Elephant pipes and inscribed tablets in the Museum of the Academy of natural sciences, Daveport, Iowa / by Charles E. Putnam.

  • Charles Edwin Putnam
Date:
1885
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Elephant pipes and inscribed tablets in the Museum of the Academy of natural sciences, Daveport, Iowa / by Charles E. Putnam. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    From Granville T. Pierce, Esq. South Britain, Conn., July 15, 1885. I have the pleasure of acknowledging the receipt of your paper relating to elephant pipes, for which I beg you to accept my thanks. I read the ])amphlet with much satisfaction, mingled, however, with a rising indignation at the thought that men of science could be so un- fair. I am decidedly of the opinion that you have the best of the argument, nor do I discover anything contrary to truth and reason in the facts as you have stated them. Froi7i J. Thorburn, Esq., of the Geological Sw'7>ey. Ottawa, Canada, April 24, 1885. I have to acknowledge, with many thanks, the receipt of a copy of your jiamphlet on “Elephant Pipes in the Museum of the Acad- emy of Natural Sciences.” I have read it with great interest, and, notwithstanding what has been said and written on the other side of the question, I consider you have fully vindicated your position. Un- happily, so many hoaxes have been perpetrated upon the public that one is naturally inclined to receive discoveries of the kind referred to by you with some degree of caution. The whole c[uestion is a most interesting one. Have you seen any of the work of the Haida In- dians of British Columbia? They show a marked degree of artistic skill. We have a considerable number of them in our museum. Even their commonest utensils are highly ornamented. From Charles N. Lauman, P'.sq. Chicago, III., April 27, 1885. I received your pamphlet and read the article with much pleasure. It was clear and forcible, and, except that the members of the Academy are subjected to imputations on their good faith which, while baseless, cannot but wound generous characters, the Academy is to be congratulated on an attack which has afforded opportunity for such complete vindication. Fro7u vS. H. Binkley, Esq. Alexandria, Ohio, April 15, 1885. Your admirable “Vindication” was received. In looking it over, I was surprised — nay, amazed—at the reckless indifference exhib- ited by Mr. Henshaw in his ruthless and baseless criticisms. Nor is Major Powell exempt from censure in permitting this mass of cruel insinuations to go forth as the dictum of the “ Great Sanhedrim,” from which there is no appeal. You have well said, “ the mischief is done.” Foreign scientists have “let in” a whim that the wisdom of the nation is concentrated at Washington, and (I am sorry to record it) this gross absurdity is covertly fostered by those from whom we expected better things. If my memory is not defective, the Davenport tablets were accepted by the French savants as authentic. . . . Although in