The sun., 1873-10-15

attested by the avowal OF his intcntion-in
spite OF his advanced age of seventy years
and upward-to make personal explorn-
ton of the volcanic region referred To NJ
an early day. for the purpose of complet-
ing hi, Identification Of what Is perhaps the
most remarkable spot on the face OF the
earth.
The volcanic districts Of Arabia are
called bdrrdS by the natives OF thecountry,
| meaning tracts covered with rugged black
stones that look burmt with fire. The po-
sition attributed to the true Mount sinai
! Ivy Dr. BEKE is somewhere about ~ 80
north latitude aud SO east longitude, in
| one of these wastes. known rs the llarra
Radila. II IL doubtful whether any
European has ever penetrated this wilder
ness, though DURCKHAHDT and other trav-
cllcrs must have skiricd It's borders, on the
route from Damascus to Mecca. The loca-
ton OF Mount sinai here renders It impos-
sible that the biblical kingdom OF Mitz-
raim-tho scrptural land Of boudnRc-
should be identical with the Egypt Of pro-
fame history. DR.. DEKE expressly con-
tends that II Is not. At the time OF the
exodus ii was powerful aud populous
monarchy situated, ms he believes, alto
gcther to the northeast of the realm of the
ProLrMtEs, near the Philistne country.
II was from this land that the 1srlelitcs
fled on that wonderful Journey in which
we are told "thc Eternal went before
them by day in II pillar of cloud, TO lead
them the way; aud by night in pillar OF
fire TO give them light
Tile language Of this ana many vtn,,
passages is cited to- show that ut this period
Mount Sinai was an active volcano, which
| blazed like n beacon before the lsraelitCs
Oh their perilous path. In the nineteenth
chapter of the Book Of Exodus we read
that when the children of Israel were en-
campcd before the Mount OF God in
Horcb, "it came 10 pass on the third day
| in the morning, that there were thunders
and lightnings and a thick cloud upon the
mount, and the voice of the trumpet ex-
cceding loud so that all the people
that were in the camp trembled. And
Mount Sinai was altogether on smoke,
! because the Eternal descended upon it in
FIRE; and the smoke thereof assembled as
| the smoKc of furnace, and the whole
mount qualied greatly" The narrative
! relates, III the next chapter, how "all the
people saw the thunderings aud the light
nings aud the noise of the trumpet, and
! the mountain smoking; and when the peo-
! pie saw it, they removed and stood afar
or Further on, in the same book of the
Scriptures, 1t is said that Moses went up
into the mount, and Il cloud covered the
mount. And the glory Of the Eternal
abode upon Mount sinai, and the cloud
covered il SIX days; aud the seventh day
lie called unto Moses out of the midst of
the cloud. Aud the sight OF the glory of
the Eternal was like deyouriug fire ON the
top Of the mount, in the eyes Of the chill
dren Of Israel"
There is an undeniable similarity be-
tween these tgurLtive expressions and
the language usel TO describe volcanic
action in later ages. PINpAR speaks OF
Mount Htua rs by day n burning stream
of smoke, but by night ruddy eddying
flame PLISY the younger, in his cel,blsl-
ted account Of the trst eruption of Mount
Vesuyius, by which his uncle, the distin
guished Roman Admiral, was killed, de-
s,libcs the mass OF matter thrown on
from the crater 10y day rs "a cloud risinl
upward in appearance and shape rcsem
bling trcr,' aud In the evening "yas
sheets Of fame and large bodies OF hr'
were behcld rising from Mount Ve,uyius
the glare anl brillinury of which wer'
seen N bOldor relief as niglt drew or
npace' Many more modern description
TO the same purpose are quoted 10y DR.
BEKE. An African, OF the Sumnli coun
try, who witnessed the 1r,t eruption Of 1
volcano ON the Ahyssiuiau coast in lsGl
saw nineteen cratcrs, of which, hc said
eighteen stlll "smoko in the day time an,
at night give Light like a lamp Thos
rude words, says Dr. BEKE, are meant 4
describe and by every reasonable p"-so'
would be understood as describing " hat il
the ngurative language Of scripture
styled "a pillar Of cloud By day and Il pl
lar Of hrc by night"
1t is asserted, then, that Mount sinai wa
a volcano in active eruption when IA
children Of Israel BEGAN their wanderings
that it was by the hight of the eruption
principally if not entirely, that the
passed through the Rcd sea; and that th
% mighty earthquake which accompau th
% volcanic outburst caused the rising Of th
waters whereby the pursuing host OF PIlA
RAOH WAS overwhelmed.
DR.. BEKE is hy no means skcptic
% religion. On the contrary, he Is fri
Z adhcrcut of the Christian faith. He be
q lieves, however, that the doubts aud DIN
, cullies concerning the exodus, which hay
- in late years been employed to discrcd
q Old Testament history, should Dee defnteI
-ct at ret 10y just such scientific inyestlgi
uons rs that which lac now proposes
q make ana no doubt many Christians WI
gree with him.
~ An Artiul Deception Exposed.
\. Those senators AMI Representatives VII