| Show A YOUTH ON RELICS OF ANCIENT RACKS BACKS THE arizona gazette publishes an address delivered by george B D christy a youth of eighteen years son soa of col william christy ol of alx at the university of southern california 10 lo bated at los angeles the subject is one of much ln interest and considering the age ot toe lad who delivered the address it is very intelligently treated we therefore present the tract tracei i before columbus indeed I 1 may say ay before the hardy norsemen norseman Nor semen first get et foot on american sol soil tilts this new world bad been the scene of mighty conflicts between civilization find and barbarism it had bad seen seea races and empires rise to power and glory glor y had bad seen them decline and fall leaving no record behind to show what advancement had bad been made it had bad been the seat beat of empires that vied in extent with rome borne herself the proved mistress of the world the remains ot of vast mounds throughout the mississippi valle valley and the tb ruins in arizona and new mexico mexico are vestiges ot these departed races at a remote period one far aute ante dat ing recorded history was the hegt of a great and prosperous nation it supported a dense population and all ajl the country much ol of which is now regarded as a desert was under h ach 11 SAC cultivation even the rocky sterile mountain sides aides were forced to yield their portion of the products of the soil the remains of great canals all over the country manifest this peoples mode ot of agriculture and show their intelligence and industry they were maulers masters of the art arc of irrigation and cultivated far more laud land than their modern successors have been able to re reclaim clatin from the he surrounding waste great reservoirs were constructed to catch the water which during daring the rainy season poured down the mountain sides aides every drop of the prec precious tous fluid was utilized the surveyor survey of their canals was such that modern engineers cannot improve upon it in some cases recent canals have been constructed by re excavate ing those left by the ancient people does it speak well tor for the superior intelligence telli gence of this enlightened age that a nation which became extinct ceni before the discovery of america should even in this line so far surpass uta us who have all the discoveries ot the century to aid us jia in the mountains their houses w were ere built of stone 1 but in the valleys where they were chiefly located of adobe 1 tilts this prevented that chat lavish ornamentation na which characterizes so many ancient nations I 1 but what was lacking in sculpture and embellishment was more than recompensed for by their great sige sie and the solidity of 01 their architecture the exposure to the a elements 11 and the effects of earthquakes tiu akes have long since reduced these adobe structures to mounds of earth there Is however one notable excel tion the cass grande when in 1588 de da vaca first gazed on this ruin its walls walla were four stories in hel height bt SW six all feet in thickness RIB bis glowing account of it induced coro nabo to visit it after two iwo hundred years it was again visited by a jesuits missionary its crumbling walls still measured 40 feet in length and hiet fet in breadth rattling battling with the storms of centuries has Ss rea reduced ced this venerable pile until now it Is is but a shadow of it its former raiji ran deur leur before many more years davd v rolled away it too will be leveled to 0 a 4 hev heap 1 I 1 of earth earb a monument of a departed lep r ic race of its its antiquity nothing is known no n when t the he indians first viewed flowe it it was as silent and desol desolate tae as it Is today many ruins of towns and cities are scattered over the country mr Ur cushing ia 4 now excavating la ir some of these to 4 discover it if poss lole to what race this p people eople belonged his researches hare boe brought to light many interesting in regard to their habits customs and re religion they were very superstitious a ious ong 11 their cities contained many temples aples iq in each of which were altars TAB action of the continual fire upon hese is plainly discernible discernable discern able the common people were cremated the balance of the address is devoted to an explanation of the numerous theories that have been advanced in relation to the origin of the ancient races es prominent among which Is the a one 0 e cou confirmed firmed by the book ol of mormon that it is |
