Indianapolis Times, Volume 48, Number 49, Indianapolis, Marion County, 7 May 1936 — Page 18

PAGE 18

The Indianapolis Times (A SCRIITS-HOWARD NEWSPAPER) SOT W, HOWARD President LIJDWELL PENNY Editor EARL D. RAKER Business Manager

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Vh Light an<t the People Will Find Their Own Wap

THURSDAY, MAY 7, 1939. EMPLOYMENT GAINS PjpHE International Association of Public Employment Services will have something to talk about when it holds its twenty-fourth annual convention here May 27-29. That something is the steady gain in employment. For the third consecutive month, Indiana pay rolls and employment showed an increase in April. Employment gained 1.3 per cent over March, pay rolls 2.1 per cent, man hours 3.3 per cent. Usually there is a seasonal loss at this time of year. The trend over the country is in the same direction. Latest Department of Labor figures showed factory employment in March increased 225,000 and weekly pay rolls $10,000,000. But with millions still unemployed, the basic problem remains. The convention here will deal with unemployment Insurance and with the need for new industries to supply new jobs. SPOILS YS. MERIT Tl EP. MELVIN MAAS of Minnesota once showed great personal courage by successfully demanding that a spectator in the House gallery drop a gun which he had brandished. He has showed even greater courage by introducing a bill making it a felony for any member of Congress to participate in Federal patronage. "The greatest threat to freedom in the United States," he says, "is not Communism, but the spoils system of patronage." We agree, and we doff our hat to this congressman for his courage in attacking an evil in the midst of which he stands. His is not the valor of ignorance, for he knows that he assails a system entrenched by custom and, so far, impregnable against the efforts of reformers for years. It is fundamental to our form of government that the legislative and executive branches be kept separate. But Representatives and Senators continue to build up personal machines by their ability to force friends and party supporters on to administrative Jobs. Able, well-trained men and women stand in line and wait while less desirable applicants armed with a pull from this or that congressman are favored. As Mr. Maas says, a congressman’s office has become little more than a free employment bureau packed with job-seekers, who prevent his doing his real work as a legislator. Mr. Maas’ fellow-congressmen probably will not treat his proposal seriously. They are not likely to visit punishment upon themselves for doing what their predecessors in both parties have done for years. But Mr. Maas, we believe, is backed by the general sentiment of the country.

YOUR UNCLE DUDLEY MUSSOLINI is a blacksmith’s son, Hitler an exhouse painter, Stalin the scion of a shoemaker. The first American to emerge in a similar role comes draped in the pulpits of New York’s and Newport's “400.” Meec Dudley P. Gilbert, founder and “Commander” of the American Nationals, Inc., a smart, blue-blooded, star-spangled inner circle of some-thing-or-other that calls itself a “youth movement,” and is out to abolish parliamentary government. Dictator Dudley’s “program,” however, aims to please both mass and class. He will abolish all labor unions, but establish a minimum wage of $25 a week by government fiat. He will save the middle class by forbidding foreclosures and wiping out all debts less than S2OOO. Capital will cheer the Nationalists’ plan to do away with all governmental interference, strikes, high taxes on property and income. Pay for officers in the Army, Navy and Marine Corps will be increased, city police forces nationalized, the National Guard doubled in size, ex-service men given preference in the government service, and a Volunteer Army of Patriots formed as a “third line of defense.” To insure adherence to this program and make America “a happy and contented nation,” all opponents of “the American Nation” will be deported, professors and teachers licensed and patriotic training made compulsory in the schools. And when the American Nationalists come into power, “the Constitution will be rewritten and wasteful, greedy and grafty parliamentary government abolished." Unfortunately ’ for their magnificent ideals, the Dudleyites are shy on privates. At their well-ap-pointed New York offices you will hear that there are only 175,000 American Nationalists in 30 states. We believe we know the reason. They have forgotten the shirts, and who ever heard of a bang-up Fascist movement without ’em? By way of being helpful we suggest they call themselves the Starched Shirts. VALUE OF FORESTS OUPPORT for reforestation as a major part of the answer to the flood problem is given by tests Just completed by the Forest Service. The tests show that in the Ohio Valley forest soil absorbs 50 times as much water as bare soil. On 23 small watersheds at the headwaters of the Mississippi the flood flow from forested watershed for one year was only 38 cubic feet of water a second a square mile. But the flood water from grassed and abandoned agricultural lands was 432 cubic feet—more than 10 times as much. That from denuded land was 1304 cubic feet, or nearly 35 times as much. In the rich uplands of the Mississippi Valley, near Holly Springs, Miss., forest cover reduces runoff and erosion. Surface runoff in a cultivated cotton field was 58 per cent of the precipitation, and in individual rains was as high as 96 per cent. But the total runoff in an oak forest was less than 1 per cent of precipitation. WHAT DOTH IT PROFIT? NOW, for a few days, brave loud words, and big doing in the little Italian towns, and medals struck off and presented, making it all seem very much worth while. Roman banners, salutes and music will hide the vision of little hillocks, six feet long, to be seen from barely perceptible road in an unbelievably hot, bleak and inhospitable land. They’ll give glamour to the taking of an abandoned, burned down, tenth-

rate town in Africa and it isn’t time to go into the matter of Italian budget balancing—yet. A pleasant Jingling, as of bells, doubtless accompanied the coming of civilization to Addis Ababa as it accompanied its arrival with Cortez, centuries ago, to Mexico City. But the jingling was steel bayonet scabbard against buckle and kit, not bells. And no bells ring today in Mexico for Cortez. Ernie Pyle wrote back that he couldn't find a single statue of him in the whole Mexican capital. So there have been other conquerors, and other victories, and celebrations like yesterday’s in Rome. But it hasn't very much to dt> with civilization. The civilizing of the Ethiopians, and the Manchurians, and the ancient Mexicans, has been going on for thousands of years, more slowly, perhaps, than it has in other parts of the world. It wfil continue to go on, everywhere, despite wars and conquests, only as men of various races and creeds and ways of life learn how to live beside each other, and exchange their thoughts and goods in peace and greater understanding. Let us hope that the civilization of Ethiopia will not be retarded, now that darkest Africa knows the blessings of tank and poison gas. And let us hope that the civilization of Italy also will not be retarded. “THE GREAT ZIEGFELD "'T'HE Great Ziegfeld,” now running at Loew’s Theater may cause stage producers new worry over movie competition. This film probably answers the challenge of stage productions more successfully than any previous movie. Legitimate producers have contended that the* screen never could replace the stage because of the lack of personal contact with the audience. "The Great Ziegfeld” all but overcomes that. By lavish expenditures for sets, stars and movie mechanics, which the so-called legitimate theater could never afford, this film has established itself at the top of musical films. In other ways, "The Great Ziegfeld” is an innovation. It runs more than three hours, divided into two “acts” with the regular finale at the end of the first “act.” “SIMPLIFYING” TAXATION—VIII TI7E hereby conclude, in a blaze of figures, our series on “Simplifying Taxation,” by quoting one of the four tables in the tax bill now before Congress. It’s Schedule IIA: "If the dividend credit equals a percentage of the adjusted net income shown in Column 1 of the following table, then the tax shall be the percentage of the adjusted net income shown opposite in Column 2. Col. Col. Col. Col. Col. Col. 1 2 1 2 1 2 0 42.5 34 25.500 68. . 10.1250 1 42.0 35. 25.000 69.. 9.7500 2 41.5 36 24.500 70.. 9.3750 3 41.0 37 24.000 71.. 9.0000 4 40.5 38 23.500 72.. 8.66666667 5 40.0 39 23.000 73.. 8.33333333 6 39.5 40 22.500 74.. 8.00000000 7 39.0 41 22.000 75.. 7.66666667 8 38.5 42 21.500 76.. 7.33333333 8 39.0 43 21.000 77.. 7.00000000 10 37.5 44 20.500 78.. 6.66666667 11 37.0 45 20.000 79.. 6.33333333 12 36.5 46 19.500 80.. 6.00000000 13 36.0 47 19.000 81.. 5.66666667 14 35.5 48 18.500 82.. 5.33333333 15 35.0 49 18.000 83.. 5.00000000 16 34.5 50 17.500 84.. 4.66666667 17 34 0 51 17.000 85.. 4.33333333 18 33.5 52 16.500 86.. 4.00000000 19 33.0 53 16.000 87.. 3.71428571 20 32.5 54 15.500 88.. 3.42857143 21 32.0 55 15.000 89.. 3.14285714 22 31.5 56 14.625 90.. 2.85714286 23.... 31.0 57 14.250 91.. 2.57142857 24 30.5 58 13.875 92.. 2.28571429 25 30.0 59 13.500 93.. 2.00000000 26 29.5 * 60 13.125 94.. 1.71428571 27 29.0 61 12.750 95., 1.42857143 28 28.5 62 12.375 96.. 1.14285714 29. 28.0 63 12.000 97.. 0.85714286 30 27.5 64 11.625 98.. 0.85714286 31 27.0 65 11.250 99.. 9.28571429 32 26.5 66 10.875 100 33 26.0 67 10.500

A WOMAN’S VIEWPOINT By Mrs. Walter Ferguson 'T'HE most powerful argument against government A ownership of public utilities is half-hearted service without a smile. The thought occurs every time I go to the postoffice, which seems designed to repel the customer as well as the thief. The supercilious glances of Uncle Sam’s workers chill you to the bone. Poor things, they have no easy life. I know because I have been one. But how a few smiles would lighten up the place! I miss the “Hi there, Pete,” attitude which used to prevail in our country town. The postoffice was more than a place to get your mail. You met friends there and exchanged tid-bits of gossip. The pens didn’t write, but singing and whistling could be heard most of the day, and when the general delivery was opened the face on the inside beamed a royal welcome. We could use some of that friendliness in the city. Franklin D. ought to give some lessons in charm to certain of his underlings. My most recent experience, which is the reason for this outburst, was with a fellow who sells United States Baby Bonds, and was I squelched? It is true I hadn’t a fortune to spend. My investment wouldn’t budge the national debt, but I was unprepared for the complete disregard with which my little venture into finance was received. “Could you give me some information about Baby Bonds?” I asked in a timid voice, expecting to see at least a gleam of interest on his impassive face. But the fellow never changed expression. He looked me up and down as if I were a worm asking which way to turn, and said never a word. He merely reached up to a shelf, slapped a two-page leaflet down in front of me, turned his back and strolled off. “Dam it,” I said to myself, “if that’s the way he feels about it, I’ve a notion to put my money on the Irish Sweepstakes.” HEARD IN CONGRESS SENATOR LOGAN (D., Ky.): When we get among experts and trained men who have been studyin,? the iame subject for years they become mouse trackers; that is, they begin to look at the little things, and the little things look large. You know there are men in the world who, if they were out hunting elephants, and while following a big elephant track came to a place where a mouse had run across the track, would leave the elephant track and take right after the mouse track. • mm O ENA TOR BARBOUR (R.,.N. J.): Mr. President, any one who attempts to study the Administration’s relief program—past, present and future—enters into a mystic maze so baffling that the odds are against his ever getting out. m m m SENATOR ROBINSON (D., Ark.): Ido not know —I doubt if the Almighty knows—what the Republican convention is going to do; but I should like to have them enjoy a free and full opportunity to do whatever they please. lam satisfied that whatever they do will bo wrong. J,

THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES

Our Town By ANTON SCHERRER

O ARBARA HAWORTH, who works alongside Luther Dickerson in the Library, has called our I attention to pages 62 and 63 of Olga Samaroff Stokowski’s "The Layman’s Music Book,” in the course of which it Is related that out of 30,000 children who had studied music in a New York settlement house “not one had ever been brought before a Juvenile Court for delinquency.” If this is Miss Haworth’s sly way of getting at us, let us add parenthetically that we, too, have enjoyed a musical education even if it isn’t as evident as we should like it to be. The Samaroff book goes on to fortify its thesis with exhibits from prisons all over the country and they all go to prove that “there were no men or women (in any of them) who had had any form of musical education previous to the time they committed the crimes for which they were imprisoned.” n h QUCH generalizations, we don’t mind saying, scare us. They scare us because of the reciprocal threats* contained therein. First thing we know, our musicians will have us believe that a man is a fit subject for a penitentiary because he doesn’t happen to like music and they’ll cite Madame Samaroff’s book to prove it. Anyhow, we have worried enough about the matter because ever since reading the book Miss Haworth so kindly sent us we have been wondering how Charles Lamb, Arthur Stanley and Dr. Gaisford, to name a few, ever managed to stay out of jail. Especially, Dean Stanley. Not only did he dislike music, he hated it. It made him sick, he said, and it complicated his relations with Jenny Lind.

Stanley was very fond of Jenny Lind, but when she stayed at his father’s palace at Norwich he al - ways left the room when she sang. One evening Jennie Lind had been singing Handel’s “I Know That My Redeemer Liveth.” Stanley as usual had left the room, but he came back after the music was over and went shyly up to her. “You know,” he said, “I hate music, but tonight when from a distance I heard you singing I had an inkling of what people mean by music.” m m m A ND then he went on to explain: “Some years ago,” he said, “I was at Vienna and one evening there was a tattoo before the palace performed by 400 drummers. I felt shaken, and tonight while listening to your singing the same feeling came over me; I felt deeply moved.” All of which is contained in a very delightful book (page 35) yclept “Auld Lang Syne” and written way back in 1898 by the Rt. Hon. Prof. F. Max Mueller of Oxford—the same Mueller, by the way, whose father gave Schubert the words for the “Schoene Muellerin.” Mueller’s book is every bit as nice as Madame Samaroff’s. it's even nicer because it accepts musicians as they are without trying to explain why they stay out of jail. We should like to call Miss Haworth’s attention to it. It’s the least we can do in return for her courtesy.

TODAY’S SCIENCE By Science Service

VISUAL airways beacons, pointing their fingers of light into the dark sky, may bring cheer to air line passengers soaring in the blackness overhead, but as instruments of scheduled air line safety they are nearly obsolete. “Light beacons,” declared Eugene L. Vidal, director of air commerce, in testimony before the Senate Subcommittee on Aircraft Accidents, “are of little importance in modern flying. I do not think this, I know it. “European air lines craft fly at night without beacon lights; our own air lines are permitted to operate at out-of-sight distances from the light routes. Air lines operations have outgrown these facilities.” “You may or may not be aware.” Mr. Vidal told the committee, “that many air line accidents are actually a result of a desire or urge to complete flights or schedules. Also, it is quite natural that there is a comparison of pilots’ ability not only among the pilots within their own air line organization, but among air line organizations as well. The pilots’ jobs themselves are few and highly competitive. “Add to these factors the fact that the pilot’s pay is drastically reduced if most of the flights are not completed, the fact that the air line leceives no revenue from either mail or passengers when the flight is canceled. and the fact that aviation and the public demand progress, and we have developed, whether consciously or unconsciously, intentionally or unintentionally, an unconquerable, though admirable urge to complete the flights if possible. This is an exceedingly difficult situation and responsibility for its improvement should be shared by pilots, air line officials, bureau officials, and others.” EN TRANSIT BY MARY WARD The lanes and plains of former days, The heath and the little heath hen— Peace of such Arcadian ways I have not found since then. The grapevine swings beside the house, The covered bridge over the stream, Flowery banks and old, old vows— X think were all a dream!

WATCH OUT FOR THE RECOIL!

The Hoosier Forum 1 disapprove of what you say—and will defend to the death your right to say it. — Voltaire.

(Times readers are invited to express their views in these columns, religious controversies excluded. Make vour letters short, po all can have a chance. Limit them to SSO words or less. Your letter mine be signed, but names will be withheld on reouest.) mum CIRCUS ON SUNDAY DRAWS OBJECTION OF MOTHER By a Mother A circus on Sunday! Is it not enough that the picture shows are open on Sunday and that we have Sunday baseball? Now a circus! What next? Mothers who try to rear their children in the right way and teach them that Sunday is the Lord’s Day and that they should be in church certainly do have a hard path to travel. Who gave permission for a circus to perform on Sunday? Where are their minds and hearts? Can they truthfully say they are Christian? What a reputation for Indianapolis. Why talk of keeping down crime when they encourage everything that hinders the “right life”? If the leaders would set an example of right living and obeving the wishes of God, the people would follow. If God sends a cyclone that day I suppose they’d say it was an accident. I certainly hope that something happens to wake our leaders and they change the date of the circus. mum CLAIMS REPUBLICAN HANDS OUT RELIEF JOBS By W. / I am writing this for the benefit of those who have been misinformed about the relief program since its inauguration prior to March 4, 1932. The Roosevelt Administration,

Watch Your Health

BY DR. MORRIS FISHBEIN The following tables indicate the progress that a child should make from the time of its birth until it is 6 years cf age: At I Year— Weight—Boys, 21.5 pounds; girls, 20 pounds. Height—Boys, 29.5 inches; girls, 29 inches. Teeth—Should have six cut. Muscles—Growing rapidly. Speech—A few words. At 2 Years— Weight—Boys, 28.4 pounds; girls 27.8 pounds. Height—Boys, 33.1 inches; girls, 32.7 inches. Teeth—Should have 16 cut. Muscles—Growing rapidly. Speech—Vocabulary of 100 to 500. words; two-word sentences. At 3 Years— Weight—Boys, 33.5 pounds; girls. 31.5 pounds. Height—Boys, 36 inches; girls, 35.6 inches (gain of about three inches over previous year). Teeth —Completion of the first set of 20 teeth. Muscles—Growing rapidly; likes to skip and jump. Speech—soo to 1500 new words; begins to use pronouns. u m m AT 4 Years— Weight Boys, 36.4 pounds; girls, 35.1 pounds. Height—Boys, 38.6 inches; girls, 38.4 inches.

IF YOU CAN’T ANSWER, ASK THE TIMES!

Inclose i 3-eitnt stamp for reply when addressing any question of fact or information to The Indianapolis Times Washington Service Boreas, 1013 13that. N. W., Washington, D. C. Legal and medical advice can net ho given, nor ean extended research he undertaken. Q —What is the average weight of the hogs that are killed under Federal inspection? A—From 250 to 350 pounds, varying each year according to conditions. Q.—About how many cotton sharecroppers are there in the United States? A—The estimated number is about 943,000. Q—What is the average rate of fire of machine guns? A—Machine guns for ground use normally rate about 400 to 500 rounds a minute; aircraft machine

and also the state and city administrations, have been accused of playing politics by favoring the Democratic voters with the best jobs, etc. This isn’t so, because I happen to know who passes out the jobs to the various projects of the Works Progress Administration in the city of Indianapolis and in Marion County. He is a Republican and was appointed by the Hoover Administration. He has appointed or given jobs as superintendent and foreman to 80 per cent more Republicans than Democrats. In fact I have never had the privilege of working for a Democratic superintendent of a project since the Roosevelt Administration put the work-relief program in effect, a little more than three years ago. m m SIDES WITH ROOSEVELT AGAINST CLAPPER By H., C. A. It is saddening, indeed, to discover that writers, who are paid good money to enlighten the public in current affairs, possess such limited thinking ability as that which Raymond Clapper displays in his column in The Times on April 27. He is criticising President Roosevelt’s views on economics, as expressed in the latter’s New York speech. The President said that “reduction of costs of manufacturing does not mean more purchasing power and more goods consumed, but the opposite.” Mr. Clapper, belonging to an antiquated school of economics, takes exception to this point, and remarks

Teeth—Full set of 20 milk teeth. Muscles—Growing rapidly with increasing co-ordination. Speech—soo new words and makes complete sentences. At 5 Years— Weight—Boys, 41.4 pounds; girls, 40.2 pounds. Height—Boys, 41.7 inches; girls, 41.3 inches. Teeth—2o. Muscles—Same as fourth year. Speech—The articulation is now nearly perfect, and an interest in rhyming is developed. At 6 Years— Weight—Boys, 45.1 pounds; girls, 43.6 pounds. Height—Boys, 44 inches; girls, 43.4 inches. Teeth—The child should have 24 teeth, four of which are permanent —especially important to preserve sixth-year molars. Muscles Growing rapidly; increasing correlation. Speech—The articulation is now perfect; the inflection of nouns and verbs nearly perfect. Child is interested in words and likes to draw his ideas. Speech defects are recognized before 6 years; 80 per cent of stuttering occurs before 6 years. Os course, it should be remembered that all children are not normally the same size as I have pointed out at various times in this column. Size and weight of parents should be taken into consideration in every case.

guns fire 1200 to 1300 rounds a minute. Q —What length of service must a World War veteran have had to be eligible to receive the bonus? A—The veteran (from rank of private to and including captain in the Army or Marine Corps, or lieutenant in the Navy) must have served more than 60 days between April 5, 1917, and July 1, 1919, but he must have begun service before Nov. 10, 1918, and must have been honorably discharged. Q —When the joker is used in a poker deck, what Is the highest possible hand? A—Pour aces and the joker, which counts as five aces, and beats any other hand. Q —What is the price of radium? A.—About $70,000 a gram. 4

that Henry Ford has proved the opposite to be true. He also mentions that in the TVA area, sales of electrical equipment have increased more than any other place, because of low-price current. He forgets, however, that Ford, through his pioneering in efficiency is responsible, more than any other man in this country, for technological unemployment and the army of needy. And regarding the TVA he does not mention what is to become of the coal miners, the stove factories, the hand-pump factories and the ice plants which formerly took care of the needs of the people in the Tennessee Valley. The basic idea behind Mr. Clapper’s reasoning is the old fallacy that mass production under capitalism leads to prosperity through lower prices. The truth is that mass production is only possible by means of labor-displacing machinery which, in spite of Mr. Ford’s opinion, creates unemployment, and consequently makes mass consumption impossible. That wrong idea, that more machinery results in more employment, still forms the ABC of conservative thought, but it is a myth, based upon a superficial glance at the progress of this country, without a thought that perhaps something else might be the cause. The real reason for the apparent success of capitalist production is the enormous expansion which took place while the country was being built, an expansion which hac’ to stop when America emerged from her childhood. So great was this infantile expansion that it more than compensated for the increased displacement of manpower. This, Mr. Clapper, is the simple truth which you and millions of others either fail to discover or refuse

t,o admit. The President is correct in his diagnosis, but his remedy is insufficient. Until the day dawns when production for use takes the place of production for profits, we shall have to wait in vain for "prosperity.” DAILY THOUGHT Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks.—Exodus 5:18. A MAN is a worker. If he is not that, he is nothing.—Joseph Conrad.

SIDE GLANCES

“You never take me any place until one of your old college friends comes to town , and then you try to give the impression we’rs constantly Lon the go” *

—.MAY 7, 1936

Vagabond from Indiana ERNIE PYLE

EDITOR'S NOTE—Till* roTlnt reporter for The Times goes where ha pleases, when he plesses. In search es odd stories shout this and that. OAXACA, Mexico, May 7.—Most people in the United States get about as excited over the discovery of anew Mexican ruin, I’m afraid, as they do over the building of anew movie house in Cedar Falls. la. Take myself. I knew that ancient temples had been uncovered in Mexico, that one of them was called Chichen-Itza. that Lindbergh flew over the temples in Yucatan—and that’s all I did know. And that’s all I cared. But things are different now. I’ve become an archeologist. Yes sir, I’ve been nosing around half-buried cities, and crawling into tombs, and picking up rocks that look as though they’d been carved centuries ago, and yelling “Hey, come here, look at this one!” I suppose there is no way to make anybody enthusiastic about Mexican ruins unless* he can actually came down and see them. But once you look at one. the digging byg has got you. How I envy the scientist?, and the rich men with scientific hobbies, who can come to Mexica and just keep digging! nan AND here’s the reason I envy them: The original Indians of Mexico had a very high civilization. That's definite. It is very probable that, many centuries before Columbus, their civilization was the most advanced in the world. Some archeologists think that some day the key to all human history will be found in the Mexican ruins; that the "cradle of humanity” ia here, and not in Gobi or Egypt. When the Spaniards came in 1519, something had happened. The Indian civilization was not what it had been. There were records, but the Spanish priests threw them on the fire as pagan relics. So the only way to find out now is to dig and dig and dig among the buried ruins, and hope some day to find records that will unroll the curtain from this closed chapter of history. Many think that man first evolved from fishes right in Mexico, instead of doing it somewhere else and then migrating to Mexico. Ib may or may not be important to know, but it certainly would be interesting. nun I HAD always been under the vague impression that just a few buried temples and cities had been found in Mexico. But I find that the country is filthy with ancient buildings, even -cities, all covered by time and weather. Let me give you one tiny example. I stood on the top of Monte Alban, 7000 feet high, just a few miles out of Oaxaca. It is a big mountain top, maybe 40 acres. They have been digging in it for years. I stood on too of the highest pyramid. All around me were pyramids, a dozen or more of them, laid out systematically, like buildings in a city. It thrills you to think of them being there centuries before our Pilgrim Fathers saw Plymouth Rock. And then I looked around, at the hill tops and mountain peaks below me. And as far as I could see, in every direction, every peak was crowned with one or more irregular mounds. And I knew (and confirmed it later) that under every one of them was a building of some kind, maybe 1000 years old, maybe 5000. Put there by men who had to have some kind of scientific civilization approaching ours of today ... a civilization that, for some unknown reason, withered and vanished.

I DIDN’T count the mounds within eye’s reach, but there were easily a hundred. Any of them may hold the secret. It will take years and millions of dollars to dig into all of them. And this is just one ancient, uncovered city. South Mexico is strewn with them. Scientists don’t have to go out exploring for new mounds. It will take more than the life span of any living scientist to dig into all the known mounds in Mexico. This is what excites me so. To see these hundreds of mounds, and to know that maybe in one of them is the key to the evolution of all humanity. I can see how a fellow might go crazy, and run around tearing at the dirt with his hands, trying to get them all uncovered before he dies.

By George Clark