languages and literature at Harvard
University. he is the author Of "A
Commentary to the Gernanic Laws
and -Mediaeval Documents .'Contri-
buttons Toward a History Of Arablco-
Gothic Culture" History of Tiddish
Literature" HISTORY of the Com
temporary Russian Drama" -Anth DO
gy of Russian Literature" "Interpre-
tation OF the Russian People," He is
an authority on and translator II Toi-
stoi. and contributor to German.
Russian. French. English and Ameri-
You may sur-nise that the profess
s0r Is not man to jump at conclu-
sions. Each statement he makes,
whether In conversation or IN his
book. h backs up with a multitude
Of evidence, mostly pathological, and
altogether beyond the immediate an
derstanding of tn layman.
He turns to his book. talking all
the while. and supplemcnting his con
versattlon with many and enthusiastic
gestures.
''Seel Columbus knewr
He reads.
I'm his journal OF the Third Wy
age Columbus tells us that before
starting for Hisphniola, he was told
by King Juan of Portugal that ships
had come from the coast of Guinea
with merchandise tc the ISLANDS Of
the vest and so he decided first to
go to Guinea TO verify on MS way
the opinion of King Don Juan. and
he wanted to find out what the Indi
ans of Hispaniola had told him, that
there had come to 1t from the south
and southeast Negro people, who
brought those spear points made out
Of a metal which they call 'Ruanin,
Of which he had sent to the king
was found to have in thirty-two
larts, eignteen of gold, six of silver,
and eight of copper There is no es
Gaping from the fact that Columbus
aud that there had been merchants OF
voyages in Hispaniola before MIN.
Facts, Facts, Facts.
you see" fires the. professor as he
turns back a page, Las Casas, com,
menting on the use. OF. the word
'Guanin in a journal OF Columbus,
declares that he does not think VI
Is the name of an island but of that
base gold which, according to the In
dams Of Hispaniola. hnd an cdor foI
which they valued It much. and this
they called "guanin."''
"conclusive-is it not?" asks TIN
professor leaning back triumphally
And then on M he , goes on rS and on
where only the trained might fellow
him But IL isn't altogether neces-
sary to follow him. There is nc
book no invention, so involved and in
truth. does not rest fundamentally on
principles. The professors main prin.
| ciple is paradoxically fact.
Facts! Factsl They are what
/ want. Too much of American arch
eology is built on mere theory. Toe
much of all archaeology. l. am no
| an archcologist l was working OF
| o 'Comparative Grammar of American
Languages--a work which hav'
been preparing for a long time
were very clearly extremely old ant
yet bud been introduced BY European
after the discovery Of America. Thi
set me thinking. ! began to CUES
ton certain archaeological laws tina
! had been determined in regard L
American civilization l went to ar
cheologists | knew They referred me t.
works which ref arrcd to other works
| ! quarrelled with the archeologists
But their rule seemed to be, + tn
! facts contradict the laws, so mucl
the verse; of the facts
The mer, of the old school wer
When tn ~ could find no facts, the.
did not invent a theory. but stoppe'
with conjecture or the expression o
| doubt But the men of today! Man!
| Of them are not good students o
becoming intimate with the Difficult
| language% Most of them are of tn
| Psychic Unity School. the school tha
believes that men being the sam
in examining the relation betweei
enc and another If two pecul
lar customs in two different land
show the same characteristics, for eS
ample. It Is not advisable to exan.i,
both TO see If one came from tn
other Yet the facts would probabl.
show thst the custom N one cctntf,
had preceded or followed the other
The Pipe of Pence.
Ytu should hear the professor sa.
the word "idiotlc." OF course. you
humble interviewer could not tell hoy
| false or true was its application. Blu
he did catch and understand its EN-
! phasis.
They do some good field work. Al
| though Holmes has shown that Two
thirds of the specimens Of Mexican
antiquities in American museums arr
| forgeres they pack their bundles OF
thrir backs and go Down 70 examin,
the Indian graves, They find pip
| buried there immediately they coun
the earth or shell layers over thu
grave and conclude that the CORPSE
was put there so many and so many
Years ago. The pipe Is pronouncet
prehistoric--a wcrd that means moth
ing. That the pipe was the produce
of the Influence of another civili1s-
ton T. not considered. Pipes nav,
been found in Indian graves with
lsculptured figures Of elephants other,
with distinctly European character
istics OF design and workmanship
one with the features Of a Negro
Yet. where are the conclusions that
should come from such facts?
The professor is away again.
He is familiar with a great num-
her of languages---hs quotes some 2ct
&c them in his hook--and exotic words
tumble out here and here. He speaks
rapidly ana with fire. Nc poet en-
raptured with his verse could speak
more enthusiastically than Professor
Wiener over hts work. You would
swear-and you a humble layman---
chat those African were here before
Columbus. that columbus knew they
were here. that the African civili-
sation profoundly affected the civilt-
cation of the Indians that the re-
igiou.s conception of tho eastern
part of North and South America
was Individually moulded to great
extent by the influx of African ideas.
that the Indians did not originate to-
bacco smoking. nor vans. nor sweet
potatoes.
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