THE ISLANDS OF THE PACIFIC 



553 



on any of the islands and 

 do business with the na- 

 tives without risk of hos- 

 tile attack. The Poly- 

 nesian of today is in 

 point of fact a keen 

 trader and fully alive to 

 the advantages of West- 

 ern civilization. 



PEOPLED BY PHOENI- 

 CIANS? 



As to the origin of 

 these Pacific islanders, 

 opinions differ, it being 

 held by some authorities 

 that they have been al- 

 lied to various races, in- 

 cluding the Aryans, the 

 A m e r i can aborigines, 

 and the Papuans. 



In the writer's view, 

 there can be no doubt 

 that the islands of Poly- 

 n e s i a were originally 

 peopled by Phoenicians, 

 whose migratory influ- 

 ence extended to the 

 coast of Peru. This 

 theory is strongly sup- 

 ported by the presence 

 of the numerous Cyclo- 

 pean monuments, huge 

 monolithic statues, paved 

 avenues, and ramparts 

 o f walls of basaltic 

 blocks over thirty feet 

 in length, brought from 

 great distances, on 

 Easter Island and in the 

 Carolines. It is evident 

 that none of the present races could erect 

 such immense structures as these (see 

 pages 598 and 600). 



The subject is fascinating and could 

 be further elucidated to any extent, under 

 circumstances appropriate to its discus- 

 sion. 



MYSTERIOUS RUINS ON EASTER ISLAND 



The remarkable ruins of ancient settle- 

 ment in the Caroline Islands are one of 

 the mysteries of Polynesia and will prob- 

 ably never be solved. When it is consid- 

 ered that some of the stones forming the 

 walls of those extensive ruins are of im- 

 mense size and are supposed to have been 



A HAVEN OE REST 



Photograph by A. Nielen 

 NEW GUINEA 



With the yam, taro, and banana available, it is difficult to con- 

 vince the Papuan that he should work for wages, for which he 

 has no use. 



brought from other islands of the group 

 across storm-tossed channels and placed 

 in their present position with precision 

 and masterly skill, it is apparent that all 

 this could not have been done by people 

 akin to the present inhabitants, but must 

 have been the handiwork of skilled 

 craftsmen similar to the builders of the 

 ancient ruins in Peru and Mexico and 

 perhaps, also, Africa. 



If this view be accepted as reasonably 

 sound, we may assume that Polynesia 

 was formerly the home of a civilization 

 that has long since disappeared and be- 

 come extinct, leaving imperishable monu- 

 ments of skilled craftsmanship on Easter 



