The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-04-06
THE SITE OF EDEN.

[F'rom The Strand Magazine.1
The following are the reasons for the
theory that the Garden of Eden is at or
near Seychelles. could even put it at
Praslin, a small isle 20 miles north of
Maize, Allow that Genesis is not al
legorical, that Eden, it's garden, ats two
trees, did exist on this earth. Eden is
a district, the garden Is a spot chosen
in that district, the trees were actual
trees, imbued for time with spiritual
qualities; these trees, the bush, the ark,
the tabernacle and temple differed moth
ing from the same things in the world
except for the time during which they
were spiritually consecrated or set
apart for manifestations of God, or
Satan. Gods conservation made things
which were equally clean, clean and I'M
clean; therefore 1 see no reason for
doubling that God did set apart the
two trees to be one of Life, the other Of
knowledge; or that God, when these
two trees had fulfilled their purpose,
should have relegated them back to
their former ordinary tree position.
i thought there were two trees
actual trees which had been sacrament
tai, and had ceased to be so; and in
Praslin, near Seychelles, and only there
in the whole world, is a magnificent
tree, curious beyond description, called
the Prince of the Vegetable Kingdom;
it is unique In its species, and on earth
the Laodicean Seychellarum, or Coco
di Mir. This. 1 believe, was the Tree
of knowledge. 1 then thought II the
one tree is to be found, SO is the other,
and this 1 think is the Artoearpus in
elsa, or bread fruit; it is humble
tree, of no great distinction, yet to an
observer it is as unique in its kind and
among trees as the other. This last
tree is only found in the Indian Ocean.
1t is DEMONSTRATING tree, and. like the
other it is full of ScripturaI types.
Having thought that these were the
two trees, then the question arose:
Where was the Garden of Eden? And
first came the information that Sey-
chelles is of granite, and all other isles
out here are volcanic, granite being the
more ancient formation. Then the Rev
D. Bury mentioned casually that the
verse Genesis ii, 10, could be read that
the four rivers flowed into Eden, not
out of it. have been at the source Of
the EuphrateS, TigriS, etc, and unless
the rivers were forced to flow back
ward, no spot could agree to central
basin in those lands, while flood does
not change features of 10000 feet high.
So 1 took the rivers Euphrates-as Eu-
pirates, on which is Babylon; Hiddekel
as Tigris, on which is Nineveb wide
DanieD. They meet and flow into the
Persian Gulf. Babylon oppressed Is
rael-Nineveh oppressed Israel. Re
Quired two other rivers connected with
oppression of Israel. The question OF
whether ever a river came down the
Valley of Jordan into the Red Sea is
one which has been much discussed
That an immense crevasse exists from
the source of the Jordan to the Red
Sea is the case: the depression of tho
Dead Sea is the difficulty, the ravines of
Kedron and Gihon are very deep. TAX
ing my ground spiritually, and the sim
ilarity of the name Gihon, with the
brook of Jerusalem, think that they
are the same. The Pison, or Nile, flow
ed into the Red Sea, the Gihon, or Gil
hon Brook, flowed into the Red Sea,
Joined, flowed down, met the Euph-
rates and Tigris, united near Socotra
and the soundingS shown end in deep
basin $500 fathoms deep, which is close
to Seychelles. Cush is written in mar
gin for Ethiopia. Cush was son of
Nimrod; his land was probably near
Babylon, now Bah ell Mandeb. Perrin
means Bah (gate) Ell (oG Mandeb (the
world). Pison means oYerf1owing-th
Nile overflows. Egypt oppressed Is
rael. The Nile is believed now to flow
into the Red Sea; the Blue Nile en-
compasses Godjam, province of Abys-
sinia, In which there is gold. Havilah,
son of Joktan, son of Shem, went with
Sheba and Ophir to Mesha (Sale's
Koran says) and spread along the Red
Sea. The Sea of Zugla, opposite Alden,
is called Sirius Havilah Sheba, and
Ophir is generally connected with
Abyssinia, so 1 think PisOn is Nile
Gihon means bursting forth" the
brook Gihon is southern side of Jerus-
alem; it means Kedron and flows, when
it does flow, to the SAL Sea (Dead
Seal, by the Valley Of Fire; 1T is
Tophet, Hinnom, the Valley of Slaugh-
ter, the sewer of Jerusalem, the site OF
all abominable sacrifices; it is connect
ed with Jerusalem in an evil way; 1t
has the same name as Genesis.