July 27, 1888.] 



SCIENCE. 



41 



that these were a herder's sacrifice. Instead of sacrificing the ani- 

 mals themselves he substituted the images. The animal repre- 

 sented undoubtedly resembles the llama. It is quite different from 

 the mountain sheep or any other animal corresponding in size, and 

 'has a long neck. If it is true that they possessed a domestic 

 animal of this species, either the people were of very great an- 

 tiquity or there was a species of llama in North America at a 

 much tnore recent date than scientific men suppose. It is a mat- 

 ter, too, of extraordinary interest and significance, if these people 

 'had the same domestic animal as that found among the Peruvians 

 when the Spaniards first came to this country. If they had such a 

 •domestic animal they undoubtedly took its fleece for clothing, and 

 'had woollen as well as cotton fabrics. Soine of the earlier Spanish 

 ■explorers speak of woollen cloth in the possession of the Pueblo 

 Indians. If there is truth in that, then it is more than probable 

 that these people possessed a domestic animal of the llama species 

 probably as large as a good-size sheep. 



These people had access to the Gulf of California. This is 

 proved by the discovery of shells in the ruins which have been 

 identified as belonging to the Pacific coast. Though at a consid- 

 •erable distance, they probably had communication with the sea- 

 ■coast and obtained shells by bartering with other Indians. Of 

 some of these shells skilfully carved ornaments are made. Mr. 

 •Gushing found a frog carved from a shell, the back being inlaid 

 with turquoise. The inlaying had been done by cutting little 

 •square holes in the shell and fitting pieces of turquoise to them. 

 A native species of lac was used in cementing the pieces. This 

 lac was used also in basket-work. They made carved bracelets, 

 earrings, and finger rings, and various ornaments inlaid in the 

 manner described. 



The petrographs did not throw much light on the manner of 

 'dress that prevailed, as they showed only the costume worn at cer- 

 •tain ceremonials, — a long gown extendmg down almost to the feet. 

 Near the skeleton of an old war-chief was found a fragment of a 

 :gown that must have been richly embroidered in various colors. 

 It was badly decayed, but there was enough left to show that it 

 was an embroided garment. 



"The antiquity of these ruins is not settled," said Dr. Wortman. 

 ■" It has been maintained by respectable authorities that these ruins 

 were occupied within the historic period. I don't think that can be 

 possible. Historic evidence is decidedly against it. We have some 

 records of the earliest Spanish explorers bearing on that point." 

 Dr. Wortman stopped here briefly to summarize the history of the 

 ■explorations of Cabesa de Vaca, prior to 1530, and of his immedi- 

 ate successors. Father Nisa and Goronado. Coronado's route, he 

 said, to Casa Grande could be easily traced. There he found the 

 ruin now standing, and gave a description of it by which it could 

 be recognized to-day. " If it be true," said the doctor, " that Casa 

 Grande, or Chichillecato, the Red House, a ruin still standing 

 three stories high, twenty-five or thirty miles from Los Muertos, 

 was in ruins when the Spaniards came there, as the records of 

 Coronado's expedition in 1540 plainly indicate, assuredly these 

 houses that Mr. Gushing is excavating, now practically levelled to 

 the ground, had disappeared long prior to that period. In all the 

 excavations Mr. Gushing has made, in the thousands of specimens 

 collected, not a single specimen has been found that would give 

 evidence of contact with whites. My own opinion is that the ruins 

 are pre-Columbian, and if I were going to give a guess I would 

 say they are not less than a thousand years old. The size of the 

 mesquite trees growing from the mounds, indicates a great 

 age." 



"Considering all the evidence," said Dr. Wortrrian, "I have no 

 doubt that when these ruined towns were inhabited, this valley, 

 many miles in extent, was a fertile region, occupied by a thrifty 

 people. They raised cotton, corn, and tobacco. Fragments of 

 cotton have been dug up, tobacco has been found in their sacred 

 cigarettes, and charred corn-cobs also remain to give evidence as 

 to the agricultural products of the valley. As to the population, 

 allowing even a greater number of acres to the man than is now 

 cultivated by the Pima Indians, who, besides supplying their own 

 wants, raise a large quantity of wheat to sell, allowing, say from 

 five to eight acres to a man, the population of the valley must have 

 been at least 200,000, if, as I believe, all their towns were simulta- 



neously occupied. There are evidences that the Zunis of to-day 

 are a remnant of these people. 



The osteology of the people has not yet been thoroughly studied. 

 The skeletons collected will be coinpared here at the Medical Mu- 

 seum, and the careful study of them will undoubtedly throw much 

 light on the relations of these people to historic people. The heads 

 were short, or, in other words, the people were brachy-ccphalic. 

 They were small in stature. The general indications are that they 

 are related to the Zufiis, and they are not unlike the Aztecs and 

 Peruvians. Among the skulls I have found frequently the Inca 

 bone or Os Inca. the extra bone in the back part of the skull, which 

 received its name because it was a common thing among the Incas. 

 These indications, with other evidences, suggest many interesting 

 inquiries. It may have been that from this ancient civilization 

 sprang that of Central America and of the Peruvians. A portion of 

 the people may have migrated south, taking the llama with them, 

 while others went north and founded the later Pueblo civilizations." 



THE IMPARTIAL STUDY OF POLITICS. 



Since Burke vindicated in such a memorable manner the party- 

 system in politics, it has taken an extension which probably he 

 never dreamed of. It is a curious speculation what estimate he 

 would have formed of those larger developments of his principle 

 which the nineteenth century has witnessed ; for, indeed, there is a 

 great distance between his cautious assertion that ' no men can 

 act with effect who do not act in concert.' and some modern ap- 

 plications of the doctrine of concerted action. We cannot prevent 

 or avoid parties. But let us, at least, be alive to the dangers that 

 attend them. They act upon our habits of thought. They accus- 

 tom us to consider public questions in a spirit as unfavorable as 

 possible to the discovery of truth. They produce a kind of epi- 

 demic lunacy, such as history sometimes exhibits to us in nations 

 that are on the eve of great disasters. 



Some efforts have lately been made in England, similar to those 

 now making in this country, to which we referred last week, to 

 grapple with the specific evil of this mental disease produced by 

 party spirit. These efforts have chiefly proceeded from the univer- 

 sities, and have been more or less connected with the movement of 

 university extension. The Social and Political Educational League 

 lately held a meeting, to which Prof. J. R. Seeley communicated an 

 address he had delivered two years ago to a similar society, the 

 Cardiff .Association for the Impartial Study of Political Questions. 

 This address we reproduce from the Contemporary Review. It was 

 made to an English audience, but has much in it to make clear the 

 problem to those of us in America who are interested in the scien- 

 tific study of political questions. 



The impartial study of political questions ! If political questions 

 — that is, questions of the public well-being — are all-important, 

 if an interest in them is among Englishmen universal, it might 

 seem scarcely necessary for you to found a society, or for me to 

 deliver an address, in behalf of the impartial study of them. For 

 surely all honest, serious study tries at least to be impartial. Surely 

 there can be no more obvious cause of error than partiality. The 

 judge, when he addresses the jury, wa''ns them against yielding to 

 bias or prejudice ; the scientific man, in his researches, is especially 

 on his guard against that tendency to a foregone conclusion which 

 spoils all investigation and reduces it to a mocker)-. Surely there 

 can be no exception to the rule that study should be impartial: 

 surely there cannot be subjects in the study of which partiality is 

 to be recommended or not to be condemned. 



Yet somehow this undertaking of yours, that you will study po- 

 litical questions impartially, sounds strange and startling, and you 

 seem to feel it so yourselves. Perhaps what is strange is that 

 politics should be regarded and spoken of as a matter of study at 

 all. Yes. Let us frankly admit that we may naturally be a little 

 startled, a little alarmed, to hear politics classed off-hand, as we 

 niight class arithmetic or geography, among subjects of study. 

 Politics concern our greatest interests, and therefore excite our 

 wannest feelings ; not among studies, not among sciences, we 

 class them more naturally among higher things, by the side of re- 

 ligion, honor, morality. To be a politician is to be warm, eager. 



