The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1872-10-04
Whore Vas esEden g,

About three years ago a discourse |
OF Sir Henry Rawlineon, before the |
royal society Of London, on the site |
Of the Garden of Eden, was edito-
rally noticed in the Ledger That |
Assyrian explorer as
serted that be hal ideciphered the
word Eden" In some of the h ero-
glyphics or cuueiform inscriptions
on the ruins of Nineveh, and That it
was a name given to Babylon
whence, he urged, that the last
named ancient city had been built
on the SPOT where Adam and Eve
resided N their state of innocence.
This conclusion has not been gener-
ally received, Notwithstanding the
high reputation of the author. It is
a matter of controversy whether The
sacred narrative is 10 be understood
literally or allegoTically. The Rev.
w. 4. Scott, o! San Francisco, III an
interesting PAPER just publishes,
adopts the strictly literal sense. His
arguments are perhaps as concise
an embodiment of reasoning on be
half of the literal Interpretation Of
Scripture as could be furnished.
The first of them is that Eden was
the name of country wherein
everything needful for man was pro-
duced, and that this name was de-
scriptive of it, eignifying "a land of
pleasure" The second is that the
GARDEN or as tie Greeks called ii,
"Paradise,'0 was not u len itself,
but only ii portion of 1t. And
thirdly, that this garden was east
lCoTd Of the writer's location all
which appears to be clear, from the
text, And the Lord God planted a
garden, eastward, in Eden" The
author of the narrative, standing in
Syria, would look eastward when be
turned III the direction of Mesopo
tamia-- which was the name given
to the country lying between the
rivers Euphratcs and Tigris-and
that this was the probable site
of the cradle of the human race is
confirmed by what follows: Aud II
river weht out of the country of
Eden to water the Garden Para
disc i and from thence it was part
cd, and became into four heads
These b., ads or streams are respect
fully named PisoD, Gihon, Hiddekel,
and Eupbrates in the narrative. The
first of these DR.. Scott identifies
with the Phases or Hays of latter
times. It's source is near the head
OF the Euphrates, and it flows north
westly seven hundred miles, into
the Black Sea. The second is the
Arexes, which Uses ten miles from
the sources of the Euphrates, and
flows thousand miles, Il little north
of east, into the Caspian Sea. The
third, "the great river which IS Hid
dekel," Daniel, X, 1, is generally
admitted to be the Tigris. And as
to he fourth Euphrate4, there is no
dispute about it. Now all these
iOur rivers have their sources in the
highlands OF Armenia, and, as it l.
stated that It was "lrom the garden
that they parted and became four
heads" il follows that the site of
Paradise WAS that portion of Ar
menia in which these sources were
found. Mr. Scott advances three
objections 10 the theory that the
face Of the Garden IF Eden was s.
changed by the flood as to be ire
coverably lost. In the first place,
re saws, it is by no means certain
that Noah's flood was universal, I'D
! the strict meaning of that word );
but in arguing this he violates his
own principle of adher;ng to the
strictly literal meaning of the text,
for it is clear from the two nara
tives which are given in Genesis of
the Deluge that Is was supposed to
| be universal. G., extending all
over the surface of the globe. In
| the second place, be mentions that
the universally OF the Deluge is
disputed by almost every geOlogist.
And in the third place, and this Is
his stoute-t argument, it is incOnsis-
tent with the narrative, written after
tho DelUgP, To- say that the site OF
Eden is lost. The four rivers re-
main, and their sources can be seen
in Armenia Why should they still
exist, and yet the land in which
they spring have changed entirely
Ararat is there as it was in the days
of Noah, before the food. In truth
there has been no such transforms
ton OF the soil as certain theolOgiaus
have asserted. Man has changed.
This region lay etween the Persian
Gulf and the Caspian S9a, where
now the wild Arab I, ans about
the cities are desolate, and the cruel
desrotism of the Persian and the
Turk "hath dried up realms to
deserts"
1t must be said, however, that the
word Eden" (signifying delights y
is manifestly used in various mean.
ings in other portions of the Scrip
lures, sometimes to denote a PEG
pie, again to denote u country, and
again rs the name of person, and
finally in humble of ways incon-
sistent with the lea of literal inter
probation.
The Old HarpisChOrd.
Beethoven was in the habit o