s of endearment, respect, and reproach, words expressing
the emotions, these are what infallibly reveal the daily social family
life of a community, and the way in which its members regard one
another. They are precisely as correct when applied to the investigation
of the American race as elsewhere, and they are the more valuable just
there, because his deep-seated distrust of the white invaders--for
which, let us acknowledge, he had abundant cause--led the Indian to
practise concealment and equivocation on these personal topics.

In no other way can the history of the development of his arts be
reached. You are doubtless aware that diligent students of the Aryan
languages have succeeded in faithfully depicting the arts and habits of
that ancient community in which the common ancestors of Greek and Roman,
Persian and Dane, Brahmin and Irishman dwelt together as of one blood
and one speech. This has been done by ascertaining what household words
are common to all these tongues, and therefore must have been in use
among the primeval horde from which they are all descended. The method
is conclusive, and yields positive results. There is no reason why it
should not be addressed to American languages, and we may be sure that
it would be most fruitful. How valuable it would be to take even a few
words, as maize, tobacco, pipe, bow, arrow, and the like, each
representing a widespread art or custom, and trace their derivations and
affinities through the languages of the whole continent! We may be sure
that striking and unexpected results would be obtained.

Similar lines of research suggest themselves in other directions. You
all know what a fuss has lately been made about the great Pyramid as
designed to preserve the linear measure of the ancient Egyptians. The
ascertaining of such measures is certainly a valuable historical point,
as all artistic advance depends upon the use of instruments of
precision. Mathematical methods have been applied to American
architectural remains for the same purpose. But the study of words of
measurement and their origin is an efficient auxiliary. By comparing
such in the languages of three architectural people, the Aztecs of
Mexico, the Mayas of Yucatan, and the Cakchiquel of Guatemala, I have
found that the latter used the span and the two former the foot, and
that this foot was just about one-fiftieth less than the ordinary foot
of our standard. Certainly this is a useful result.

I have mad