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s ONG before the discovery of America there flourished in southern Mexico, Guatemala, and parts of Honduras a great civilization, which has been call ed the Maya. It may be said at the outset without exaggeration that this civilization had reached a height equalled by no other people of the western hemisphere prior to the com ing of the white man. In architecture in sculpture, and in printing the Mayas excelled. Their priests were astronomers of no mean ability, hav ing observed and recorded without the aid of in struments of precision such as are known to us the lengths of the Solar and Venus years, and probably the lengths of the Mercury and Mars years. In addition to this they had developed a calendar system and perfected a chronology which m some of its characteristics was supe rior to our own. The the ancient glory of this people had long since departed when Hernando Cortez first came in contact with them on the coast of Yu catan in 1519. Their star had set. Their great est cities had been abandoned and lay in ruins, and their country was prostrated by the quar rels of a score or more of petty independent chieftains, each of whom was waging war on the other. Even the memory of the older cit ies, of their culture, such as Palenque, Copan and Quiniqua, for example, seems to have pass ed fronv the mind of men, their former existence forgotten. Famine, pestilence and internecine strife are al said to have been contributory causes to the decay and eclipse which overtook this brilliant aboriginal civilization several centuries before the Span ish first set foot in the new world. Probably the largest, and certainly the most magnifi cent, of the ruined cities which the Spanish conquer ors found on their arrivai in Yucatan was Chichen Itza, around which even in its desolation there still clus ter a thousand traditions of former sanctity and splen dor. The name Chichen Itza ls Maya, and means Chi mouth, Chen-wells and Itza, the name of the Maya tribe, who lived In the neighbor hood of the place. "The Mouth of the Wells of the Itzas" therefore is the meaning of the name; nor could a more appropriate one have been applied to the place by any people. The whole peninsula of Yucatan is a vast limestone formation with lit tle or no surface water. One may travel for miles and miles and never cross river or brook, or even chance upon a modest spring. Indeed, in the northern part, where most of the great ruined cities are located, water is fully 70 feet below the surface of the ground. The modern inhabitants overcome this difficulty by means of wells and windmills, which afford the only source of water supply during the dry sea son (December to June) excepting what little rain water may have Men caught during the rainy months and stored in cisterns. But of wells and windmills the ancient May as knew nothing, and, generally speaking, had it not been for the great natural reservoirs which nature had scattered here and there over the country Yucatan never could have been colonized. These great natural wells, or, as the Mayas call them, cenotes, are found all over Yucatan. They are usually about 150 feet in diameter, or sometimes more, and about 70 feet in depth to the level of the water. Geologists say that these cenotes are places where the limestone crust, which everywhere covers the surface of Yucatan, has become weakened by the washing of subterranean waters and has cal lapeed of its own weight, forming great sink holes or natural wells on a large scale. And now it is clear why the ancient inhabitants of Chichen Itza so named their city. In the course of their wandering's, the general trend of which was northward, the Itzas, entering Yucatan from the south, finally reached the two cenotes,, around which Chichen Itza later was built, but which then was probably noth ing but wilderness. Here the striking contrast afforded by such an abundance of water in a country so generally parched could not fail to have attracted their attention. The piar > must have seemed to the thirsty wanderers a God given site for the location of their new home. By right of discovery they claimed the place, and to the ci'.y which grew up around the cen otes they gave the name of Chichen Itza, "The Mouth of the Wells of the Itzas." The two cenotes at Chichen Itza have been known by the Mayas from time immemorial as the Cenote Grande and the Cenote Sacra, or the large Cenote and the Sacren Cenote, re spectively. The first of these only in former times was used for the water supply of the city, the Sacred Cenote being reserved for re ligious use exclusively. It is the latter, how ever, and the religious observances held in connection with it, which gave the city its holy character. From far and near- all over Yucatan, and probably even from points more distant, pilgrimages were made to the Sacred Cenote. It seems to have been the most holy shrine of the Maya people, comparable only in Importance to the Mohammedan Mecca and the Christian Jerusalem. In time of drought offerings of all kinds were thrown Into it treasures, and in cases of extremity even liv ing human sacrifices. Chichen Itza today is somewhat changed in appearance from the time when pilgrims came from far and near to appease with human sac rifice th? wrath of offended deities. Now the city lies burled in a thick jungle, which has steadily won ita way into the very heart of the holy place. Colonnades have been over thrown and pyramids covered with trees to their summit; courts have been lost in a tangle of thorn and creepers; and palaces ?tripped of their sculptured embellishment. Desolation has spread everywhere In the wake of the encroaching vegetation. Way to Stop Hie Simple cases of hiccough are often relieved by such measures f.s sucking ice or taking salt and vinegar. Bays the New York Medical Journal. Pull ing the tongue forward and holding lt for some time ls an effective pro cedure. Sometimes obstinate hicccugh ls re lieved when the patient ls strong by having him hang with the arms ex tended and grasping some beam or pole, so i I, floor. W tense, hi long as ] Sneezii cases, si to hiecoi tory ar:t. phy Idar too muet to gargh THElTZ . MORLEY ?/Y? V/?W OF TMS/VO/y</AS O/? f7CM? 15T/J.W Q#CA?Tl? To visit the ancient city now, one jolts for 15 long and weary miler, in a two-wheeled cov ered cart drawn by three mules over the rough est kind of a highway Imaginable. This pres ent inconvenience fortunately ls not to be one of long standing. A new and straight road is about to be built and an automobile service to the ruins probably established, which will shorten the present length of the trip from four hours to about* half an hour. Now, how ever, this ride from Citas, the nearest railroad point, seems Interminable. The road, so called by courtesy only, winds through the im penetrable bush, which everywhere in the nat ural state covers northern Yucatan. Through this the creaking cart Ands a dubious way mile after mile until every muscle in one's body groans an agonized protest. Finally, when it seems that the limit of physical endurance has been reached, the cart suddenly lurches around a sharp tura in the road and as if by magic the lofty Castillo flashes into view, towering high above the plain and the rest of the city in its lonely magnificence. This imposing structure, the highest In Yu catan, rises 78 feet above the plain. The pyramid on which, the temple stands ls 195 feet lor g on each side at the base and covers about an acre of ground. The Castillo would seem to have been the center of the ancient city, and probably Its chief sanctuary. To the north lies the Sacred Cenote and the causeway, Just mentioned, leading to it. On the east is a vast group of buildings, colonnades, courts and pyramids. "The City of a Thousand Columns," as some one has picturesquely described lt. Due west is the group of structures known as the Ball Court To the south for half a mlle or more, scattered through the jungle, are pyramids, courts, temples and palaces. The central lo cation of the Castillo with reference to all of these, as well as its great size and command ing height, argue strongly that it was the chief sanctuary of the Holy City. Another Interesting group of structures at Chichen Itza, perhaps slightly less sacred In character than the Castillo, ls the so-called "Ball Court," mentioned above as lying just west of the Castillo. This group ls composed of two parallel masses of solid masonry, each 272 feet long, 27 feet high and 16 feet wide, placed 119 feet apart from each other. These two great walls, for such they really are, form a court nearly 300 feet long by 119 feet wide. High on the side of each at the middle point from end to end there is attached a stone ring four feet In diameter with a hole through lt. These rings are fastened to th?ir respec tive walls by tenons of stone, and are so placed that the surface of each is perpendicu lar to the vertical face of the wall. The' ar rangement is very similar to the baskets in our modern game of basket ball, except that at Chichen Itza the "baskets" have their open ings perpendicular to the ground, while in our game the openings In the baskets are parallel with the ground. To make a basket at the Chichen Itza court a somewhat horizontal throw, as in baseball, was necessary, while nowadays it is a toss that wins the goal. At the open ends of the court formed by these two walls stand temples, which In effect inclose the area, definitely marking Its boun daries. On top of the east wall, at its south ern end, there is a beautiful temple, which affords a commanding view of the entire court. This has been called "The House of the Tigers," because of a frieze of stalking tigers, which is sculptured in alto-relievo around th? coughs :hat his feet do not touch the Ith all the abdominal muscles ive him hold his breath as possible. ag 1B very efficient In certain nee lt ls the exact opposite ugh, being a sudden explra In Plato's "Symposium" the i Eryxlmachus recommended i, either to hold his breath or ? with a little water, and if not relieved to Iii sneeze, whereupon be sure to gb. The spelling "hi being a comblnatlc "hie" and the latte which is without e or etymological bai tion, with perhaps tions, ls still that "hiccup," earlier g "hlckup," "hlckupsi "hlckcock," "hlchco with quasi dlmlnls j ? f I VJ?W Or TSSfPl? CAJJLO) CH/OtAffC* PAHOPAJ?A Or r//SA?//A3 OrCHJC/tZfi outside of the building. This temple contains also on the walls of an interior room, an elab orate mural painting representing an attack by some enemy upon a city, perhaps Chichen Itza itself, and its defense by the inhabitants. Some of the poses taken by the combatants in the conflict are extremely realistic; such as in the throwing of javelins, the swinging of war clubs, and the like. This blt ofj^fral decora tion in The House of The Tigers at Chlch?n Itza probably marks the high-water mark of aboriginal painting in the Western Hemi sphere; at least it ls superior to everything else that has survived. The identification of these two great walls and the temples associated with them, as a ball court, rests on firm historic foundation. When the Spanish first came to Mexico they found the natives playing a game of ball, which was of sufficient importance to have a spe cial court or ground set apart for its exclu sive use. Several of the early Spanish writers have described the game in sorr.to detail, and all agree a? to Its having plr-73<-- an important part in the life of the people. One chronicler has it that the object of the game was to strike the ball so that it would pass through the opening in the stone ring above mentioned as an important feature of the Chichen Itza court. He adds that the feat was one of con siderable dexterity, since the ball could not be hit with the hands, but that the hips or other parts of the body had to be used Instead. This rule of the game very materially in creased the difficulty in making a "Maya bas ket;" so much so, in fact, we are told, that the lucky player making this winning stroke had forfeit to him as a reward for his skill all the clothing and ornaments of the ! spectators. At such times, the chronicler concludes, the spectators were wont to scatter in all direc tions without loss of time, hoping thus to es cape paying the penalty, but that the friends of the lucky player immediately gave chase and endeavored to exact the full forfeit Although the name Pall Court has been giv en to this group of temples at Chichen Itza, it should not be supposed on that account, that this great court was built primarily for sport. Such an explanation of its fundamental purpose is incompatible with any conception which the American aborigine ever seems to have entertained. To the Itza people the chief function of their Ball Court was doubtless a religious one. Games played there, if not actually held in connection with religious fes tivals, were at least sufficiently religious in their meaning as to completely overshadow the element of sport as we understand the term. That a game was played in which com petition and skill entered in cannot be doubt ed in the face of contemporaneous evidence, and to this extent perhaps tne Mexican Ball Courts were athletic fields; but it must not be forgotten for a moment that its true signifi cance was religious, and that the games which were played there probably were held only in connection with religious festivals. It ls not improbable, however, that the Aztecs were breaking away from the religious feature of sport at thv. time of the Spanish Conquest, but that "The Holy Men of the Itzas," as the peo ple of Chichen Itza are sometimes called in the early manuscripts, had taken any such a radical step ls little short of Inconceivable, so religious in character was the whole Maya civilization. To the east of the Castillo lie a great group of courts, pyramids and colonnades, "The City of a Thousand Columns," already mentioned. :kle his nose and the hiccough would ccough" is recent, tn of the syllables r term of "cough," ither physiological sis; the pronuncla the rarest excer of the older form lven variously-as lickup," "hlckhop," ck," and "hlckett," thing suffixes ock, et; but the "hick" a syllable ? pressive of the spasmodic so duced by the conditions giv to the particular disturbance, In all references to the origil term to which *he writer h able to obtain. Tba term sinj rarely used. Good Reason for Absen Bill Ray of Nantucket folio1 In popularity never quite equi predecessor, the old bell-rlngei imitable towncrier, Clark. On HOB a ? Here desolation ls wide spread. It seems as though an earthquake must have shaken the Itza capital at some time. Row after row of col umns have been over turned and now He pros trate within a foot o* their original positions. Perhaps a capital or a drum here and there is broken, but for the most part the stones He Just where they fell. In its entirety this section of the city must have presented an Imposing appearance, being literally a forest of columns surrounding and connecting the various courts. As to the use of these great colonnades, tradition and his tory are. equally silent. Some think that they were the law courts of the ancient city, where justice was administered and punishment meted out. Others say that they were the market places, where the produce of the sur rounding country was bought and sold. This latter explanation has one strong recommenda tion in its favor In that the descendants of the builders of the ancient city of Yucatan, the present Maya Indians, still bold their mar kets under the portals surrounding the plazas in the towns and villages throughout the coun try today. South of the Cenote Grande there are a num ber of well-preserved structures, most of them presenting beautifully sculptured facades. To these fanciful names have been given, which probably have little or nothing to do with the original uses of the buildings. One large structure, for example, has been called "The Akabtzib." The name is Maya and means "The House of the Dark Writing." This build ing was so called, because of the fact that over one of its interior doorways there is a lintel inscribed with hieroglyphs. This lintel is so placed that the hieroglyphics can only be seen by artificial light, hence the name, "The House of the Dark Writing." Nearby ls a round tower, with but one exception the only structure of its kind in the Maya area. This is called "The Caraco." Caracol ls the Spanish word for snail, and since the Interior circular corridor and spiral stairway of this structure bear some remote resemblance to the convolutions of a snail shell, the name was applied to the building. The Manjos (Spanish for monastery) is perhaps the most beautiful building at Chichen Itza. It ls composite, showing three different periods of construction. The above are only a few of the many struc tures at Chichen Itza. But in all directions for several miles the brush is strewn with ruins. Crumbling walls and Jungle-r'.dden courts are to be encountered on every side; disintegration so far advanced that these once splendid pal aces and temples are now but little more than shapeless mounds of fallen masonry. The total area covered by ruins which may be assigned to this center of primitive population has been estimated by some as high as ten square miles. That larger Maya cities yet remain to be dis covered now seem highly Improbable so thor oughly has the general exploration of the area been done. Consequently we may affirm with but little hesitation that "The Holy City of the Itzas" was the largest and most important of the Maya civilization and probably of abor iginal America as well. THE SIGH FOR LEISURE. Lives there the man who has not sighed for leisure? And lives there the man who in his more sober moments, has not been honestly glad that he must work? Human nature, which sweetens under toll, sours in leisure. And it is by no means sure that the fall from innocence which first brought work into the world "and all our woe" was not bringing salvation dis guised as labor. Faithfulness will dignify and beautify even drudgery; no matter what the work ls, provided it ls honest, if lt ls done well it commands our instinctive respect. Besides, if we did not all have to work so hard to keep alive the jails would have standing room only. Ray and hts daughter were strolling about town, the latter stopped before the soldiers' monument and labori ously began to decipher the names. With a disappointed look she turned to her father and said: "Dad, ain't your name here?" Glancing at his daughter, he replied: "Clementine, be I dead?" If you discover that you made a mis take, don't stubbornly insist upon keeping it up; let go and run-"Ed." Howe. Jehovah's Suffering Servant Sunday School Leuon for Jar/ 9, 1911 Specially Arranged for This Paper LESSON TEXT-Isaiah 52:13; 53:12. MEMORY VERSES-63:4-?. GOLDEN TEXT-"The Lord hath laid on him the Iniquity of ua all."-Isa. 53:6. The lesson is from tha second part of the Book of Isaiah. Whenever written it belongs to th* time of the exile, Just before the return. It brought hope, Inspiration, instruction, life, and light in the darkest period in the history of Israel. God's peculiar people were in ?xii? among heathen populations. Their homeland, Palestine, had been devas tated. Jerusalem lay in ashes. The temple was a heap of ruins. The na tion was like the stump of a mighty tree which had been cut down. The tree had been cut down because it re fused to bear the good fruit for which God had planted it. But in captivity the people had been learning their les son, and the time had come when it was possible for a new shoot to; spring up from the barren stump, and a renewed nation to take up its ap pointed mission. But in order to do this, the nation must be made to see clearly what they mu3t be and do, and the deepest motives toward this end be inspired within them. All this ls a parable for the world. It throws no little light on our les son to realize its relation to the prophecy as a whole. According to all critics the whole lesson really be longs to the fifty-third chapter of Isaiah, the fifty-second ending at the twelfth verse. The prophecy consists of 27 chapters, of which the fifty-third is the central one, making the whole prophecy to consist of three sections. First, the first thirteen chapters are a trumpet call to the captive Isrealites who have been "hanging their harps on the willows," unable to "sing the songs of Zion," to awake to faith in God, and obedience and loyalty to him, and to be prepared for their de liverance. Second: Chapter 63 pre? sents the means by which the re demption can be accomplished, the heroic service of his people, and the supreme self-sacrificing love o? his son. Third: The succeeding thirteen chapters present the results of th? re deeming nation, and the redeemed world. The service o' God was a commis sion to witness und prophesy for God upon earth." Israel was "elected not to salvation, but to service," or rather r- in the case of any individual, the nation was elected to salvation that it might be of service. It was neces sary that the "servant" who was to carry out God's purpose of saving the world should be a nation, from the condition of the ancient world. "Of all possible combinations of men the nation was the only form which in the ancient world stood a chance of sur viving in the struggle for existence." The servant of God was the nation of Israel. Jesus Christ did God's service for the world's redemption by bearing the sorrows and sins of man. His suffer ings were not because he himself had done wrong, but in order that he might save us from them. He bore them on his heart and sympathy. He bore them away by his healing power. He bore them as the martyr and the hero suffers that he may save the op pressed and the wronged and perse cuted from their sufferings. He bore them away by transforming them into character. He bore them by giving his life for our sins, so that by re moving sin he removed most of tfte griefs of man. Christianity has been the chief power in removing the griefs and sorrows of mankind. The prophet foresees these things fulfilled in Jesus Christ. The picturo In these verses is almost a photograph of what took place five hundred years later. He was oppressed, his suffer ings were unjustly inflicted on him. Read the story of his trial. He opened not his mouth in protest. He submit ted to the wrong. Jesus was put to death with the wicked on the cross, and they thought to bury him in a criminal's grave. They appointed his grave with the wicked, but by a striking providence the same authority gave permission to a rich man, Joseph of Arimathea, who provided him with an honorable burial in his own rock-hewn tomb. Tet it pleased the Lord because he saw the good to be gained. He shall see his seed, his spiritual descendants, filled "vith his spirit and carrying out his plans. He shall prolong his days. He rose from the dead, ascended to heaven, and is the everlasting leader and king. Of all kings he is the most glorious. Of all kingdoms his is the largest, noblest, best beyond all com pare. This far-off vision of Jesus, and of the redeemed world, is one of the strongest proofs of a revelation from God. Professor Ramsay declares that the Bible ?3 unique among ancient re ligions in that "to the Hebrew proph ets, and to them alone, the better age lay always in ? ature." "The best is yet to be, The last of life for which the first was made." We see in this lesson the one source of power for saving man, and trans forming the world. The path of un selfishness is the path to power. The business of all followers cf Jesus is to be servants of Jehovah, to do as far as In them lies the same kind of service that Jesus did. Rivulets and the Rivers. All are to be men of genius in their degree-rivulets or rivers, it does not matter, so that the souls be clear and pure; not dead walls, encompassing dead heaps of things, known and num bered, but running waters in the sweet wilderness of things unnum bered and unknown, conscious only of the living banks, on which they partly refresh and partly reflect the flowers, and so pass on.-Rus?n: Th? Stones of Venice. Dally Thought. If every one did an act of daily kind ness to his neighbor, and refused to do any unkindness, half the sorrow of this world would be lifted and disap pear.-Ian Maclaren, - - ? By Reverend Stephen Paulson 99t- Ce TEXT-When Thou saidst. Seek ye mr face; my heart said unto Thee, Thy face. Lord, will I seek.-Psalm 28:8. Is lt possible that we, sinful, as wei know ourselves to be, shall i>ee the: face of God? To see God ls to be pure. No stepr that defileth, nor anything that maketh a He, can stand in his pres^ ence. "Blessed," said Jesus, "are the? pure in heart, for they shaU see God.* To see God is to be at peace. Even, as chaos became the ordered course of nature at his word and presence, even, as the waves of Galilee lay down in peace at the Master's feet, so here can be no disquietude in his presence,, for there the wicked cease from, troubling and the weary are at rest. To see God is to live In love. There shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and God shall be all in all, and God is Love. In his presence there can be nothing of hatred, or envy or strife, for heaven ls the abode of Eternal Love. To attain these blessings Is a height of which, in our present condi tion, we may well despair. Then why does God say, "Seek ye my face?" Is that simply mockery of our imp?t en cy? Does not our innermost soul re spond, "Thy face O Lord wUl I seek." And has not God, through his Son, made it possible for us to seek him and to see his face? And is this a promise for the future only? Is it only the happy and vic torious dead who see God's face? Ia it not allowed us to catch glimpses of his glory? Not fuUy, for we Uve in a twilight, and we see as through a glasB darkly, but then face to face. Yes, it ls possible for us to see God even now; and what quest could be greater? Men give their lives to the search for hidden things, The world is still full of mysteries, and many things are left to be discovered. Men explore the earth to its uttermost parts; some spend their lives in th? study of the heavens. "The heaven? declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth bis handiwork.'* Shall we not seek the face of him, who is the Author of all these won ders? Is not he the supreme quest ot the human mind and soul? First, like the psalmist <~ old, we may learn to see the face of God in Nature. Walking through the world with open and loving eyes is one of the best aids to faith. In the spring time of the year, when the earth is clothing itself in beauty, God in his power and goodness seems nearer to us. Study and love the works af God; they will give you simpler tastes and purer pleasures; in friendless mo ments they will give you companion ship; in troubled moments they will breathe you peace. And the more you know of God's works,.the more Joa_ will se J him everywhere. Secondly, we may Bee God in the minds and lives of other men. Never was anything good or true or wise 'written or spoken without the inspira tion of God's Holy Spirit Books are the great treasuries of God's revela tion to human minds in all ages. Above all is the Book of Books, the Bible, which contains depths of wis dom which the human mind has never sounded, and which the ages win never outgrow. "Heaven and earth, shall pass away, but My Words shaU not pass. But most cleary do we see God to tho face of Jesus Christ Keep to mind that great sentence of St Paul (2 Cor. 4:6), "God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in tho face of Jesus Christ." When, you look into the face of Jesus you see God as a father, loving and tender; who desireth not the death of a sinner but that all men be saved; who so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son for its r?demption. When you look into the face of Jesus, you see a revelation of love that Ia infinite and all-embracing. Many of us are like Phillp of Beth? salda: "Philip saith unto Jesus, Lord, show us the Father and it sufficed* us. "Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, show'us th? Father? Bellevest thou not that I am in the Father and the Father in mei The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself; but the Father tha dweUeth in me, he doeth th? works." Thou, Lord Jesus, art the glory of the Father! The Discipline of Hardship. In April the peach orchard lends a faint pink flush to the distant hillside, and that stands for the moralities. In September the ripe fruit lends a gold en blush of clustered food tb the sam? hill; and that is the fruit of religion. Great is the importance of the root moralities, but roots and boughs imply the ripened fruit The n ot of life ls health, prosperity, and sunshine. Bull God hath appointed wrestling, defeat, and suffering as im portant members if his corps of teach ers. Ours is a xi Diverse where prog ress is securer in the fruit and grains through chemical reactions. Steel is iron plus fire; 8*41 is rock plus flre billow and Ice-plow; statues are mar ble plus chisel and hammer strokes; linen ls flax plus the bath that racks? the club that flail?, the comb that sep-, arates, the acid that bleaches. Ms hood is birth-gift plus struggle, temi tatton, wrestling "Kith refusals to downward and ti ie determination climb upward. The saint ls a man wi has been carried off the field on his' shield, victorious ever Inbred sin and outside temptation. Men who drift are men who dn?wn,-Rev. N. IX HUlis. There ls no sunir way to friendship than the honest avid sincere apprecia tion of the good dualities and merits of others.-Henry Lee,