The Savannah morning news., 1901-02-17
GARDEN OF EDEN. L. :. A.

GARDEN OF EDEN, L. :. A.
Have we annexed the Garden OF Eden
among our Philippine possessions? DR..
Becker of the United States Geological
Survey who went with our army 40 the
islands, is rather inclined to that opinion.
Indeed he advances many arguments cal
culated to show that the first abode OF
mankind upon the earth was spot In
what is now the island of Luzon, over
which floats the glorious Stars and
Stripes as a consequence of our war with
SPAIN 1t would be dull and interesting,
if not incomprehensible to the average
reader 90 follow the course Of DR.. Beck
er's argument through its whole course.
II covers the ground 10 say that he hos
found from his investigations and explor-
atoms that at some time in the Tertiary
period of the earth's existence what is
now the Philippine Islands was a part Of
the mainland of Asia. Then came certain
commissions Of nature which broke up the
great continent and left the Philippines
a group of dots of land surrounded by wa
ter. Previous to this momentous change
in topography, however. had occurred the
creation of mankind and the beasts of the
field which permitted of the scattering
of the progeny of the frst-created over
the continent before the cataclysm.
DR.. Becker has discovered in Luzon
many fossils, and other evidences in the
strata of earth, which make him almost
certain that the veritable Garden of Eden
was situated on that island. So impressed
is he with what he has found that he
writes eJoquently 90 the effect that ''in
bringing under our flag the or glnal Gar
den of Eden we shall secure a treasure
beyond financial or political valuation"
1t has not been possible yet to locate
the Identical spot upon which the Tree
of the Forbidden Fruit grew and bore It's
burden of evil for the race nor has the
location of the den OF the Serpent been
definitely determined; but these are de-
tive assurance can be had that we have
the real and Original Garden. What
demand there would be from various
corporations for eligible sites if the dis
covery were authenticated beyond the
peradventure of a doubt! There would
Immediately be a proposition to convert
the Garden into a national park--admis-
sion free every day of the week except
Tuesdays and Fridays; twenty-five cents
charged on those days: ten per cent of
admissions to go for a monument to
Adam and Eve. Then there would come
q trolley line, passing by the gate of the
Flaming Sword and leading to a first
class tourist hotel in the Apple orchard.
Among the attractions of the hotel grounds
would be the Lovers Lane down which
Adam and Eve walked, hand in hand.
anon whispering airy nothings while they
inspected the beasts and gave them their
names. And then there would be the
lawns upon which little Cain and Abel
gamboled with the Megatherium, rode
upon the back of the Scelidotherium and
tickled the Paleoblattna with straw to
see it run. The possibilities of the Gar
den as a place of tourist resort would
be almost unlimited.
Il is to be hoped Dr. Becker will be
able to furnish positive proofs that he
has found the Garden of Eden, and that
Is now within the mixed jurisdiction Of
Gen. Macarthur and the Taft Commits
SION II he can do SO. the American PEG
pie will never permit the scene OF the
early joys and sorrows of the progenitors
of the race to again suffer neglect or fall
into disrepair. They will make it bril-
liant with many electric lights and vi
brant with the clangor of trolley cars.