Evening star., 1940-05-17
Early Americans
A Race Of Einsfeins,
Scientists Told
Moyun Culture Was
100 Years Ahead of
Europe's, Is Claim
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

oy xNONVh0 NJ 11klN ~ L.
A. new "time scale" for human
occupancy of the New World and
evidence that the ancient inhabi-
tants Of Yucatan and Guatemala
were q race of Einsteins and Newtons
was presented before the Eighth
American Science Congress here
yesterday by DR.. H. j. Spinden Of
the Brooklyn Museum.
In the midst of discussion of evi-
dence that man first came to North
America as much as 10000 years ago
when the mammoth and the giant
sloth still were the dominant ami
mails of the country, DR.. Spinden
declared that human beings had
been on the continent not more
than 1900 years at the utmost. The
fact that spear points have been
found closely associated with man.
moth and sloth bones, he said, only
means that these animals survived
to a relatively late period.
The early Americans, he stressed,
had culture from the first cor
responding to that of the new stone
age OF Europe. This. he said, orig
mated In the old world not more
than 10000 years ago. The develop
ment in the Western Hemisphere
was extremely rapid, he stressed,
finally Towering in civilization in
some ways far superior to anything
produced in Europe or Asia.
1880 Years Ahead of Europe.
Thus, he said, the Maya astron-
omers had knowledge of the move
ments Of the planets, celestial me-
chanics and astronomy in general
which was more than 1850 years
ahead of that of European astron-
omers and mathematicians.
In 500 AID, DR.. Spinden stated,
the Mayans had reached better
mathematical values for the periods
OF the revolutions of the planets and
other astronomical constants than
had been determined by European
astronomers in the year 1750 AID.
For example" DR.. Spinden stated,
ut has been found that on March
Z. 481 AID, the Mayans counted for
ward 34,100 tropical years, giving the
number Of days in each year with an
accuracy much greater than our
Gregorlan calendar. For the same
period we have to correct our CAL
endar by seven days. This correc-
ton. OF course. would be much
greater for the Julian calendar.
THE Mayan astronomers also
calculated the period OF the revolu-
tions Of the five visible planets with
much greater accuracy than the
European astronomers in the year
1850" Isaac Newton died in l727.
Used Empirical Methods.
'"The Mayans," DR.. Spinden stated.
"had a superior technique for get
ting at the facts. They employed
the modern empirical methods IF
science that European scientists did
not arrive at until after Calico and
Newton"
The earliest Maya date, DR.. Spin
den said,, Is 752 BIC. This was
recently authenticated by Dr.. Ar
most Dittrich Of Prague. We can
thus, he said, 'sink q shaft Of
evidence" for civilization in North
America to 1882 years from 1910.
AL the other evidence, DR.. Spin
den declared. points to the arrival
OF man In America from Asia some
1000 years ago, or about 1000 to
$500 BIC. The skulls in the region
around Lake Baikal, in Siberia,
according to DR.. Ales Hrdlcka.
are identical with those of the
present-day Indians. The earliest
artifacts found in America cor
respond with those that were used
IN the Baltic regions in Northern
Europe in the Neolithic Age, some
5000 B.C.. and reached Siberia in
the late neolithic, about 1000 BIC.
once man arrived in America.
DR.. Spinden said, he created his
own agriculture with new plants
and crops in his original method,
and fashioned his tools through his
own inventive methods. We find
IN the Mayas a recapitulation of
civilization on entirely original
principles.
The evidence, according to DR..
spinden, is not compatible with the
claims OF the proponents of the So
called Folsom Man of New Mexico.
maintaining that man came to
America as early as 10000 to 10000
years ago.
DR.. Parran Speaks.
Surg. Gen. Thomas Parran of the
Public Health Service told the con-
eress that the message of Presi-
dent Roosevelt urging that the Ma
ton be physically tough and NOR
ally strong" means that public
health preparedness must become
. vital part of the general national
defense program.
DR.. Parran, who is chairman of
the Public Health and Medicine
Section Of the Scientific Congress,
complimented the Resolution Com
mittee of the congress for the con-
sideration it had given to the i'm
mediate and urgent problems Of
health preparedness in the American
Republics.