The Portland daily press., 1900-07-16
And of the Excavations
Which Are Going On.
Goes to Ancient Chaldean City
to Make Excavations.

States consul at Bagdad, spoke at the
mems meeting at the Y. M. G A, yes
terday afternoon. His audience was not
as large as it might have been, but it
made up for it's lack of numbers in the
great interest it displayed in what DR..
Banks had to say of the excavations of
old Biblical cities in the ARABIAN desert.
He began by giving an anecdote of an
Arab who wished to dig ditch from
the river Iigris into thesdesert to water
his garden in the dry season and who
was refused permission to do so by the
Turkish governor because ''Allah had
caused the Tigris to flow through the
desert to the sea and had he wished
the Arabs desert to be watered he would
have caused the river to have flowed
through it, Because of this policy this
country is a desert, though it's soil is
rich and after heavy shower the vege-
tation springs spontaneously from the
soil on every hand.
This desert was once filled with an en-
lightened and cultivated people. It's lit
erature equalled our own, it's ships
sailed to every land then known, its
armies carried enlightenment wher-
ever they were victorious.
Babylon was described by the prophet
Isaiah when it was the richest and most
populous city of the world. Its streets
were then filled with chariots and men,
it's palaces were the marvel Of the world
and the home of the most renowned EN-.
perors, and there is no prophecy in the
Bible that has been fulfilled as well as
has that of Isaiah found in the 18th
chapter of Isaiah in the Bible.
The Old Babylonian empire passed
away POO years ago. A second empire
had it's capital at Bagdad, city which
once had three millions of people, and
which now has only hundred thou
sand, Once its streets were wide and
lined with wonderful and strangely
beautiful mosques; today it's streets are
four or five feet wide and lined with
mud huts in which the Arabs make their
homes. In passing through these streets
one must step over the forms of Sleep
ing Arabs or the bodies of dead donkies
which are allowed to remain in the
streets because their owners are too
lazy to carry them away. DR.. Banks
described the superstition Of the modern
Arabs, their religion, customs and man
ners. He told of their five daily prayers
to Allah, their pilgrimages to the holy
city of Mecca and of the sacred pool in
which all pilgrims must battle which
has never been seen by an American, and
which, DR.. Banks says, he does not believe
any Christian has ever seen.
At this sacred pool all pilgrims must
battle and wash their sins from them
with the water which is taken from this
sacred pool and thrown over them. The
Arabs also wash off considerable dirt
and disease germs which they carry all
over the country and to this custom is
due the constant plaques which beset
the people. He told OF the industries of
the Arabs which are mostly the raising
of dates and OF the immense number of
boxes of dates which are yearly shipped
from Bagdad to this country. In speak
Ing of the Persian rugs which com
mand such high price in our markets
and which are so much sought after, DIR.
Banks said that these rugs were once
the property of Pertains who, if they died
outside OF their own country, are
wrapped in these rugs and carried to
Persia where the body is buried and the
rugs are then sold to merchants to de-
fray the expenses of the burial, and thus
come to America, often laden with dis
ease germs. He showed some of Ethe
seamless garments which have been the
costumes of these people for thousands OF
years and which are made in almost the
same manner as were those in which
Christ was crucifed.
DIR. Banks then came to the subject of
the excavations Of the ancient cities of
th Babylonians and Assyrians. The
Arab riding over the desert strikes his
long spear into the sand. If it strikes
anything hard or gives forth hollow
sound he at once dismounts and begins
to search. There he finds coffin which
is filled with many curious articles, in
Guiding little pieces Of clay on which
are inscribed Babylonian characters
which tell who and what the man was
who is buried there. The Europeans
excavate by means Of Arabian workmen
who dig up the sand carefully in bas-
kets and reveal the palaces and houses
of thousands of years ago filled with
many valuable Inscriptions to the stu
dent of Bible history.
During the past few years American
and European scholars have been digging
into the mounds of ruins and they have
uncovered most magnificent palaces and
temples. The walls of the rooms are
usually covered with carved stone, &C
companied with inscriptions recording
the history Of the lives of the people who
once lived there. In one palace at
Nineveh there was discovered a great
library Of 100, 600 clay books, at Babylon