The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1895-10-31

II was a marvellous and unique city
rising In the middle OF the great desert
90 vast that il contained within its walls
pastures full Of fiocks, cultivated fields
forests, orchards, fountains, and lake o.
love where girls went to battle naked or
the third day Of the new moon.
Never had any stranger entered the
marvellous city; never had any one
left it.
1t lay stretched in the middle of the
great desert, proud of being unique, o.
being the world, of being life, of being
Joy fallen from Heaven upon the infinite
sadness OF the sands.
Its Inhabitants, gentle, simple, volup
tuous, knew nothing Of the forms OF 9
precise religion or of the tyranny OF 8
strict government, like those divine In
dams whom Benjamin OF Tudela visited
and who knew no other magistracy than
that OF good will. Yet the sight of the
marvels that glittered at the horizon had
given them conception of future de.
lights, OF the probable prolongation after
death OF the joys OF their humanity.
For long distance around the walls
there were nothing but sands, stones and
little white rocks that looked like old
bones; but far away, near the circle OF
the horizon, one could plainly distinguish
on clear days miraculous blue forests,
lofty white towers tipped with gold, and,
toward sunset, pink palace with thou
sand lighted windows; throngs OF angels
flew above the treetops, and their wings
inscribed flashes in the pure air.
At the hour of death these marvels
were consoling to the Inhabitants of the
unique city; they imagined a migration
of souls to the blue forests, to the white
towns tipped with gold, and to the pal
ace with the thousand lighted windows I;
they saw themselves there, angelic and
Immortality joyous, stripping the pure air
with the flashes Of their wings; and the
delight Of lowering above the treetops
seemed to them 30 sweet that some OF
them were willing to die because of their
desire for such metamorphosis.
Happy as these people were, the idea
OF happiness destined to be drowned in
darkness was intolerable to them; they
aspired to the absolute in pleasure, and
were unwilling to recognize the rights oil
death--for it is the infeiicity Of life that
inspires men with desire to dissolve like
a grain Of salt in the ocean OF emptiness.
30 they believed In the perennity Of tbeil
innocent souls-not as q dogma or doc
trine, but as one believes in the truth Of
a charming tale and in the caresses OF ar
illusion.
No one in this city troubled himself
about the truth; 1t was admitted as au
axiom that truth is what | believe
And each permitted the other to have 9
truth OF his own and even several, as one
has little dog or pet birds. There was
a legend concerning Truth, the great true
Truth, and it was pictured as q sort OF
old bugbear which with a single look
stupefied children and imprudent people
some, doubtless by divination, painted il
Is a hateful and ferocious monster which
catches men by leg and used them as
clubs with which to crush other men.
(These simple people, when they shall
feel the need of gods, will probably
choose for patroness the candid Liberty
the woman with big, indulgent eyes
creature OF love and grace, but of proud
bearing.) So it had never occurred Il
any one in this city to visit the horizon
to see il the distant marvels were tru,
maryeis, structures worthy OF faith
authentic trees, real angels; no one hac
ever tried to pass through the gateway
guarded by the two sphinxes.
Two sphinxes, oracular beasts of bronze
living when it pleased them to live
frightful works Of -Adsmite magic
guarded the city's only gate, the gat,
through which it was forbidden to pas.
out. They smiled in their brazen sleep
the two guardian beasts placed there b.
lstakar, the founder OF the city, and
meditatiye, they seemed 10 have choses
the immobility OF death only through
disdain for the movement of life. Some
times words came from their immutabl,
lips-poems or tales so old that 1t wa
scarcely possible to understand them
but, collected and written. they served al
talismans and formulas OF love, sphin,
aud sphinge; at the age OF nubilit,
youths OF both sexes visited the bronz,
beasts and kissed their lips; the girl,
kissed the lips of the beast whose fac,
was given triangular shape by pointe,
beard, and the young men kissed tn,
lips OF the beast which had the breasts o
woman.
One day youth, who was already a
strong as man and more learned thai
sage, after kissing the sphinge upon tn
mouth. touched his lips to her bosom
and said:
"Sphinge, answer me-"
The sphinge answered thus:
"Child, how did you discover the sc
cret of Istakar. ?''
II have discovered it, since you an
swer me-"
"Come back tomorrow" said tn
sphinge; ''it is the day when the peopl
amuse themselves at the game of tn
sacred bath, the day when the youn