As all mythological traditions truly indicate, Asia cradled the first-born of the human species, sustaining them from the lowest stages of infant innocence to the extension of their powers and faculties, and until the change of their local habitations to other parts of the earth. The place was the interior of Asia,2 and the people therein were a
kind of primitive association or family. On a parallel herewith there was located subsequently a second family, of similar type but of weaker and more effeminate nature—neither so large in stature nor so considerable in number. The two became acquainted gradually and sought association with each other. The explanation is that there were originally two distinct moulds or forms of mammiferous species, ascending concurrently toward the human type of organisation. One had existed in the arctic regions of Asia since the great revolution in animal types at the close of the fifth day of creation. It was this which developed the human form characteristic of those who existed in the interior of eastern Asia. By a corresponding modification, the mammiferae in the interior portion of western Asia ascended to the effeminate
type already mentioned. They did not discover one another till industry had accumulated social wealth in abundance. It was the undeveloped and effeminate race which established communication with the older and more matured inhabitants of eastern Asia. As already seen, the two ultimately formed one family.
Two branches sprang afterwards herefrom, one emigrating into the lower portion of Asia now known as Egypt,1 the other into the interior of Africa. They developed into large families and one of them into a powerful nation. Those in Egypt sprang from a somewhat more matured stock of the primitive association, retaining the peculiar characteristics of their gross and powerful constitutions. They possessed also great nervous force, sustained by strict adherence to bodily requirements, with abstinence from organic violation. They were not subject to disease. On the other hand, those who settled in Africa continued to possess the imperfect and delicate characteristics of the less developed members of the original family. There came a time when the dwellers in Egypt rose against the weaker nation, destroying nearly three-fourths of their number and dispersing the rest through various parts of Africa. Of these remnants all trace is lost, and it is evident that they became extinct.
There were thus left two nations on the face of the earth—in Egypt and eastern Asia. The former migrated into the southern part of Europe and were so far advanced in civilised life that they built a beautiful city of eccentric form. This new nation increased greatly in numbers, but the people, incapable of self-direction, became disunited again. There were further migrations, and later on two branches established, in Central and South America, two yet more beautiful cities. Those meanwhile who dwelt in Asia set out on another voyage of discovery. At this period the Pacific Ocean was un-
formed, so that it was possible for them to pass from the eastern to the western hemisphere and gain the upper portions of America. By then the southern portion contained an advanced nation of the original family, whose migrations extended in one direction to Spain, in another to Yucatan, to the region now occupied by the Gulf of Mexico, and also to Brazil and Buenos Aires—as these places are now known to us. They constructed here their cities of stone and other durable materials, becoming very much advanced in science and hieroglyphical architecture. But for a period of about five centuries portions of South America suffered much from volcanic catastrophes, which formed the Mexican Gulf, Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean. During these appalling occurrences, nation after nation was destroyed. The inhabitants of Yucatan had, however, extended their possessions almost to those islands now denominated the West Indies, a portion of the same nation being established in the region afterwards called Herculaneum. A city was built there and so also in the region of Pompeii, which was a place of grandeur, pride and arrogance; but then, as later, it was subject to volcanic action. Yucatan continued to flourish—altogether for nearly seven centuries. Other branches of the human family passed toward America from Asia, some reaching that destination, while some settled in intermediate fertile places. Of those who remained in Europe a certain proportion settled in Northern France.
Century followed upon century, and Egypt became founded, as known to historians subsequently. A branch or tribe from Egypt settled in Jerusalem and Jericho. From thence and from Egypt sprang a colony which discovered Greece, and from Greece other portions of Europe were peopled permanently, including Britain. It was owing to dissimilarity of constitution, as adapted to climate and food, to difference in habits and modes of life, to variations of advancement in science and art, to
different kinds of ambition that the inhabitants of the whole earth became thus distributed. They were subsequently classified and reclassified according to each modification of original type. It is to be noted in the above account that as America was colonised from Asia, so its southern people migrated to Egypt, and there became a large and advanced nation.
As regards the origin of language, men began first to express their thoughts by the configurations of their countenances, and while this form of communication remained unchanged they were united peacefully; but when artificial signs assumed ascendency the new mode of expression proved deceptive and unreal; unity of thought and harmonious social relations were therefore disturbed.1 Objects corresponding to ideas were constructed in like manner, being figures and symbolical representations to express general thoughts. Thus language proceeded from manual and corporeal to instrumental formulation. But men experienced inconvenience through the want of a more perfect mode, more especially for the expression of minutiae; and these began to be represented by certain distinct sounds, governed by the natural suggestion of the thought intended to be impressed; and in order that the same sounds might convey uniformly the same idea, the begin-
nings of a rule were established to govern vocal expression. At a later period sounds were represented by hieroglyphic al characters, or minute figures and strokes. Such was the condition of language at the time of the settlement of Yucatan and the adjoining districts. For an indefinite period symbolical and correspondential language remained unchanged among the inhabitants of earth. The next developments took place in Spain and Asia. The first invented more perfect hieroglyphic al forms, which became ultimately a picture-language. Asia improved the verbal and grammatical forms and placed upon these a certain seal of permanence which still persists therein. The monosyllabic form became, however, confirmed in China, where every character is the substantial representative of a thought, contrary to the other tongues, in which compound figures are employed. Primitive history conveys nothing reliable in respect of language anterior to that of which Chinese is the development.
While language is connected inseparably with the origin of thought, it is still an external, artificial invention, as such misleading and as such also injurious to the human race. All present languages and dialects have arisen in consequence of a misdirection of the sentient faculties and judgment which befell the first-born of the human species. So long as they observed the natural language of the principle within, by means of figures, motions, gesticulations and configurations of countenance, as already seen, they abode together in harmony, while the thoughts and affections of the mind had a real method of expression.1 But when they discovered
their ability to produce intelligible vocal sounds, they lost their primitive habit of radiated expression, and with it the perfect purity of their interior thoughts. Misunderstanding each other's thoughts and intentions through the uncertainty of sound, they became cruel, deceptive, envious. In a word, sounds were not true symbolical representations of the thoughts designed to be conveyed thereby.