The Washington times., 1922-05-14
By j. r. THORPE.


"HE age of the earth seems
to form the key, in lieu Of
- better data, to the solution
Of the antiquity of man upon this
western hemisphere.
Personally, have no objections
10 the fanciful supposition that
man existed a million years ago
or to America as having been the
original Garden of Eden.
1t would be instructive to know
that Egyptian civilization was born
in America and carried by a migra-
tory race across the mystic Allan
tis of Plato into Egypt, where,
some $4,000 years later-or why
not, indeed, ESQ, 900 years, since the
world is as old on it's one side as
II is on it's other, be. It round or
flat-the descendants Of these fore
runners Of civilization set to work
TO perfect the early culture Of their
forefathers brought decades Of
miIlenniums earlier to the Nile
valley.
To rob Egypt Of her proud claim
Of being the cradle of mans primi-
tive traditions by placing mans
first abode in Central America
would be injustice to the latter
were this true. But we are schooled
into believing that the lands Of
the worlds most ancient civiliza-
tions are Egypt and Babylonia.
Archaeologists dispute which OF
these Is the older.
CHOSE THE NILE VALLEY.
With the theory that America
is the motherland Of the human
races, those holding this view do
not lack fabric for weaving imagi-
nation, and since Babylonian civili-
zation Is contemporaneous with
Egyptian culture, possibly this
early American migratory race
had separated, as did Abraham
and Lot, for a similar reason. the
dominant, in his selection OF the
Nile valley, while the other pushed
forward until he came TO the
fertile valley Of the Euphrates.
The slmilarities and identities Of
Egyptian and Babylonian culture
possibly could be adduced in favor
Of such a contention. Long before
the perfection OF their primitive
civilization Atlantis was engulfed
but it appears that the priests OF
Sais had some knowledge OF this
island continent with its S4,ooo,oo0
of inhabitants, and since America
Is the original Garden Of Eden.
according to certain scholars, 1t
follows that Atlantis must have
been populated by this original
race. hut whether before or after
they had planted American civiliSa-
ton on American and Asiatie
shores our erudite scientists do
not say.
= Now. we would be less in
clined to discredit learned opin'
ion in such matters were there
ANYTHING like an approach to
consensus OF opinion among those
whose memories can recall the
aim and far distant past, but
as there Is not. fail to see
the true philosophy OF all their
disclosures as to the age or
man or of this or that prehistoric
American ruin accidentally dis
covered buried in the debris OF
time or found as the result OF
archaeological Investigations.
I fail, I say. to see the scien-
tific value Of their amazing state
ments. for certainly these ruins.
together with ascertainable facts,
do not suggest to the layman
and archaeologist alike as having
existed for even a millennium and
can Just as well be 500 years old
as 10000, with every deducible
evidence in all cases against
the greater antiquity.
MUST PROVE STATEMENTS.
Until there is a closer chrome.
logical agreement among scien.
lists there can be no acceptance
OF fanciful and extravaRant con-
lectures. Scientists must prove
their statements or at least show
reasons for attributing such great
antiquity to their findings, and
unless they do they cannot hope
to arouse confidence in learning.
Scientists should know this. Bet.
eer first gather all possible data
before venturing conjectures and
the world will have information
worth while.
In an interesting article which
appeared in a recent Sunday is.
sure OF The Washington Times,
Or. w. II. Ballou breaks out
once more with his wonderful
dreaming. We are indebted to
him for the first name OF an
American emperor Of a race, he
informs US. which lived 250,000
years ago. Bravo! Why not a