The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-05-23
OUR OLDEST RACE
Garrett P. Serviss Writes on the Strange People
Whose Language Puzzles the
World of Science.

conquered the Cro-Magnons and
then to have adopted their langu-
age, as has often occurred when a
strong race has overcome . more
civilized ONE, But this theory il
confesscdly based upon very slender
foundations.
As to the origin OF the race, there
IL an even more romantic sugges-
ton. inamuch a. II would make
the BasQues the living descendants
OF the survivors of tho greatest
catastrophe Qf 1t really occurred)
that ever overlook mankfnd-ehe
swallowing up by the ocean OF the
storied continent Of Atlantis.
There II . native pride, an Unborn
dignity and Q distinction Of bearing
that every one notices In the true
Basques which seem to speak OF a
former long rnaintained and high
destiny. and this, at least, would
accord with the character that
Plato drew Of the inhabitants of
the lost Atlantis In his picture Of
their splendid empire and civilization
That empire. the priests of Egypt
told Scion, was at the height OF its
power 5000 years before his $50
about IL 900 years ago.
Atlantis Is said to have sunk be-
meath the waves when it's people
were At the highest pitch of power
and splendor. But before the catas-
trophe its armies had made con-
quests in western Europe, 30 that
the Spanish peninsula. the Canary
Islands, and the northwestern part
NJ hA
uous to the sunken continent, might
naturally have contained settlers
from Atlsntis at the time when IL
was overwhelmed. and, significantly
enough. these are just the places in
Europe which now contain people
differing from all the other inhapi-
tants of that continent BY the pos
session of the racial peculiarities
that characterize the BasqueA
However, this theory. like that
about the origin of tho Basque Ian
guage with the Cromagnons, 10 not
much more than q guess Means
do not at present exist for either
proving 1t or disprovins IT. An
other theory IL that the Basques
represent the ancient ~Ibernians"
found by the Romans and Greeks
in Spain, but that is merely to sub
stitute one name for another.
THE LANGUAGE
The language Is Of the kind called
aggultinative, in which words are
built up by sticking together in
stead OF by modification of form
as in infected languages Some
regard 1t as having a slight gram
NAUTICAL resemblance to Magyar and
Finnic languages. 1t 10 said to be
difficult for a foreigner to acquire,
although the Basques readily learn
other languages 1t has no graph.
and in writing or printing the Ro-
man characters are used It's
printed books do not date back Of
the middle of the sixteenth century.
As already remarked, the Basques
are noted for their conservatism.
their racial pride and their per-
sonal self-respect They long ago
adopted Christianity, and all that
Is known Of their ancient pagan
religion indicates that 1t was very
simple character. Ignatius de 10y
ola and Francis Xavier were both
Of Basque descent
II is believed that there are not
above six or seven hundred thou
sand Basques now living in the
world, of whom at least f3ve-sixths
inhabit the old mountainous lands
OF their race, while most of the
others have emigrated to Argen-
tina