THE SEMLWEEKLY TRIBUNE, NORTH PLATTE. NEBRASKA.
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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."
