The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1895-09-06


face of the earth, including the Chi
nese, the ancient Aztecs of Mexico, the
Indian tribes of North and South
America, and even the savages OF AT
RIGA.
The story, OF course varies material
ly in the multtudinous traditions, but
the gist of it remains substantially the
same, namely, that the earth was once
visited by great flood in which near
ly every living thing was overwhelmed
4 and lost. Thus in the Koran we read
that Noah constructed the ark with
divine assistance, and was rallied at
for his pains by the wicked. When the
time prescribed for the punishment of
mankind arrived, water was seen to
flow from the burning oven of Noah's
wife, and Immediately all the veins and
arteries of the earth broke and spurted
out water. Noah was then admonished
in these words; "Take and bring. into
the ark two couples of every kind of
animal male and female, with all your
family, except him who has been con-
demned by your mouth, and receive the
faithful, and even the unbelieving; but
few only will enter" The Koran also
says that the ark was built in two
years, and that it contained three sto-
ries, the upper one for the birds, the
middle one for the men and the provi-
sions, and the hold for the beasts. Ca
naan, the son of Ham, refused to be
saved; therefore Noah cursed him, and
his prosperity became black and We're
enslaved, The Persians assert that
Ham incurred his fathers malediction
as well. When six months had passed,
the ark rested on the top of Mount
Djondi (AraraU, after having made the
circuit of the world. Tabari says that
two sorts of animals left the ark which
had not entered 1.-THE pig and the cat.
Concerning the latter we have this in
teresting piece of information: When
the rats began to make trouble, the
voyagers complained to Noah. Where
upon the patriarch passed his hand
down the back Of the lion, who
sneezed and the cat leaped out of the
nose. And the cat ate the rats"
According to the Talmud Noah and
his family and one pair of each kind of
beast were to be saved in the ark, but
of every clean beast seven We're to en-
r | lGI III L nc lllluOCtIOG, HpWGNGl3 iid
to be left out, for the simple but suffi-
cient reason that its neck alone was
three miles long Nevertheless all the
Rabbinic writers agree that the rhino-
oeros survived the flood; hence it is
reasonable to suppose that the huge
beast was taken in tow by "a rope at
: tached to its horn. Some authorities
likewise declare that Noah extended
his hospitality to another outsider In
the shape of Og, the giant, who climbed
on the roof of the ark and received his
daily food through hole bored in the
side Of the vessel.
: Ararat has been known under this
name for three thousand years. and ar
Armenian writer declares that an en-
. tire country was so called after Ara
. the Fair, an ancient Armenian king
who lived about 1850 B. G. He fell in 9
bloody battle with the Babylonians
and the scene of his death was thence
: forth known as Arai-Arat, or the Fal
of Arai Josephus refers to the noun
tain as Navuana, and declares that the
remains Of the ark were there to bt
seen carefully preserved.
Almost all the Asiatic traditions
! closely resemble the biblical account
: Berosus in his Chaldee history (B. G
!. 260) speaks of ten kings, who appear tt
t correspond to the ten patriarchs II
= Genesis before the Flood. The last o.
these kings was called Xisthrus. Be
q rosus relates that "Kronos appeared tx
: Xisthrus in a dream, and warned hin
!. that all men would be destroyed by
t deluge on the 18th of the month Daes
I los, and commanded him to write dow1
all the learning and science of men
a and to hide it in the sun-city Siparis
), and then to build a ship and enter i
4 along with his family and relatives ant
T nearest friends, and to take into it will
i him food and drink, and beasts ant
winged fowl When he was asked
whittier he was about to sail, he wa
hidden to reply: TO the gods, to pra.
;, them that men may prosper ks
), thrus did as he was commanded, ant
when the flood showed signs of abatinl
! he sent out three birds in succession
the first and second came back, the lat
ter with mud on it's feet, but the thirt
returned not. Soon after this the shil
u was stranded on a mountain, and Xis
l. uthrus dsembarked with his family
offered thanks to the gods, and van
{. ished. Subsequently the remaining
survivors heard his voice in the heav
: ems, bidding them fear God and to tax
Il his writings out Of Siparis, and from
them instruct men,
II The ancient Persian account Is yer.
? brief: "Taschter (the spirit ruling tn
~ waters) found water for thirty day
: and thirty nights upon the earth. EV
y cry water-drop was as big as a bow
y The earth was covered with water tn
70 height of a man. All idolaters o.
earth died through the rain; it penetra
e ted all openings. Afterwards a win
e from heaven divided the water an
a carried it away in clouds, as souls bea
& bodies; then Ormuzd collected all tn
$ water together and paced it as a bour
u dairy ito the EARTH and thus was tn
n great ocean formed"
:. The Brahminical legend is both inter
- esting and picturesque. The geners
- pralaya or destruction is the subject {
"a the first Purana or sacred poem, whic
is found in the eighth book Of the Bhs
gavata. From this we learn that th
demon Hayagriva having purloine
the Vedas from Brahma while he wa
n,