THE ISLE OF IMAGES.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XII, Issue 241, 25 September 1922, Page 7

THE ISLE OF IMAGES.

EASTER ISLAND MYSTERY. CENTRE OF DEAD EMPIRE. An address upon Easter Island as a source of history was delivered by Professor J. Macmillan Brown on Thursday evening at Christchurdi, at a meeting of the New Zealand historical Association, of w’hich he is president. The meeting was the first held since the formation of the society a few months ago. Dr. J. Hight, vice-presi-dent, who took the chair, said that Professor Macmillan Brown, since his resignation from the faculty of Canterbury College, had devoted great energy to historical research. His lifelong devotion to history in its broadest sense clearly marked him as the first president of the society. Professor Macmillan Brown, in returning thanks, said that he had a singular feeling of resurrection. He recognised the old desk which he had used—in fact, manufactured —40 years ago, and he saw before him the faces of many to whom he had lectured in those days. Education was the only method of handing on the accumulated wisdom of mankind, and the two greatest instruments of education were literature and history. These were practically the same thing. Literature was of two kinds—oral and script. In Polynesia. facts were recorded principally by such devices as notched sticks and knotted cords. Easter Island was remarkable in that its ancient inhabitants made use of writing. This was a strong indication that at one time it had formed part of an island empire, covering a whole archipelago. In such an empire script would be needed to convey orders to officials at a distance. His solution of the Easter Island mystery was that the island had been the centre of a while archipelago, now submerged. Easter Island was barren, and yet at one time it must have carried a population of at least 100,(MX). The only explanation was that the islanders obtained their food from other islands. Ihe reports of the 17th century navigators indicated the existence of islands in the same latitude where there were none to-day. Darwin’s theory that coral islands “buoyed” or marked submerged islands had come to be regarded generally as correct. The lesson which -the statues on Easter Island had conveyed to him was that no man. hojvever great, could attain undying fame, and that, in their strivings and ambitions, men should put aside malignity and envy, for all must end in vanity and dust. A hearty, vote of thanks was passed to Professor Macmillan Brown, on the motion of Mr. W. M. Hamilton. The chairman announced that no further meetings would lie held this year, but that the' council of the society would draw up a programme for next year.