TFT"-
no. ;i.
HKADINd.
51
uLn-..TT-
tnulilionul centre on thu highlands of
Iran and the plains of the Caspian, or
from several widely separated centres, the
view wo have mentioned seems en mil I v
' milmtiihln. ft i4 imira rimsmiiilili! In tin.
lieve tluil all the considerable parts ol the
world received their aboriginal popula
tions in ages far remote, and that in the
so-called New World the intellect of man
has wrought and wrangled in times that
antedate all known history.
This statement rests not upon conject
ure? merely, for it has received the sanc
tion of eminent investigators. It is for
eign to our purpose, however, to enter
upon u long summary ol the reasons
which they advance. Sullloo' it to say
that fifteen centuries ago, this immense
valley was the seat of a great nation that
had made considerable progress in the
avis of civilization. Hut they disappeared
so completely th it in default of a better
name we call them the Mound Builders.
Their extirpation was caused, as there
is reason to believe, by a formidable ir
ruption on the part of another and more
barbarous nation. That these invaders
were not Indians is rendered probable
from the fact that the later have no know
ledge ot the origin of the works of tho
Mound Builders. If this is true, the pro.
tolype of Tamerlane, the Mongol con
querer, preoecded him by many centuries
in tho New World.
This expulsion, for it is an evident fact,
irrespective of its cause, was perhaps tho
greatest of its kind that the world has ever
witnessed.
From what we can glean in tho pre
Columbian history ol America, it appears
thai the beginnings of civilization in the
Western World were nearly, if not quite,
coeval with the rise of the great empires
of the Orient. Some persons, whoso
judgment is to be respected, claim even
more than this. When Columbus came,
tho civilization of Europe was springing
into manhood; that of tho Occident was
in its decay. Our own laud had become
a solitude before tho advent of tho Indian.
How full of significance arc these
glimpses of the past I How' interesting
might b'; to us a knowledge of that old
civilization of the Mississippi Hasin! Tho
social philosopher might find in it a rich
mine of information. Considerations
like these dissipate our notions of the
newness of the world, and show, on the
contrary, its great age. Truly, the Now
World might more appropriately be
named the Land of Mystery.
As wo turn from the panorama which
time has grudgingly unfolded to our view,
we might try to pierce tho future, yet the
attempt is vain. Wo have a right, to look
forward to a long period of prosperity
for the yet youthful nation which our
forefathers founded in tho world that Sen
oca, the Komau poet, prophesied of eight
teen centuries ago.
Chiohimec.
READING.
How to economize his time and turn
each hour to the best advantage is a pract
ical question to every student. A large
part of tho day must necessarily bo oc
cupied with his studies. The demands
for recreation and social intercourse aro
considerable, and such as few would be
inclined to neglect, even if it were desir
able. In addition to this, it is the wish
of all to increase their stock of knowledgo
by general reading, and to Keep up an
interest in the all'airs of tltc outside world
by the aid of current literature.
How best to distribute to each of these
objects its own share of time, and balance
with equal justice their several claims, is
a problem which the majority fail to
solve. Either too much time is given to
the niceties of mathematics; or theatres,
cards, or tho society of friends is allowed
to hold the monopoly, to the exclusion of
the most important work of the curricu
lum. Perhaps one becomes excessively at-;
tached to literature of more temporary in
lerost, and may be seen dipping into any