FINAL ACT OF SECOND PAN AMERICAN SCIENTIFIC CONGRESS. 51 



done in the hope and in the belief that, if a participating Government 

 were invested with this power, the power would be exercised, so that the 

 proceedings of the Congress would be transmitted to the different coun- 

 tries and its labors bring forth their fruit in due season, to the benefit of 

 the American countries whereof the delegates, official and unofficial, are 

 both proud and happy to be citizens. 



ARTICLE i. The Second Pan American Scientific Congress considers 



that-- 



It is highly desirable that the American Republics arrange for the 

 appointment of delegates for joint action in the matter of 

 archaeological exploration, in order to formulate and to 

 propose generally acceptable and substantially uniform laws 

 relating to the survey, exploration, and study of archaeological 

 remains to be found in the Republics, and to secure the 

 enactment of laws which will effectively safeguard these 

 remains from wanton destruction or exploitation and which 

 will serve to aid and to stimulate properly organized and 

 accredited research in archaeology. 



The provisions of this article, proposed by the First Section of the 

 Congress devoted to Anthropology, Ethnology, and Archaeology, carry 

 conviction, require little comment or elucidation, and nothing by way of 

 justification. Many parts of the American Continent are rich in archaeo- 

 logical remains, such as ruins, monuments, and burial sites, containing 

 many examples of the industry and art of the-- aborigines. Scientific 

 exploration of these remains, with the study of resulting discoveries, are 

 objects of utmost importance, for on their basis only is it possible to 

 reconstruct the lost history of the American race. But in order that 

 such remains may be saved to science and not be wantonly exploited or 

 destroyed before they can be studied, it is essential that proper laws and 

 regulations be adopted by the various countries in which such remains 

 exist, the object of such laws and regulations being to prohibit as far as 

 possible their exploration or destruction by unqualified persons, to pre- 

 vent trade in articles recovered from the ruins and graves, and at the 

 same time to enable properly qualified scientists both native and of 

 other countries to undertake and to carry on scientific exploration and 

 collection. It is a gratifying fact that the majority of the American 

 Republics have already certain laws relating to antiquities, although these 

 laws are unlike in the different countries and in some instances are such 



