The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-10-27
THE ARK OF THE COVENANT.
William Sim psnn's Delt Recalls an
Old Abyssiniap Lepend

AN 7"t eSsbidU LckenOs
learn by the papers Of the death of
my CD friend, " ilIiam Simpson Of thu.
Royal institute. 1t is thirty years sine.
first made his acquaintance. and the
same length of time since that acauain,-
anct became friendship. Simpson was
one Or the able company Of artists who
nave served the Illustrated London
News so long and faithfully. For that
paper he Travelled over Il great part Of
the habitable globe: he was in the
Crimea. in India. in Abyssiuiy. in A.
ghanistan. in Paris during the Commune
In Sedan at the surrender: he went ev-
eiywhere and saw everything No vet
cram soldier, | have been told. was often
'r under ire than Simpson. or more COO,
whllc the bullets flew past him. sketch
ing the details of action. No one, out
slce OF the army. knew more about mill
tary affairs AT the same time his pro-
feSsion Of war correspondent with pencil
and pen never made him in the least de.
gree militare: he was always a civil
ian. lie knew everybody. Of all ranks.
and was as much at home with one class
as another. He was also a student. all
his llfP. of tine obscure forms of religious
faiths, especially those belonging to the
East He wrote a book about his many
traVcS. called Meeting the Sun and
another book on his favoritt subject,
called. | believe, The Praying Wheel
He was a most delightful companion,
full Of "reminiscences from the early days
in Scotland and the Crimean experiences
down to his later experiences in CAM,
and court. He was. IN word. that
| rare kind of human creature who stand.
alrDe. is absolutely unlike his fellows
and whose pace can never be filled up
When Lord Napier Storlned and took
Magdala in 1868. Simpson. who. of
course, was in the thick Of the fighting,
brthought him Of the AbysSillian legend
probably he Was the only man in the
army who knew it. National tradition
relates how Prince Menelek. son of King
rived at manhood, travelled from Abys-
sinia to Jerusalem i'll order to see the
wise King. But the wise King was
dead. His son, Rehoboam. who reigned
in his stead. ordered that costly gifts
should be presented to Menelek Among
other things he caused an exact copy Of
the Ark Of Covenant to be made for his
half brother. Now. mark. In the tenn
pie there was one Isaac. a priest. wha for
some private enmity toward the King
or the high priest, exchanged the model
for the real ark, and gave the latter to
Menelek. who carried it off with him t.,
Atyssina. The ark has been preserved
with the greatest veneratlml Accepting
to the story. and is now in the catfiedraf
I'll hiSudlt. 90 IoliIlpStu asked Tic
general for an escort while he searched
the church and >kctched the ark. Alas:
| there was no time. Our forces evacuat
ed Magtlaa as soon as their task was
done. and so the Ark of the Covenant
still remains to I've sketched. Perhaps,
however. the .AhySsinan legend is not
| true.
1t was Simpson who discovered the
! tomb Of Omar khayyam. and brought
| home cuttings from the roses growing
beside the tomb. These cuttings were,
| planted by the Omar Khayyam society
| on the grave of Edward Fitzgerald
have not heard if they took root and
| fourishcd but one hopes that they have
] blcsSomed up this time. and poured out
| the hl,ation of their fragrance upon the
| poet who had more Of the Pcr>ian'S Spir-
! it than the Persian himstlf.-Sir Walter
BcSlnt.