The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-05-25

Once upon time--betore Rome was
dreamt Ola MnE OF Egypt wrote to
A king OF Babylonla, asking his daugh-
ter's hand In marriage. The king OF
Rabyionla, being most unrOmantIc
perent, declined to enter into any such
Arrangement Until he had substantial
rynof OF tho royal sultor's worthiness
and honorable Intentions, Then follow
cd long correspondence, which, Won
derltl To relate, was VERT much like the
correspondence that enSues to-day when
A European monarch takes u into his
head to get married.
They died, did these two kings, and
thirty-dve centuries rolled slowly over
theIr graves. and the world grew to be
vastly different from what II once was,
aud yet remained vastly the same.
In the year 1883, peasant woman
seeking antiquities among the ruins
rear the city OF Tell-el-Amarna, found
4 number of tablets written in cunel-
Snrn characters. In the course OF time
these tablets reached che hands " one
Hugo WInclkler, young AssyrloloEist,
Who translated them, among others, ana
nbw from the press OF Reuther 4 Rolch-
ana ng Berlin, there has Just been is
,ued n little book entitled The Tell-el-
Nu,lrsa Letters" The S!bmuarla re-
feared to below mas been Identified with
Amenhotep. who rslgned over Egypt
about itl5 Il, G, This Nlhmraria hau
married the sister OF the Babylonia
Einu. KallEma sin, and, polygamy being
,ruch IN vugue at thar cine. had ex-
dressed a desire 10 marry Kalllma. Sins
laughter also. The Babylonia king.
however, hesltAged, because he did not
Inow how well his sister had been
treated.
respondence for yourself;
TO NlbnuaFin. the great King. the
King Of Egypt, my BROTHER: From
KelIfna- Sin, King OF kardunlas. your
brother l am well. may you be well;
with YOUR house. your wives, your sons.
Vnnr chief men, your horses your char
tots and your lands, may It be very
we'll ! am we'll, with my house, my
wives. my sons. my chief men, my
horses, my chnriots. my people, II Is
very well, and with my lands very
Verify have heard the communion
,,.,n. which you have written me. name
is: You wish indeed. my daughter to
wife. although my sister, whom my
iather gave you. Is there with you. and
no one has seen her as yet. whether she
And then che letter goes on TO sug-
yrst that the King OF Egypt, having
obtained wife from the court OF Baby
Iopia. e would be but fair OF him to
return the compliment by sendina one
~ his own daughters to wed the Baby
Innian monarch. This suggestion seems
20 nave met with the Egyptian kings
approval. Possibly he approved out OF
selfish motives, seeing In the arrange
Tent o way TO his own desires being
granted: at any rate he replied as fol-
lows:
From NIbmuaria, King OF Egypt:
TO KallImla-S sin. King OF K1rdunia.
nv brother: from Nibmuaria. King OF
EEypt YOUR brother. May Il be well
With you. with your house, your wives.
your land, your chRriots. your horses,
your chief men. may Il be very well. A.
10 the maiden. my daughter, to marry
whom you have written me. she u
grown up and mRrriaGeable; send and
let her be bFouqht.
Nov, my brother, when I wrote to
YOU, to marry your daughter, you say
that YOU would not give her. Why rs
that A king are you. and you can do
according 10 your hearts wish. This
they tell me and so l say: There are
Erown-up daughters and beautiful wo-
men. II there Is any beautiful woman
there. send her." Who shall say she Is
not a kings daughter? II, however, you
do not send any one at all. then you
will have no regard for brotherhood and
frIendship. Then l. like you, VIII with
hold nom you a wife.
The upshot of Il all was, as other tab.
lets reveal. that the old kings obtained
the wives they sought.