| Show ANCIENT civilization IN AMERICA THE christian at work has an article on the above named subject which will be of interest to a large number of our readers who have paid considerable attention to the discoveries in modern times of the relies relics of nations that have existed on this continent and have passed away or whose remnants are to be found in the present savage tribes that roam the wilderness or dwell in eaves caves or are grouped in the pueblos to be seen in various parts f the west or are mingled as in mexico with other races we therefore copy the article as follows the report re 0 A of the explorers searching fo for r mexican antiquities in the state of chiapas opens up a chapter an interesting and fas cinal ing as any rolled off the pen of the late E G squier according to the report in question a brief synopsis sis only of which is made public the claim for an earlier advanced civilization in america is every way confirmed among other things we are told that a fine broad paved road built by prehistoric inhabitants has been traced from donala down into guatemala and thence in a curve up again into mexico terminating at palenque all along this road are still to be seen the remains of ruined cities and a careful estimate of the population of these places is about thirty millions 0 on th that a t 1 part A of the road near palenque lenaye tre the ruins are of great magnitude houses four and often anve five stories high have been found in the depth ol of the forest many of these houses bouses are pyramidal in form and so covered are some of them with vegetable mould that large trees are growing from the roots in some of the houses great employment has been made of stone beams of tre weight and the architecture indicates a high degree of scientific attainments in some houses visited bronze lamps have been discovered and the interior and exterior mural decorations of the more important houses consist con tai st of pa panelling 8 filled with elaborately carved figures almost life size two types of men and women being plainly plainly represented some plainly egyptian and others genuine aari cars in front of one of the houses the explorers found 15 sculptures of gods with folded arms the work of exploration was one of extreme difficulty owing to the density of the forest and the unwillingness of the indians to enter the ancient edifices they averring that the buildings were inhabited by spirits another discovery disco ery was that ln an enormous paved road extends from palenque across yucatan to the island oi cozumel Co zumel and is continued on the island palenque explorers assert that they have discovered in the edifices before mentioned examples of a perfect arch one explorer is a scientifically trained man from india and by his account the region from chiapas Chia pasto to yucatan must have been the seat of a densely populous nation the publication in full of this report will be awaited with deep interest america has not been explored to the extent that could have been desired and yet the names of lewis and clark squier uter valentini roque baldwin jackson ackson short bartlett morton and others are well known in ahlf department of archaeological research whether or not the north american continent is the older sociologically as well as geologically as has been claimed it is certain a high civilization has gone down before the resistless march of time the fittest in this instance and in many others has certainly not survived it will be a good work accomplished complis hed when the explorer shall open up to us ruins which still elude the eye of men and they shall be permitted to tell their iliad of times long past and a civilization which may not suffer from comparison with those of the nile valley or the euphrates the iliad which the uncovered ruins of this continent will tell will be necessarily incomplete the rocks and inscriptions the evidences of the presence of civilized man in early times and the proofs that the older nations were overpowered aver powered by less enlightened but more savage foes will all combine to prove the fact of that ancient civilization in america which so many travelers explorers and philosophers unite in Je declaring claring but the history of that extinct people their origin and the causes that led to their obliteration from the earth must ever remain but fragmentary unsatisfactory and speculative unless some more definite means of information can be obtained we have pleasure in the knowledge that this much needed information tion is at hand but it comes in such ou h a shape and from such sources 3 a that hat the wise after this world reject 1 e at it almost without investigation it caime c aims to have been revealed by divine power that settles it with the majority in this age of skepticism it is not in their view worthy ofa of a thought andretto and yet yetto to those who receive it as it comes it affords a complete elucidation of the mystery that hangs over this western world i and supplies the want that is felt by all students of this important subject the book of mormon gives full and consistent data concerning the settlement of this land by people from the eastern continent des dea bribes their manners customs architecture religion and govern ment it relates their wars wan and the 4 thereof their migrations divisions places of habitation the natural and other disturbances that changed the face of the countr country yi and gives particulars of the downfall of the civilized nations and the causes which led to the predominance of the progenitors of the present tribes of savages if it were not so much mingled with religious doctrine and sentiment it could not fall fail to interest the student of american archaeology but this is the stumbling block in t the way of the and the barrier to his information on the sub eject that chat occasions so much inquiry and yet the religious portion is an essential part of the work and cannot be eliminated it supplies the yaw no for the whole literary production and must be read with the rest in order to comprehend any part of it all the discoveries that have been made of the character described in the article we have reproduced serve to corroborate the testimonies in the book of mormon and it is really remarkable that the learned of the age have not carefully examined it and made critical comparison but the word of the lord is fulfilled concerning its coming forth for he said the wisdom of their wise men shall perish and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid |
