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About The monitor. (Omaha, Neb.) 1915-1928 | View Entire Issue (April 28, 1917)
The African Origin of Grecian Civil ization Speech of George Wells Parker, De livered Before the Omaha Philo sophical Society, April 1, 1917. (Continued.) Permit me now, ladies and gentle men, to show definitely the debt which Greece owes to the Minoan and My cenean civilizations. Crete, as I have said before, appears to be the center from which the Mediterranean culture radiated. It is the “Mid-Sea Land,” a kind of half-way house between three continents and its geographical position makes it the logical cradle of European civilization. It is near the mainland of Greece, opposite the mouths of the Nile and in easy com munication with Asia Minor, with which it was actually connected in late gelogical times. As I mentioned be fore, the civilization expanded in every direction and at the time of the conquest it had firm hold upon Greece, apeparing at Mycenae, Tiryns, The bes, Oroehomenos, and other places. That some vanguard of Aryan immi grants came into contact with this culture at its climax is plain from the evidence furnished by Homer. That they mingled with the inhabitants is certain. The later onrush about 1200 B. C. destroyed in part the civiliza tion found there, but fortunately there was not utter destruction. These rude people realized the difference between their savagry and their enemies cll ture. They, too, merged with the in habitants and formed the Grecian peo ple of historic times. This amalga mation is clearly apparent in the Gi eeks today and because of it Count de Gobineau has called their ancestors half-breeds and mulattoes. Note, also, if you will, that Greek genius burned brightest in those parts of Greece where the Minoan elements were most thoroly planted. If you should inquire the source of the Minoan civilization I would first call your attention to the fact that Herodotus attributed much of the Grecian civilization to Egypt, and secondly to the opinion expressed by Sir Arthur Evans in his presidential address before the British Associa tion last fall. “My own recent in vestigations,” said he, “have more and more brought home to me the all per vading community between Minoan Crete and the land of Pharoahs. When we realize the great inbedtedness of the succeeding classical culture of Greece to its Minoan predecessor the full significance of this conclusion will be understood. Ancient Egypt itself can no longer be regarded as some thing apart from general human his tory. Its influences are seen to lie about the very cradle of our civiliza tion. The first quickening impulse came to Crete from the Egyptian and not from the Oriental side.” Herod otus has been called the father of lies, but at this late date we again see him vindicated in a conclusion reached by the greatest living authority upon classical archeology. Before closing I wish again to en force the fact thatt the ferment cre ating the wonderful Grecian civili zation was pre-eminently the ferment cf African blood. Take all the arch eological facts of the last fifty years and read them up or down, across or diagonally, inside and out, and this fact rises into your mind like a Ban quo that will not down. Historians may distort truth and rob the African race of its historical position, but facts are everywhere throwing open | the secret closets of nations and ex posing ethnic skeletons that laugh and jest at our racial vanities. The Aryan savages of Europe came down upon Greece, found there a great civiliza tion, merged with the inhabitants and builded a greater. The all but savage Euiopean of the Dark Ages knew j nothing of culture save what had been taught him by the Roman legions, the heirs of the Mediterranean civiliza tion. This little was almost forgot ten until religious fanaticism started the Crusades and brought them into contact with the civilized refinement of the Arabians, Moors and Saracens, likewise peoples in whose veins flowed the fiery ferment of African blood. If, as Sir Arthur Evans declares, that classical students must consider ori gins and admit the ancient Grecians of African descent, so must they go a bit further and admit the Rennais sance to have sprung because of con tact between feudal Europe and Af rican Mohammedism. Again we must admit, no matter how bitter the taste, that the mixed race has always been the great race—the pure race always the stagnant race. One potent rea son for the possible downfall of Euro pean civilization today is the fact that tiie Aryan element has proven incapa ble of the mighty trust. It has for gotten the everlasting lesson of his tory that mergence of distinct types means the perpetuation of national ism. The sole tenet of Europe has been the domination of the world by the Caucasian and suddenly it discov ers that the term Caucasian is too narrow to include both Saxon and Teuton. Hence a war for the exter mination of both. The end of the world is not near and the dream of a millenium is equi distant. The sum of all that is past is but a prelude of that which is to come. It has taken the brute a myriad of years for his gaze to reach beyond them. Civilization is a mix ture of dictions and contradictions and none of us today is sure that we know just what it means. Through all there yet remain: “Those first affections, Those shadowy recollections, Which, be they what they may, Are yet the fountain light of all our day,— Are yet the master-light of all our seeing,— Upholds us, cherish and have powers to make Our noisy years seem moments in the being Of Eternal Silence. I close with the hope of a time when earthly values will be measured with a justice now deemed divine. It is then that Africa and her sun-browned children will be saluted. In that day men will gladly listen with open open minds when she tells how in the deep and dark pre-historic night she made a stairway of the stars so that she might climb and light her torch from the altar fires of heaven, and how she has held its blaze aloft in the hall of ages to brighten the wavering footsteps of earthly nations. CAPTAIN DAVIS RELIEVED Wilberforce, O.—Captain Benjamin O. Davis, U. S. A., has been with diawn as military instructor at Wil berforce university and will be sent to the Philippines. TRIAL DATE SET Chicago.—The trial of former Al derman Oscar DePriest, indicted for alleged connection with the “graft ring,” will begin on May 15. THE WEST WANTS 5,000 MEN The Monitor can give employment to 5,000 Colored men in and around Omaha. We want 500 for packing house work. Wages from 25 to 60 cents per hour; average fifty-five hours per ueek. Fair treatment and good chances for promotion. 100 freight handlers at 20 cents per lour, eleven hours. 100 smelter laborers at 2714 cents per hour, eight hours. 100 railway shop men at 25 cents per hour, nine hours. 300 laborers on contract work, 25 to 35 cents per hour, ten hours and reasonable work. 2,000 men wanted for railroad .vork, $1.50 to $2 per day. Cooking amps and bunk cars. Excellent : hance to save. A great number of men wanted to work on farms, $25 to $40 per month, board and lodging. Work for hundreds of women in do mestic lines. This is a bonafide list and The Monitor has a place for you before you leave the South. We want all rood, substantial people here, and for that reason we send an application blank to every person. After appli ation is received we acknowledge the same and if applicant can pay his own fare we instruct him at once. If he cannot application is placed on file and as soon as companies ad vance transportation he is sent for. Only those who send applications are considered, because it is the only way | ■ve have of getting the information we require. When writing for application blank HE SURE TO ENCLOSE POSTAGE FOR REPLY, otherwise the letter will not be answered. Address all letters to GEORGE WELLS PARKER, Business Manager of The Monitor, Omaha, Nebraska. i TAILOR Chas. J. Smith Successor to H. Livingston ' Having worked for Mr. Living ston for the last year, I can as sure his customers of the same quality of work that he did. Your work respectfully solicited. Suits made to order for $25.00 and up. Cleaning and Dyeing. Douglas 7501 103 So. 14th St. ....... . ... I. A. Edholm E. 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