SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 29 



elaborated and crystallized into words and sentences by which 

 their desires and wishes were made known to each other; and 

 later, incidents and observations made known, and still later, 

 traditions of the historians of their own times transmitted to 

 their descendants, thus forming oral history and traditions 

 which were by this means perpetuated through the ages. 



Written history was evolved at a much later period of man's 

 history, commencing with rude outlines of familiar objects 

 pecked on the surfaces of rocks, the wall of the cave dwellings, 

 and the bark of trees. The meaning of these figures would be 

 obvious to all observers. 



These figures of animals and other natural objects were after- 

 ward modified and conventionalized until historical incidents, 

 geneological histories, and finally, abstract ideas were repre- 

 sented by these modified and conventional figures. 



From these simple results of the gradual evolution of man's 

 mind have come all our spoken and written languages, and the 

 comparatively little we know of the wisdom of past ages, and 

 forgotten people. 



The knowledge which we have thus obtained comes down to 

 us as incontrovertible evidence of the gradual but cumulative 

 evolution of the mind of man, and the resultant growth of his 

 intelligence and scientific attainments. 



Until within comparatively recent times, the inhabitants of 

 European countries considered themselves to be in possession 

 of all the historical and scientific knowledge of the world, and 

 that outside of their limited range of observation very little 

 was worthy of consideration. 



The desire for the acquisition of further knowledge as a 

 result of improved education and growth of intelligence, caused 

 some of the more intelligent people to break through the wall 

 of ignorance and superstition which for centuries had enveloped 

 their minds, and some of the more adventurous among them 

 visited regions and countries until then unknown. They dis- 

 covered that other nations and races of people had advanced to 

 conditions of civilization, which, while differing from their own, 

 were, in some respects, equal if not superior to them. 



In many instances, ruins of magnificent temples, erected to 

 unknown gods, and other evidences of the former grandeur of 

 the people who had formerly inhabited the regions. 



Even then, the wonderful sculptures and pictorial inscriptions 

 with which many of the ancient works of man in Egypt, Assyria, 

 India, and other countries were covered, were looked upon as 

 unique examples of barbaric art, and supposed to have been 

 intended for ornamentation only. 



After enthusiastic archaeologists had, by close observation 



