Show beul would ars restore k s t 4 r e ancient tongue ong U e scientist assisted by self indian seeks key to language of quiches HEW N E WWI I 1 METHOD BEING EMPLOYED honea to unravel secrets of maya writings and gions which have baffled sol once enco for centuries charlottesville va restoration or of an almost forgotten language with the ald aid of on an uneducated nearly illiterate self taught full blooded indian from the highlands of Gaute Gaut inala emala Is being undertaken by dr william gates of charlottesville the indian la Is quiche and hla his language lan which heretofore hever had been thoroughly studied bears beara the same name the race and tongue are a re shoots offshoots off of the ancient mayas whose high civilization the most advanced of any early american people flourished before the spanish arrived in south and central america the mayas built marvelous cities and temples the ruins of which dot yucatan and guatemala their descendants are the indians and peon ideon class which inhabit that region today only tho the mountain tribes have escaped the advance of civilization will use now new methods through the application of a new t scientific method which readies reaches to the root of language doctor gates expects to restore the decadent tongue decipher the hitherto unraveled secrets of tho the ancient mayn hieroglyphic writings and inscriptions which have baffled archaeologists archeologists for centuries compile books for the instruction of the indians and eventually restore the literature in his experiments the scientist has been te recording cording on a smoked paper cylinder the vibrations of a stylus actuated by the indians words spoken into a mouthpiece these records are preserved for study of the intricate variations of pronunciation and already working with manuscripts writ ten in the indian tongues by the earll est eft spanish missionaries gates has found a remarkable preservation ot ok the ancient speech the instrument lie he used la in known as the kymograph or wave ind and was invented by an eminent french ethnologist for language study doctor G gates ates was aided by jolin john P ton ethnologist of tho the smithsonian in ution who has studied practically nil all north american indri languages larig nages indian teaches himself probably tho the most interesting feature of doctor gates ark irk Is the indian cipriano alvarado who assisted him tie ile never had written or ar read a word until ho taught himself at the ago age of twenty five Dve he lives in tho the ol at most inaccessible mountains of america and la Is of the purest blonts descended from the maya empire build ers era doctor gaten who la Is director ren gen ernt of the national museum of guate main has haa been studying tho the maya inscriptions script ions lons and ana ruins for more than twenty years As a result of tits his present studies lie ho expects shortly to be able to translate the entire writing system and reveal roveal the ledge and attainments of the mayn civilization already several of the cabalistic symbols have been read and IV itis Is expected that an announcement concerning the deciphering of great importance to ethnologists and archaeologists archeologists will bo be made shortly the fintel success of his extended in doctor oates gates sold said was due not only to tho the uro UBO of tho the kynin kymograph graph in n tits his research but to study of the i grammar of the present tongues and application of tho the rules thus worked out to the writing found in the in script ions |