Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 29, 1915)
THE SEMLWEEKLY TRIBUNE, NORTH PLATTE. NEBRASKA. r BELIEVES IN CHICKENS FACADE OF ffOKWOR'J MLACC i ii n i i tu urn n i rnr Mm niiitin i i m n r r ...v.i i importance In ancient Yucatan wa WHPBWS-m" I HQ? Spanliih conquest. Thin city Is to- i jmmmnunmvimmymmUwmum JMfflgBilMHBMBWift'1 " ' HE second city In point o( size and Importnnco In ancient Yucatan wan Uxmal, the capital of the Xlu or Tutul Xlu family, who ruled thero almost down to tho tlmo of the Spanlnh conquest. This city Is lo cated In tho midst of a low rungo of hills, which crosses tho stato of Yucatan from east to west, and Is about 100 miles from Chlchon Itzn. wrltos Sylvnnus G. Morlcy In Pan Amerlcnn Union, Tho derivation of tho name Uxmnl or Oxmal, as somo of the early historians wrote It, Is rathor obscure. "Ox" Is tho Maya word for threo, and "Mai" In tho same langungo means to pass; "to pass thrlco," theroforo, would seem to ho tho meaning of tho word, though why tho Tutul Xlu should havo applied this name to their capital Is unknown. Concerning tho foundation of Uxmal. tho fol lowing tradition Is rolated by Diego do Landa, tho second bishop of Yucatan, who wroto in tho llrst Bonoration aftor tho conquest, and who claims to havo gathered his Information from na tlvos woll versed In tho fonuor history of their' country: Aftor the discovery and occupation of Chlchon Itza, which scorns to havo been tho llrst placo of any Importnnco to be settled In Yucatan, cities sprang up everywhere, and thero followed an era of groat prosperity. How long theso dir. forent cities livod at peace with ono another wo aro not told, but In tlmo dissensions nroso. and quarrels became so froquont that tho different lords of tho country found it necessary to tnko sorno concorted action In order to suppress vio lonco and to restore order and peace. It was then decided to build a joint capital, whore nil thoao In authority should rcsldo, and from which each ono agreed to administer tho affairs of Ms own particular domain. Without loss or tlmo theso plans were carried out. A Joint capital was built In a new and unoccupied region arid was called "Mayapan," meaning "tho standard of tho Mayas." Thither all tho lords assembled and ns tho final stop In tho formation of the nuw confederacy, an overlord, ono Cocom. was elected and duly Installed In tho now capital as tho supromo ruler. Theso. cucuts laid tho foundation for nn ora of prosperity, which endured for many years. Later, aftor an Intorval not spoclllod by Landa in his history, thoro ontorod tho country from tho south an allon people undor tho leader ship of their chlof, Tutul Xlu. Tho nowcomors previous to their nrrlval, had wandorod Tor 40 yoars In tho wilderness without wntor other than that which had rallon from tho skies. This co incidence of n "40-yoars' wandering in tho wilder noss" is HUinciontly striking to nrouso tho suspl cion that tho worthy bishop, in this part of his narrative, has been at boiuo pains to forco a pious colncidonco with a similar opl3odo in tho Old Testament. Immediately after tholr arrival tho wanderers began building In Urn mountains not 30 milcB distant from tho capital a now homo for thomsolves, which thoy cnllcd Uxmal. Far from being angered, howevor, by this appropria tion of his torrltory so near at hand, Cocom, tho rulor of tho Mayapan, welcomed Tutul Xlu and Ills pcoplo, and entorod into nn alllanco with thorn. Landa thus describes tho event: "Tho people of Mnyapan formed a great friend ship with tho Tutul Xlu, rojolclng to sou that thoy cultivated tho land like thomsolves. In this manner tho Tutul Xlu bocamo subject to tho InwB of Mayapan, and allied thoraselvoa with tho oldor Inhabitants of tho country, and their lord was highly oBtccmcd by nil." Judging from Its size and magnificence the Xlu capital must havo played a vory lmportnnt rolo in tho history of Yucatan before tho Spanish con quest. Indeed, Landa says as much. - Aftor a tlmo, wo nru told, tho supromo power hold by tho Cocom family scemj to have turned tholr hoads. Thoy bocamo Buccesslvoly moro and moro oppressive, each striving to outdo his prodo cossorB In actB of tyranny and violence How ovor, thoro came a day at last whon tho other chlofs of tho confederacy could no longor endure this despotic rulo, and a conspiracy was hatched to overthrow tho opprossor. With ono accord, tho conspirators turned to tho thon lord of Ux mal, a docondent of tho original Tutul Xlu, who had founded the city, as tho natural loader In this movement for liberty, In splto of tho fact that Uo was of foreign deBcont. Ho Ib descrlbod us having boon a true friend of tho public weal, as Ills ancestors boforo him, nil of whom had held resolutely aloof from tho tyrannloB of tho Cocom fumlly. On an appointed day tho conspirators, lod by tho lord of Uxmal, mot at Mayapan, and entering tho palace of Cocom Blow him and all his progeny, save ono son only, who happened to bo absent from the city at the tlmo on a mis fllon to a distant province After this sanguin ary reprisal, which avenged at ono blow tho op pressions of many yoars, tho property of tho dead ruler was seized and divided among his murder ors, and tho capital was dostroyod. Whoroupon each chief departed Into his own country once more and tho confederacy waB dissolved, Aftor tho destruction of Mayapan, tho Tutul Xliy aban doned Uxmal and founded a now capital Borao 30 jnlloB distant which they callod "Manl," meaning In Maya "It Ib paBsod," emphasizing by this namo that tho old ordor waB ovor. Those ovents oc cur about the middle of tho Qftoonth century, or some 70 yoars boforo tho Spanish llrst landed In Yucatan; but oven after tho conquest, tho Xlus In tholr now homo continued to oxcrclso consid erable authority ovor tho natives, and tholr friendly attltudo toward tho Spanish creatly fa cilitated tho final pacification of tho country. Tho ruins of Uxmnl aro best reached today by stage from tho llttlo town of Muna, tho nearest railroad station. A ten-mile drive from tho latter placo brings ono to tho hacienda of Uxmal, from which tho ruins aro about a mllo and a half distant. Tho first view of tho nnclont city Is to bo had from tho top of a hill Just behind the plantation house. Across tho plain a dozen or moro Imposing structures of whlto limestone may bo Boon rising nbovo tho dense vogctatlon which hero enshrouds tho countryside. Beyond, in tho dlstnnco, a ragged chain of low mountains cuts across tho horizon, each succeeding rldgo n doopor blue. But ono does not dwell long on tho beautleB of nature at Uxmal; the habitations of a bygone raco clnlm tho attention. Descending tho hill again, ono takes tho road which leads through tho bush. Tho dlBtant temples and pal acos sink below tho tree tops and for aught that one seos of them they might as woll bo on tho other side of tho world. Aftor a half hour's walk, during which the ruins novor once reappear, tho road suddonly makes a sharp turn to tho right, and Just in front of ono, apparently blocking tho way, thoro rises a lofty pyramid, tho highest structuro In tho city. Tho splendid tomplo surmounting this, gro tesquely cnllod the Houso of tho Dwarf or Ma gician, probably was tho chlof sanctunry of Ux mal, Tho pyramid on which It stands Is ovor 80 foot high and covers nearly an aero of ground. Tho summit Is reached by a Bteep stairway on its onst nnd apparently back side. Tho tomplo however, facos In tho opposlto direction, or to ward tio Monja's quadranglo, nu adjacent group of structures, with which, nB wo presently shall soo, It was closely connected. Clear down Into Spanish times, long aftor Uxmal had been aban doned by her natlvo rulora, this temple was held In partlculnr vonorntlon by tho Indians. About a century after tho conquont, Father Cogolludo, provincial of Yucatan, visited Uxmal and climbed to tho summit of this pyramid. Ho found there, ho snyB, In ono of tho npartmonts offerings of cacno nnd tho remains of copal, burned but a short tlmo boforo. This ho thought Indicated that somo Buporstltlon or Idolatry had boon com mitted horo rocontly by tho Indians of tho local ity. And again, slightly later In 1673, a petition addressed to tho king or Spain Bays: "That tho Indians in thoso places (Uxmal) aro worshiping tho devil In tho ancient buildings which aro thoro, having In them their Idols, to which thoy burn copal and porforra othor do tOBtablo sacrifices." Long after tho conquest, no doubt, tho natives continued to practlco In aocrot tholr ancient rltos and coromonlos, particularly at thoso places which formerly nnd boon snored or holy to them. It waB to somo such survivals of tho ancient coromonlal nnd ritual that tho above cltatlouB probably refer. Tho Monjns quadranglo, montlonod abovo as being adjacont to tho House of the Dwarf, Is, In fact, Boparatod from It only by a small court. Tho four low, masstvo buildings, of which It Is com posed, nro built around tho sides of a squnro, and, with tho exception of tho houso on tho south QO o side, all stand on low plat forms or terraces reached by broad stairways ex tending across tholr fronts. Tho rooms of this group, of which thoro are upward of 100. are en tered for tho most part by doorways opening onto tho terraces which sur round tho court. A few, howover, In tho South house, open exteriorly with reference to the group. This same side of tho quadranglo Is further differentiated from tho othor three, by tho pres ence of an arcade passing through the middle, which leads from the court to the outsldo. This passage way doubtless was tho main entrance to tho group In ancient times, and establishes tho direc tion from which it was approached. Tho four houses of tho Monjas quadranglo differ very greatly In tholr character, and probably In tholr function as well, from tho House of the Dwarf near by. Tho buildings of tho former stand upon low platforms and have man rooms. The latter, on the other hand, surmounts a lofty pyramid and. only has threo rooms. Tho first becauao of the, greater niimbor and accessibility of Its chambers Is bettor fitted for use as a dwell ing placo for a body o priests than the second. Tho second, because of its commanding elevation and fewer chambers, Is bettor adapted for use as a placo of worship than tho first. Tho close connection between the two types so different and yet so complementary strongly Indicates that the priests, who officiated In tho service of tho god to whom the House of tho Dwarf was consecrated, lived in the rooms of tho Monjas quadranglo. Tho two groups, tho lofty pyramid temple and tho low multiplied monastery together form a well-balanced combl nation. Passing out through tho arcade of the South house and leaving the Monjas quadranglo behind, ono descends by threo terraces, partly artificial and partly natural, to tho lovel of tho plain. A fow paces to tiro south may bo soen two largo parallel walls, 70 feet apart, each 128 foot wldo. 30 foot thick, and about 20 feet high. These two constructions are tho Bides of tho Uxmal ball court tho ends being open. In tho center of each at ends directly opposlto thoro had been fastened originally a groat stono ring four feet In diameter. Both ot theco, howover. aro now broken, and llo in rragment3 at tho bases ot tholr respective walls. Beyond tho ball court thoro Is a high terraco or platform, covering over threo ncres of ground, and rising 23 foot abovo tho plain. This supportB a socond and flmnller terraco, 19 feot high, from which rises tho Bo-callcd governor's palace tho most magnlllcont oxnmplo of ancient American architecture extant today. Behind the governor's palaco, nnd on tho tower of its two terraces, is tho so-called House of tho Turtlos. Another vory important building at Uxmal Is tho House ot tho Pigeons, so named becauso ot tho fancied rescrablanco of Its roof crest to a dovecot Tho structures described abovo aro by no moans all that remains of this ancient city. Truth Is that tho junglo on every sido for somo llttlo distance hides tho wrecks of onco Imposing build ings, tholr presence now only to bo detected by clumps of vegetation rising slightly higher thnn tho general lovel ot tho plain. These buildings and their substructures havo been literally torn asundor by trees which havo driven tholr roots Into them and pried apart tho masonry. Creep ors, vines, nnd buBhos havo so overgrown tholr sides that thoy look llko wooded hlllooka, Only on closo examination doos tholr real character np pear, and It remains for tho Imagination to re construct tholr former glory. But all this nnclont llfo, this great city onco teeming with Kb tolling thousands, is gone. Palaces and temples glisten In tho sunlight, with novor tho trend or sandaled root echoing through their empty courts nor chant ot whlto-robed priests sacrificing to offended gods. Porchanco a bird may flutter through somo ruined doorway, chirping for Its mate, or buzzard cir cling high soar abovo prospective prey. Savo those all oIbo Is stlont, dead, tho ancient pomp and glory foroyer departed, and gods and mon allko forgotten' In tho onward swoop of tlmo. ilfiv Representative Charles R. Davis of Minnesota Is a lovel-hendcd fellow with fow superstitious notions; but ho bollovcs nearly everything ho hears on tho stibjoct of rearing chickens. Thoro Is absolutely no doubt In tho mind or Davis that, with a trilling in vestment, a man could clean up not less than $10,000 annually, out of tho chlckon business, with practically nc work to do except count money. Davis explains it plausibly enough. You buy a dozen or so hens and build a few coops nnd roosts at trivial cost. Every morning you go out with a llt tlo sack containing somo prepared chicken food, such as ono can buy at any canary bird store, and call In shrill tones: "Chick -chick -chick chick!" llko that, at tho samo time scattering tho Battlo Creek-looking food. After tho hens havo eaten hearti ly, and dispersed, tholr proprietor mny go on back Into his study and resumo his task of adding up ills profits, or reading automobile catalogues, knowing full well that the hens will promptly sot about their ordained task of laying many strictly fresh eggs. Even If each hen laid only two eggs in threo days and Davis sayB that Is an absurdly low estimate and each egg hatches another hen, which will grow up to lay Its two in three, it doesn't take a master or higher mathematics to see that in a llttlo while one would havo a great many chickens running around tho placo. For a few dollars ajmonth, as tho congressman points out, ono can hire somobody to gather up tho eggs, and ship them to market, along with spring fries, when tho little poultry farm gets overstocked, and In a short while at-, tho provalllng prices of foodstuffs, ono would have so much money that It would become a burden. FERDINAND THE STATESMAN Tho career of Ferdinand, czar of the Bulgarians, has been a Pandora's box of surprises from the August day twenty-eight years ago when he se cretly left his home in Coburg, sailed down the Danube with a fow faithful companions and entered Sofia with out asking permission of any of tho European powers for liberty to ac cept the offer of tho peoplo of this Turkish province to becomo their ruler. But tho greatest surprise has been his ability to hoodwink tho statesmen of Great Britain, Russia, Franco and Italy for ovor a year with the Idea that any arrangement could ho devised through which ho could bo porsuaded to join them In carrying out their plans ot this war. A perfumed dandy, his long, slen der 'fingers carefully manicured and loaded with rings, credited with spend ing $500 upon a dressing gown, a con- nolssour In tho dainty garments of ladles and an authority on precious stones, Czar Ferdinand has nevertheless long ago demonstrated to tho gov ornments of Europe his genius in statesmanship ns well as In military affairs Ho has over had an extraordinary alertness in seizing advantage at tho right moment. Many years ago Bismarck said of him that ho was not a great diplomat, but that he possessed diplomatic finesse. Slnco thoso days Fer dinand has achieved victories whcrG oven a Bismarck might havo failed and he can well be called tho Bismarck of tho Balkans. REALLY PLEASED, THEN. "Mrs. Gnddora Is a woman who always wears nn nrtuiciai smile." "Not nlwayo, I'm sure." "What makos you think so?" "I'vo aeon her smllo quite naturally whoa hor sarcasm raauo Borne othor woman wilt" NEW G. A. R. COMMANDER Capt. Ellas R. Monfort of Cincin nati, the nowly elected commander in chiof or tho Grand Army of tho Re public, enlisted as a privato in Com pany A, Sixth Ohio volunteer infantry, in 1861. Four months later, after re ceiving the rank of second lieutenant, ho was transferred to Company F. Soventy-tltth Ohio volunteer lntantry. In May, 1862, ho waB elected to tho rank ot first lieutenant, and in Janu ary, 1863, to the rank of captain. By reason ot injuries received at Gettys burg, which necessitated his removal to his home on a cot, ho waB mustered out one year later. Among the battles participated in by Commander Montort wero Phillppl, Laurel Hill, Carrick's Ford, Monterey, Shaws Ridge, McDowell, Franklin, Strasburg, Cross Koys, Cedar Moun tain, FreemanB Ford, Waterloo Bridge, Sulphur Springs, Second Bull Run, Chnntllly, Chancollorsvlllo, Fred' rlcksburg and Gettysburg. Slnco the war ho ffas been ongagod In business In Cincinnati, whore ho served as post master tor 15 yeafa, which position ho resigned January 10, 1915. FAVORS MONARCHY IN CHINA It seems a bit strango that a citi zen ot this great ropubllo should de clare hlmselt in favor of tho restora tion of a monarchical form of govern ment in n country which only lately has bocomo a republic, but that is what Dr. Frank L. Goodnow, presi dont of Johns Hopkins university, vir tually haB done in tho case of China. For somo tlmo Dr. Goodnow has been advisor to President Yuan Shlh-kal and recently ho submitted to that exalted individual a memorandum concerning ,tho host form of govern ment for tho Chinese. Though not an unqualified ad vocacy of tho proposal to rostoro tho monarchy In China, tho memorandum Ib a historical nnd analytlcalrovlow of tho progress ot tho republican movement throughout tho world and an exposition of some ot tho reasons yvhy ho bolloves that such a form of government is less suited to the pres ent-day China than a monarchy Doc tor Uooilnow Hndd that governments in general have succeeded or tailed In accordance with tho effectiveness ot measures adopted to provido for orderly succession of tho supremo authority, nnd ho boliovoa that becauso of tho low Intelligence or tho Chinese a republican form of government there will load to "tho worst posulblu form ot government, namely, that ot the military dictator."