Orangeburg news and times. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1875-1877, 1876-01-15
Arabian Nights.

| hese tales, called a! !so tho ''Thous-
and and One Nights" are a collection
of wild and delightful stories truns-
lated from the Arabic, and more wide
ly ditiused among The nations of The
earth than any othcr product, OF the
human mind. Willie it is read or
rocitcd to rowdslofta ger listeners in
the Arabic coffee houses Of Asia and
Africa, it is. just as eagerly pcrsued on
the banks OF the Tagus, the Tibcr, the
Scine, the Thames, the Hudson, the
Mississippi, and the Gangcs. Besides
the. millions Of Moslcnls whom this
book styles the true believers, ,thc still
mprcnGmcrous millions OF Christians,
though their. religion und themselves
arc cQntcmncd il. it, read and enjoy
it, for they can nowhere lindits equal
i'll the splendor Of its incidents, nndthe
expression Of fervcnt and intensely
natural desires. This unique clarac-
ter, also, as has we'll been said, obvia-
tc4 one Objection 10 placing romanccs
i'll the hands Of the! young. While the
youth profits By the amount of world
ly wisdom displayed by The onslnrcrs
and those who foil them, he can never
feel n disappointment that tho real
world should be SO different; for where
everything is SO unlike the world
around him, he feels when he trcats
upon this icnchantcd threshold that lie
is entering the realms Of pure imagin-
alton. While tller> are. children on
tho earth to love, Sd 'ltng Will lie
Arabian Nights" be loved; and NC
all owe thi$ pleasure to enc who was
himself a poor French hoy.
Antoine Gallund was born OF roor.
parents, at Eolloin Pitartly, in 1G4G.
lIo lost his father while nn,infant, and
was placed in the collcgc of Noyon at
the age Of tlirlcen. His mo;hcr,wao
loo poor to keep him there. He was
accordingly put TO Il trade. lie left
it in disgust and went TO Paris. W lille
at COLI, sc lie had gained some know
ledge of Latin, Greek and Hebrew.
AZ Paris lie WAS hcfricmlcd hv Du-
lie>>is, and placed under NJ. Petit
pied, doctor Of ihc Surbonnc, Will.
Mlum he studied oriental languages.
lie was named to accompany M.
No;n.cl 70 Crnstantinop!c, where he
learned modern Greek. He went
thence 70 the Holy land. Iii 1916,
he returned To Paris with collection
Of medals which proved 80 interesting
and valuable that lie WAS sent to get
more. IN 1879 he was employed IN
the East in collecting manuscripts Tor
the celebrated Colbert; and ut this
time lie must have obtained his copy
Of the arabian Nights" Of which lie
Translated ,apd published Il large part.
4 titus winning furhimsc fthc gratitude
of Iinn,ineiablc generation of tile
you: 6.
But five seek to discover The auth
or OF the original Arabic work, We
shall find il impossible. Even tho
period and the place i'll which was
written can only be inferred from,
internal evidence. The earliest known
date conncctc with il is contained in
the marginal note to the copy oi'thc
Arabic manuscript which NJ. Cialland
brought with him from Syria rhis
note VAS written us it appears, by
sWAlIaba, a Syrian Christian Of Tri-
poll, i'll Syria, and prays for long life
Tor the owners Cat iirstitwas crron-
cously translated author) orlhc n.anu-
script This date is 1854.
Thcj following Jl,eautiiul5 lan~,nge
from one ofThcodorc l'arkcrs prayers
fingers in the mind like strains of
sweetest music, cchoing from the
courts Of lieaven:l "Wc thank Thee
for .th>sc newly born into the world,
bringing the fragrance Of Heaven il
he infants breath; and if we dare
not thank Thee when our dear ones
arc born out Of this world and arc
clothed with immortalitr le VIC
thank Thee that the eye Of our luith