Evening star., 1931-12-29
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
/. C.. NJ.
THE ADVENTURE OF MANKIND. BY
Eugen Georg. Translator, Robert
Bek-Gran. New York: E. P. Dutton

|
partaking, this Adventure of Mankind -
Not easy, however, to make the. blend of
self with the vast body of humans,
roundabout and to rearward. For the
task nov concepts must be gained.
Imagination must be stretched to its ut
most. Credulity, even, must be opened
to it's widest.
The business of such sef-identifica-
ton with the whole demands a new
time scale. Calls for ages, cons almost,
to expand the few millenniums already
in hand. For the undertaking, too, zones
of climate must be reset. Lands and
seas must be rearranged.
The new historian heading this par
ticplar expedition is the modern archie
ologlst, burroWer among buried civiliza-
| tlons, restorer of ancient cultures. His
apocalypse, the revelation of scientific
realism of demonstrated fact,
Beside this one, the conventional sur
face historian becomes the diarist, the
annalist, reading something like the
daily paper, or at most like a Quarterly
Review. They meet different purposes.
Education, as such and SO far, serves
to create shut-ins. The backyard, the
front street, county and parish, prov
ince and state, these set the borders
of vision and instruction. In the scheme
Of modern education patriotism has
become, in essence, q fetich set high.
Yet, in effect, patriotism is but battle
cry, a call to arms.
Bunker Hill, Waterloo Marathon, and
the rest, are but cherished registers of
bloodshed and death-to the young ones
out in front. High heroes are but
clanktng men-on-h n-horseback, superyis-
ing the slaughter.
Nationalism is but a system of RI
yalry and emulation, countrywide. in
the field of materialism. International
ism, only a safeguarding expedient
against possible, and quite probable, as
sault and siege from the enemies all
roundabout.
Education is quite engrossed in these
matters Of public sentiment, duty,
citizenship and SO on.
The product of this modern system
average man or woman, knows Just
nothing at all about the millions upon
millions Of humans, just like himself
gathered into ancient communities not
essentially different from the familiar
cities under his eyes. He does not
know of these widely separated peo-
pies, separated by time and place, who
rose to power and distinction and then
succumbed to one or another of the
forces of life. Natural forces, maybe
Imposed tyrannies and eXtinctions, as
likely
1t Is the modern archeologist who
today is telling us the astounding story
of mans adventure in life. Under the
jungle growths of Yucatan, all through
Central America and in many parts
of South America, old cities are being
! found and brought into the open
Cities built in grandeur and in archi-
tectural science, with art decorating
| the temples and other structures
Painting, ceramics in tile and pottery
and mural adornment still deciphera-
BILE. Irrigation systems, efficient anc
Serviceable. Among the Mayans a cal.
endar as exact and comprehensive az
the one that came in yesterday tc
meet our New Year. Warning peoples
these, too, like us. Religions of theil
own, besides. To be sure the gods ot
these ancient races Mayan, Tarascar
and others, demanded their due meec
of innocent blood" And human sac.
rifice was common. A wicked anc
heathenish practice from the higf
ground where we moderns stand. Anc
| yet, and yet, names obtrude-Chateau
| ThieTy, Verdun, the Marne. A va
garious and unfair obtrusion.
|. So let us on with the ancient peo-
Piles who, under cultures not SO unlike
our own, lived their little days much
as we are doing. Long before Colum-
bus, long before the marauding ano
destructive conquistadores these thriv-
ing races existed to the south and
besides. And, right here, we smile q
| bit shamefacedly at our own easy dis
position of the Indian, the savage
red man." We laugh yet over his
rites and ceremonies, his poWwoWs and
| other rituals, ignorant of the long
| lineage of these as propitiatory to the
old gods of ancient races.
And we marvel at strange likenesses
of word, or custom, among peoples
separated by half the earth around
A case in point, "the soft, lisping
Chinese sound of certain old Mayan
words" Then the archeologist in
| tributionS much different from the
ones of which the modern geography
tells That there were island cross
ings where now only vast and turbu-
lent seas intervene.
Climatic zones too, have changed
places, accounting for certain misfits,
here and there, in the flora and fauna
of a region
The story Is absorbing, engrossing-
chiefly, I take it, because it is our own
story, chiefly because we, too, are on the
way to an issue no different from the
ancient issue. Sitting in, are we, upon
the most stupendous drama of time.
Eugen Georg is German scientist.
an archeologiSt, who in both sympathy
and knowledge tells the epic tale to US
in simplicity that is dramatic beyond
appraisal If here we localiZe the main
movement bit to meet the high activ-
| lty at present in our own country, that,
am sure, can be overlooked.
This book of learning separates into
two parts. The first one through the
perspective of remote periods consid-
erS the ASiatic movements OF conquest
and great kingdoms and mighty pow
ers. The Decline of the Orient" opens
tie ages of decay and ruin. Here the
Tragedy of the American Indian" has
place, story near and importunate to
Americans. Then follows "a Short
bodies the Hypothesis of Atlantis" of
that capturing island lying off the
shores of Europe, on the one hand, of
America on the other. The "actuality"
Of Atlantis follows the theory concern
ing this elusive 'lost continent" Here
IS pictured the work of floods, of land
subSidences, of glacial reconstructions
and, finally, picture of the denizens
Of the lost island, story of the At
lantides. Fascinating, either as fact or
fable; inspiration to Plato and many
another of lesser vision and power.
And beyond this period of the Allan
tides, coming this way we meet our
selves, modern man. The American,
when he arrives at this distinction, is
puzzled at many point over likenesses
between the Old World and the New,
SO widely separated in space and time.
And the bewilderment fades, in meas
ure at least, over the theory of a Sunken
Atlantis, breaking off into distinct units
that which before had been united
earth area. If we could push America
and Europe together as We can the
parts of a broken bowl, the mysteries
OF geology, plants, animals, human