New-York tribune., 1922-12-18
Indian Aiding
Sayant's Search
ForLost Tongue
u.lp. Him TO Read Hero
aI,phics Of Race Whose
ci,ies Formerly Dotted
Yucaian and Guatemala
Reached High Civilization
B.tOrds speech on ''Kyma-
graph" in Effort to I'm
rsyeI Americans Secrets

ra,sLoTrEsyIJLE. vss nce, u
So. Associated Press).-RsstOrs'
80. ALMOST forgotten language,
- a. aid Of az ynedressed' neasly
m,,.r,s. s.ls-,susAt. fuii-sloedse In
I,s from the highlAaSs Of G0sssnsiS'
s,,n1 undertakes by Dr. .Wiills"
80. % Charlottesville. The Indian
I, ouiehe, ana his language Waisa
,.r,toforo rsvtr hsd b,sn iAoTo0gaiy
..rS,ss s.ars sAc same name. Tho
,,ss and tongue sfe OSsaoo.s o. The
.rr,,st Nayes. vhose high eivilitsuch'
-. r,o.s advanced Of any early Amer
-. ,,osl, dosrshed before the
so,s;.s arrived II. soutA and Central
Arteries.
rs, usyss taiii mtrvclloor c.tie',
,.,.1.. ard temples, the ruins Of
.-l,eb Sos Yucatau AID cystemsis.
rssr seseendsnts arc The Indians and
ssou class which inhAbIt ths. rcgiea
ts-Say. only ths mountain tribss have
escaped TIE sdvsnco o. eiyilissslon.
Try to Restore Literature f''.
Through the application Of new
.sentisc method which reaches % tho
,oot Of language, DR.. Gates expects %
,,s,ois the deesdsnt tongue, deeipher
sss hitherto unrsvelled soercts Of the
.,slsai Maya bieroelyphie writings
ssd Inscriptions which. have bsfied
sr.seclogists for centories. compile
sscts for the instruction Of the IN.
Ssns and eventually restore tire 1T
sntcYs.
"a hib experiment. the scientist hsu
t..n recording on smoked paper
erlir6ef the vibrations Of stylU1
.,tuss4o py the indisn's VordS spoken
10 4 niouthpieCc. These records srC
rss,srred for study Of tho iasriesto
variaaons OF pronunelstlOn. and a.
rssdy, working with msnuseripto writ
tss IN the indian ton9uee BY the eSrii-
at epanish missionaries. DR.. Gstes hso
fooad a remarkable preservation OF tho
.S .S.;srt soeeeh. The instrument he
u,sd /, known 90 The "kyrasgrsph" or
v,ve writer, and Was invented By All
enjnent French ethnologtst for lang
l,gs ,tudy. Or. Cates was aided by
Jskn p Harrington, cthnoiogist Of ths
gmithsorian fnstitubon. who has
stulitd practically oil North American
Indian Languages.
Indian Educsies Hinself
Probably, ths most interesting
Gestures q Or. Gstss's work is the
indian, Clprisro Alvtrhdo, who es-
listed him. he neyef had written or
read word Until he taught himself 1T
the ars Of twenty-five. he lives Ia The
almost Inaccessible mountains Of Cen.
trsi Ansriss and Is Of the purest blood
dGltsrded from the Msys empire
bppdsss
Dr. Gates. who iu oRsstsF teaerllof
,hs Nstionsl Museum of Caatemala,
hit beer studying the Mays inscfp-
lions and ruins for more than twenty
Years He expects shortly 10 bo aole
% trtnslstS the entire writing systeni
snl ftveal the knouledge and attain
msnts Of the Maya civilization. Alresdy
trsrlI Of the csbslistle symbols hSs,
been read ard II IL expected that ar
snouncement concerning the deeipner'
ias Of great Importance to ethnoiogist'
ssd srehseoloEists Will be Iaeae
sAegtly. =,
Or. Gstes's studies have Sssn d.
rssssd with the visv not only OF de.
CHEERING the Magyar writing, but Of
nakine the ruihs OF thin empire -
finllisr TO lsymen 80 veil ss to scies-
es.s, Is u ancient Egypt Ia fact. he
declared. not only are the T-rin-stucded
Yressan Peninsula and GuGtensla the
1Egpt of America but the Csribbess
SEA is tho American Mediterranean,
snt Il % his hope 20 open the country
10 tourisft