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Show A riNE LECTURE Delivered by Pres. Cluff Saturday evening. Nearly 500 people listened to the talk of Prcst. Chill on his recent trip overland to South America at the I). Y.Collego Saturday night. Thospcakcr omitted that part of his Journey from Provo through Mexico to the Isthmus of Tchauntcpec commencing his nara-tivc nara-tivc at Tchauntcpec a city of about 10,000 inhabitants on tho Pacific side of the Isthmus and on the railroad that connects the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean. The speaker narrated his experience in the clty;thc costume of the people etc. Sunday Is the great market day and the town is usually full of people buying and selling their wares. Employees arc forbidden to drink during the week but on Sunday they usually go on a big spree, sobering up so as to resume work on Monday morning. The people bathe often In that region, and the Tchauntcpec river which flows through the town is thronged with people of all grades and conditions In life from morning untill night. FROM TKnAUNTKr-KC the party passed over Into the state of Chiapas and crossed over the mountains and visited San Cristobal the capital of the state and a town of about 60,000 people, mostly Indians. Tills region possesses an almost perfect per-fect climate and a landscape of almost unsurpassed beauty. The valley of San Pedro was especially beautiful and and capable of development to be one of the richest districts in the world, could be made to support a very large population, whereas it now has about twelve families of miserable Indians. From Comltan they made a side Journey to visit THE RUINS OF FALKNQUK nearly 200 miles to the north east of Comltan. Had made this journey on foot but was well repaid fot the trip. The ruined palaces were built on a terrace on the eastern slope of the mountain and must have been magnificent mag-nificent structures in' the days when they were occupied; as it is now some of the rooms arc in a fair state of preservation, pre-servation, but the walls are crumbling away, and mammoth trees arc now growing on the roofs, taking root in the decomposed rocks. Everywhere could bo seen sculptured slabs on which was chiseled representations of human beings and a large number of hieroglyphics. If a key could be found to translate those old writings they no doubt would reveal the history hist-ory of the ancient people, but as It is they cannot be' read, and i he history of the old city and its people remains shrouded In mystery. FROM COMITAN the party passed over into Guatemala and visited the great ruins at Copan. The country everywhere bears evidence evi-dence of its former occupation and everywhere are evidences that it was occupied at different times and by more than one people. Ruined buildings build-ings and mounds arc seen everywhere and indications are that the country was so densely peopled that every available foot of ground was used and cultivated. In Guatemala they passed pass-ed through the district that has recently re-cently been devestated by the volcano of Santa Maria. From Guatemala they entered San Salvador and commenced THE PERILOUS JOUHNKV through the Isthmus. Few men if any have ever accomplished this Journey. Fever infected districts were traversed, raging torrents were crossed, trails were followed that led over dangerous mountains and through tangled tropic forests. Sometimes It was necessary to go down by tho sea coast and wind along its torturous shores; to cross rivers Infested with allgators hungry for human flesh, and when It had all been passed and they came Into an open country again they came near being shot to death by Colombian Insurgents, but they passed pass-ed through it all and came out safely. Tho speaker felt to thank God for their preservation and acknowledge his protecting care over them. FROM PANAMA they crossed to Colon and there sold their animals and took passage for Barranqullla a port at the mouth of the Magdaleim river, the Sidon, tho Nephl ties. At this port they took a steamboat, up the river to Hond a town at the lower end of the Macde- lena valley about 000 miles from Bar-rangullla. Bar-rangullla. There arc rapids at this point that interrupt navigation. It was on the west bank of the river and near these rapids that tho city Zara-hernia Zara-hernia Is supposed to have been built, although no evidences of a great city having occupied tho site has yet come to light, but the natural conformation of tho country agrees exactly with the description given in the Hook of Mormon. Mor-mon. Tho hill on the eastofSldon wheroAlma fought with the Amllcitls Is there, the valley of Gideon also and tho wilderness of Hcrmounts, In Just the relation to each other that the Book pf Mormon claims they were. FROM HONDA they vfent on to Bogata the capital of the country. There they were advised ad-vised by the U. S. Minister to abandon the work of exploration until after the civil war then raging, should cease: this they decided to do and returned home. The speaker exhibited some relics lie had brought back with him, a sort of shawl made by native Indians In-dians at Tchauntcpec. A shell from Cartegcna, and a bone spoon from the Magdalcna. THE RESULT of the expedition was not all that was hoped for it, very little information beyond what was already known so far as the Book of Mormon is concerned, concern-ed, being brought to light. The great benefit will He in the fact that it will awaken ijew interest in the subject that in time will bring forth results. On his trip from Comltan to Palcn-que Palcn-que Pres. Cluff visited the Chiapas rubber plantation in which a number of our citizens arc interested. He says they have 24,000 acres which they are planting with young rubber trees, most of the old ones on the land having been 'killed by the natives. |