The weekly union record., 1866-03-10
The Caliph's Dream.

L
says many a one who really, without
knowing it, has seen many miracles.
When the great Caliph of Bagdad had
completed his palace, he Went with his
wisest counselor to inspect his gardens.
These were laid out in Oriental grand
eur. There were tall forest trees, from
the great cedar to the hyssop; the air
was filled with the perfume of orange
blossoms; there were flowers Of every
hue, wild and tame birds, fountains
jetting up water, running brooks among
rocks that had been brought hundreds
of miles, thickets whence issued the
roar of lions, and parks filed with deer.
Not tree, or shrub, or flower, that
could live in that climate, that was not
found there. The garden had been
years in coming to perfection, and en-
braced miles-nobody knew how many
in extent. The parrot and monkey
talked and played in the trees, the
peacock and pheasant trod upon the
velvet lawn. GAN this is very beautiful,
Meershi,'' said the Caliph. Mature
and art combined have made this
beautiful spot. l can walk or ride,
swing or swim here. And l marvel at
What has been done" "Who worketh
like him! Gods finger hath touched
every flower, and everything which thou
seest. Surely thou wilt never again
hint the thought that all these things
are the work of chance, when even the
laying out of these grounds shows some
body must have done it." "Meershi,
dost thou believe in miracles - "Most
assuredly l do" ''Show me a real
miracle, and will never doubt again."
''Sit down, then, o Light of the East
sit down in this little arbor, surrounded
by the nodding poppies, out of which
they extract the gum which maketh
thee dream of Paradise. There! Now
rest thy head on thy left hand. Now
look steadily at that circle which |
draw with my staff on the ground.''
The Caliph looked intently on the
circle, while Meershi muttered some
thing to the air, and waved his cane
toward the four parts of heaven. In
stantly the Caliph saw the earth begin
to rise up in the very center of the circle.
In single minute, there came up little
shoot, and then it expanded into large,
beautiful apple tree, such as grow only at
the foot Of the mountains of Himalaya.
In another minute, the tree hung with
golden fruit, fair as the fruit which
grew on the limbs of the Gihon, in the
garden Of the Lord. In another instant,
the fruit was scattered and went rolling
around, and there arose mighty
containing ten thousand trees,
and every tree bearing different fruit.
The Caliph gazed at the scene with
wonder and delight. He put forth his
hand and ate the new-created fruit. 1t
was delicious as that which Adam gath
cred on the day he first supped with Eve.
"a miracle, miracle Meershi, |
will never doubt again. That is a
miracle, indeed" "Will the Light of
the East look at his watch, and see how
long it has taken to work the miracle e
The Caliph reached to his bosom for his
jeweled watch, and drew out a rusty,
decayed thing. He looked at the arbor
in which he sat down, and found it was
all decayed and gone. He looked at
what was little nursery, and saw them
to be great trees. He could hardly
recognize anything. "Meershi, what
means this! Am l not awake? I
surely have been asleep. How long
have l slept - ''Eighty-fve years,
Light of the East" ''Eighty-hve years!
Then it was no miracle, after all ! That
first apple-tree must have grown up,
and borne fruit, and created the great
orchard in the natural way. That was
nature, after all. Ha! Meershi, by
the beard of the Prophet, thou smilest
at tiny cunning"
"Not so, great Caliph. But l wanted
to show thee that every tree that sprouts
and grows and brings forth fruit, is
miracle. What is the difference whether
the great One raise tree and an orchard
in five minutes, or in fifty years! What
is it to Him before whom a thousand
years are but as one day, and one day
as a thousand years. how much or how