The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-12-01
THE BURNING BUSH OF MOSES.
Modern Specimen of the ''NIiracIe',
Tree Said to Grow in Africa.
From the New York World.

From the New York World.
Another historical miracle" seems 70
have been put on a scientific basis. The
burning bush" of Moses, accepted unfal-
teringly by Biblical students, of all the
wonders related in the Scriptures. has been
considered as among the most marvel
Gus.
The turning of the rod of Moses into a
serpent has long been explained as a piece
or Eastern necromancy. Many travellers
in India have seen Jugglers perform the
very same feat. The shifting of the rock
for water has long been deemed simply an
instance of practical judgment on the part
OF the great Hebrew prophet in discovering
spring and divulging it to his people with
dramatic effect. But the burning busb'I
has always been regarded as a miracle
that must be taken upon faith alone.
The scrlptuTal account Ito be found in
Exodus iii, 2-5, says: And the angel OF
the Lord appeared unto him NIoses5 in a
flame of fire, out of the midst of a bush.
and he looked and, behold, the bush burn
sumed.
And Moses said 1 will now turn aside
and see tins great sight, why the bush is
not burned.
And when the Lord saw that he turned
aside to see, God called unto him out
of the midst of the bush, and said Mo-
SEES, Moses. And he said, Here am l.
And ne said, Draw not nigh hitler:
put on thy shoes from off thy feet, for
the place whereon thou standest is holy
ground"
In a recent English foreign oIkce report
there is description of a lately discov-
cred stunted tree that goes by the name
of the chaparro. If this be not the veri-
table burning bush" that burned with
fire ard was not consumed" it is very
close to 1t, for experiments have re-
vealed that it not only resists fire for
very long time, but that its trunk is
practically incombustible. 1t seems ac-
tually to thrive on great forest fires in
which it alone remains uncOnsumed, for
If long period passes without a con
migration the chaparro gradually decays
and dies.
In a recent English foreign office repcrt
tree seems to start into life, as an or
binary plant does when il is wet with
rain after a long drought. Amid the
swirling reds and yellows of the flames
It takes on a new life, and after the
fire has swept past 1t is seen with new
shoots OF vivid green springing out of it.
At such times the chaparros stand alone
sturdy and strong, amid the surrounding
blackened trunks, the only living things
IN land reduced to sterility.
1t Is not accurate to say that the entire
tree comes out of forest fire nseath-
ed. While the body of the tree is ircom-
bustible, its smaller branches and twigs
burn. They burn very slowly while the
rest of the woodland is going up in
smoke.
The London scientists who have looked
into the matter believe that the trunk of
the tree, and its branches in smaller
degree, eXude under the influence of great
heat a moisture that is sufficient owing
to its peculiar chemical properties, to
protect the wood
Commenting on the chaparros, the En-
glish foreign office report says: 1T is
very remarkable that these fire-begotten
plantations are nowhere crowded to ex-
cess; on the contrary, the trees are so
regularly placed that their aspect vies
with that of the most carefully formed
gardens.
While the word tree" is used in the
report the term bush" would be more
accurate, for the chaparro is little more
than that. 1t seldom grows to a hight
of more than eight feet, and in appear
a smallish tree. 1t grows mainly in South
Africa, being most frequently met with
in the wild regions far to the west of the
TransYaal in districts where few white
men have been. The natives look upon
II with SuperStiuouS awe, and imagine
that god dwells within its trunk. They
avoid the groves of these trees after
nlghtfall. The wood is tough and unyield-
ing, ana after a fire will dun the edge OF
the sharpest instrument. specimen OF
ehaparro bark is on exhibition IN the mu-
scum of the Pharmaceutical Society. i'm
Bloomsbury square, London.
A comparison Of the description of this
remarkable tree with that given of The
burning bush" shows that Ii was prob
ably the thOrny acacia OF the Arabian
peninsula, the stunt Of Egypt aud was
akin 10 the shittah tree and SIENNA Hence
the mountains on which &c grows derive
their name. Sinai; and the tract rs called
the Wilderness Of Sin" or the "Seneh p |
The wood Of the shittah tree furnished |
the material for the Ark Of the Covenant |
ana various parts Of the Tabernacle In
e hard. tough and durable, and susceptl- |
Die Vt hDe polish,