The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1872-12-26
Scripture Readings.

AS the mind is greatly comforted when read
ing about people and events, to have adehnite
idea of their geographical location, we will de-
vote brief chapter to this purpose.
The garden of Eden is the first place named
in the sacred scriptures. Its precise locality is
not known, but it was certainly somewhere in
the high lands of Armenia near to the head
waters of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
Armenia is part of Turkey, in Asia. This
last named country will be forcibly impressed
upon the reader by glance at the map, where
will be seen the notable surroundings of the
Black Sea, the Caspian Sea, the Persian Gulf
and the Mediterranean Sea. Within their boun-
daries lies the wonderful country that saw the
birth and fall of man. AS nearly all Bible his
tory is located within these limits, it is impor-
tant to have this consecrated ground well
p)accd in the mind and memory. As to its
longitude and latitude it is interesting for us to
know that this country lies within the same
parallels with the United States, and is directly
opposite to us on the face of the globe. That
mart of Turkey known as Palestine, or the ho-
" land, is upon the same latitude with Caro-
lima and Georgia; and Jerusalem lines with
Macon and Savannah. In climate, soil and to-
biography, Turkey, in Asia, is very similar to
these United States, and embraces about as
much territory as lies east of the Mississippi
river and south of the Ohio. 1t abounds i'll
names familiar to Bible readers. Here we find
MT. Ararat, and Nebo, and Carmel, and Oivet.
Here is the Dead Sea, and Lake Genesaret,
and the river Jordan. Here are the cities of
Jerusalem, and Damascus, and GAIA, and Jop-
pa, and Hebron. Here is where the Lord
planted his garden, where Adam and Eve lived,
and loved, and lamented their fall-where
Enoch walked with God, and Noah preached
righteousness, and for more than year was
adoat upon the food. Here is where Abraham
lived. and Isaac and Jacob, and where the
twelve tribes, after years OF wandering, found
final resting place. Here Moses, the most
wonderful Of men, ended his career, appointed
his successor, took his first and final look at
The promiscd land and died. Samuel and Da-
yid. and Solomon and the Kings and Prophets
lived here; and here, too, our Saviour was
born. and lived, and preached, and died.
All of this is sacred ground. For centuries
it drank the blood of the martyrs and crusaders
and was the scene of carnage and death most
terrible. Millions of treasure have here been
spent in the struggles of Kings and Emperors
and Sultans over it's possession. What force
and violence could not accomplish has, how
ever, yielded to the far reaching, all pervading
influence of Christian civilization. As the Jews
are no longer forbidden the rights of citizens in
Christian countries, so neither arc the Christians
forbidden foothod in the holy land. The one
seems to have followed apace with the other,
and now in this blessed time learned Rabbins
and Christian antiquaries are seen working to-
pether amid the ruins of the temple searching
for the lost records and historic chronicles of
the Kings of Judea. Turkey in Asia is still
under the dominion of the Sultan. The Mo
hamcdon religion is the same as that of his
fathers for twelve centuries past, but the pro-
rrcss of this age and commercial intercourse