The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1888-01-26
THE GARDEN OF EDEN.
An Imaginative Writer Locates it in
the Maumee Valley of Ohio.
From tie Toledo Blade.


has been searched over for some
traces Of the Garden of Eden .Enthu.
siasts have fought and toiled and
died to find it. Historians have wan-
dered over the surface of the earth
7 hunting in vain for it. Students have
blasted the ruins of ancient cities.
scaled the walls Of ancient fortresses,
dug for clay tablets under hot burn
ing sands to find some traces of it.
One Of the most pathetic passages in
all literature is that portion of the let
ter in which Christopher Columbus
announces to the King and Queen of
Spain the discovery Of the gate to
the Garden OF Eden. Even in mod
ern times the famous explorer, Liy.
ingston. admitted that the secret of
his tireless activity and energy was
the fact that he expected and hoped
to find the location ef the Garden Of
Eden at the headwaters of tue Nile.
Strange it is that these modern ex
plorers have passed by that garden
of the New World, the shores and is-
lands Of lake Erie. In the light of
the recent discoveries Of natural gas
on the shores Of Lake Erie the study
is, to say the least. an interesting
one And if the Garden Of Eden was
not located where Toledo now stands
there is abundant proof that it ought
to have been.
The Scriptural account of the early
home of Adam and Eve is doubly
interesting when the scene is laid in
the New World. And it located on
this continent there is no spot which
will conform to all theories and all
facts revealed, as well as the country
along the great lakes.
Consider Eden as the southwest
shore Of Lake Erie. The first state
ment Of Holy Writ is that The Lord,
God, planted garden eastward in
Eden"
The beautiful islands Of Lake Erie,
still beautiful in spite Of the depart
ure of their ancient grandeur and
glory, approaching even yet the de.
scriptions Of the isles Of the Blessed,
must be considered as the Garden
in Eden 1t would be here III primi-
tive days that the sacred trees would
grow. Livery tree that is pleasant
to tn sight and good for food, the
tree of life and the tree of knowledge
of good and evil"
In regard to the rivers mentioned
in the Biblical account Of the geo.
graphical location, the best students
Of the age have been compelled to
admit that they do not mean the riv-
ers Of Asia, in the valleys Of which
the Garden Of Eden has been sought
for centuries in vain. For instance,
the Euphrates river could not be the
famous river of that name now in
Southwest Asia for many reasons.
The mere coincidence of the name
counts for nothing at all. The word
in its original meaning signifies
"broad,' and if applied to the St.
Lawrence River, the gateway to Lake
Erie and the Garden of Eden, it will
be found fitting in every particular.
The four riyers mentioned must have
been the St. Mary's River, the De-
troit and St. Clair Rivers, practically
one, the Niagara River and the St.
Lawrence River. In no case can it
be shown that these rivers, connect.
ing the Great Lakes, do not fulfil all
the requirements Of the rivers of Para
disc. so He drove out the man,
and He placed at the east of the
Garden CT Eden cherubim and 3
flaming sword which turned every
way to keep the way Of the tree of
life" is the brief account which the
Bible gives of the loss of Paradise.
This flaming sword' may have
been the burning springs of natural
gas fires which have now died out
partially, after the lapse of countless
ages. when there is no longer any
necessity for keeping man away from
the historic spot. 1t is matter of
fact that Lake Erie is almost sur
rounded by belt of natural gas fires,
extending from jamestown, N. Y,
to Pittsbnrg, Pa, Toledo, o., Port
Huron. Mich. and Hetrolia, Canada.
Those who have seen the gas gush
out Of the ground can understand the
resemblance OF a natural gas blaze
to q sword Of fame. The first use of
the gas seems to have been to keep
the guilty pair from returning to
Eden.
Those who have spent the hot and
sultry days of summer in the cool
and refreshing breezes which fan the
isle of Erie, Middle Bass and Put
in Bay. will unite in saying that if
Paradise was not located there it at
least ought to have been-for it is
nothing more nor less than a beauti-
ful Garden of Eden at the present
time.
This theory is also substantiated
hy the traditions Of the Indians, who
believe the cradle Of the human race
to have been in the vicinity of the
Great Lakes. as wei! as by the works
OF the Mound Builders, who, in pre-.
historic times, erected monuments all
over the valleys Of the Ohio and Mis-
sissippi Rivers, demonstrating that
the Star Of Empire then, as ever in
the history Of the world. moved west
ward.
Right here is point for the mod
ern boomer. If he can demonstrate
that the Garden of Eden was really
on the shores Of Lake Erie, lis for
tune will have been made. The new
hotel at Putin Bay, to cost 100000,
will be an assured fact. Pilgrims