Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-01-06
SNln ISLANDS
HOLD MYSTERY
Vanished Races Of South Sea
Prove Z Puzzle; Opinions Dr.
Ter as to Origin.

Tn, National Graphic Magazine
0yo:
The original Inhabitants OF Ocean
ra, enthnclogscAliy considered. natur-
Ally hsaone to, two distinct c'asscs or
divtsIons OF the human family. be-
dnn,ne nrst Of all With the Poly
nssiana comprising the Maor's. SAM
Dana. frjiana and TonEans whose
racial afEsni,iee are still In dispute
In physicai characteristics they are
round headed. narrow nosed. OF
li.ht brown cxfe-au-lai. color, with
round orbits and lank. black hair.
They ara tall and we'll set up.
ON the other hand tho second owl
.,or. known to ethnologists as Mela-
ncs,ans. are long headed. proeo
nosed. OF a sooty black color, with
,ow orbita, black. frissiy hair. ana
are comparatively short OF stature
intellectually they are OF "A lower
oraer man the former class. some
b~,ns cannibals and head hunters.
xavae~ In Primitive State.
In IN. primitive state the Mela-
neaans are savage and not IN
frequently tr~achcrous. In contrast 70
,hes rolynessans who. on the other
hand. are altogether a superior race
os r,,ple. intelligent and capable OF
reaching a high standard OF culture
AZ shown by the positions they nave
sn,ned in the public service IN New
Zealand and Hawaii.
Hut even tho Melsnesians OF the
p~~e~nt. with the exception OF those
comparatively few natives living IN
rc,no,e and isolated inland villages
are not the same class OF people as
those met with In the early oaE o'
missionary enterprise, when pioneer
Ing intercourse wac not always at
tended with freedom from danger te
the white trader. rcoruiter OF iaoo'
or plsnter. Now II II an easy matter
,o land on any OF the islands and dc
6uanea with the natives w5thou'
y4ak Of hostile attack. The Poly
nessan OF today is In poin, OF fact
ke~n trader and fully alive to th'
ADVANTAGES of Western civilization.
reopled by Phceniciansi
Az 10 the origin OF these Paoih
is,andera. opinion differs. II eeini
held by eome authorities that the
have been allied 10 various races IN
Guiding the Arysrs, the American
aNorisines and the Papuans.
In tho writer's view, there can b
no doubt that the islands Of Polynesi
were originally pcopled by Phoenician'
whose migratory influence extended ,
the coast OF Peru. This theory J
strongly supported by the, presence
,h~ numerous cyclopean monument
huse nonoll,hic statues. paved ave
MUGS ana ramparts Of walls OF basal
tic blocks over 30 feet In Length
brought from Grcat distances o
NAsser Island and In the Carolines.
u evident that nons cf The preser
r~c~p could erect euch immense struc
TURF a. these.
Rains . Mystery.
The remarkable ruins Of ancier
ssttlement IN tho Caroline Islands q,
one ~ the mysteries of Poiynesta IN
prohah bly, never will be solved. Whe
4, N considered that some OF n
s,ones forming the walls OF these e,
tena,ve ruins are OF immense size ar
are supposed 10 nave Ne't ti'ee'
from other islands of the group acro'
s,orm-iosaed channels and placed
their present position with precisle
and mastery skill. IT Is apparent th'
all this could not have been done
people akin 20 the present inhabitant
but must have been the handiwork
skilled craftsmen similar 20 the bull
err OF the ancient ruins In Peru al
Mexico and perhaps, also. Africa.
II this view be accepted as ressol
ably sound. we may assume IN
Polynesia formerly was the home OF
civilization that has long since di
appeared and become extinct, leavil
imp~rishable monuments Of skill
craframa nahip on Easter Island a.
the Caroiinea. or else the islande
are dccaden; people.
He this as IL may. the fact renal
sha; those ruins are mystery 10 I
present inhs hitan;s of the Paci
lsiands. who have no knowledge
tho art OF building in stone and q
Ignorant of architecture. apart frC
their own primitive huts.
Even native tradition In singular