Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1876-1904, 1901-11-29
THE SON Of
ABULFEDA
How He Provided Els Palace With
Statues.


In the last years of the eighth cen
fury there reigned in Ba glad the Caliph
Abulfcda- Into the Golfers of his pred
eeessors the wealth of the east had
hand The magnificent City of the
Enchantress" was not only the Abode
of Peace" but a splendid jewel in the
empire of the faithful
OF all the caIiphs of this wonderful
city since Almansor. its founder no
two lad blessed or cursed the world
with the same idea of what il was
necessary that man should do TO enjoy
life in this world and at death TO be
worthy of place among the dark eyed
damsels and beautiful youths Of the
gardens of paradise.
The magnificent Almamoun scattered
his inestimable wealth in the greatest
contrast with the abstemiousness and
frugality Of the mighty Omar. asd the
Haroun-al- Of Bagdad is vastly
different from the Akbah. whose ia
n3tic advance only the heaving waves
of the Atlantic were able to hinder.
The Caliph Abulfeda had succeeded
his father. whose desire to gather the
gold Of the then known world into
Bagdad without expanding it for any
purpose had put the youthful prince
to many disadvantages and fostered
in him the desire to do otherwise when
he would succeed to the mantle of the
prophet. Therefore when his own sons
We're choosing their ends or pleasures
the Caliph Abulfeda was always ready
to forward or indulge them.
Among the youngest of his many
children was ALI For years he had
brooded over and planned on the idea
of wonderful edifice that be hoped in
time to construct OF all the magnifi
cent structures it had been his priyi-
lege as son of the commander OF the
faithful to see none was III ali tnIngs
the perfection of which the young
prince dreamed: therefore on the death
of his father the prince began the
building of the long deferred happi
ness.
In time there arose on the banks of
the river the most wonderful archi-
tectural dream that even that magic
age and that wonderful city had pro
duced. Yet TO the prince ii was un-
finished; something WAS yet lacking to
make 1t the abode of perfect pleasure
One evening the prince was saunter-
ing along one of the most magnificent
of the curiously carved arcades of the
palace when Il voice called his name:
prince Ali son of Abuifeda. Prince
ALI son of Ahulfeda.
The young prince glanced quickly
around on all sides. but beheld no one
except the silent sentinels on guard
around the palace and the picturesque
horsemen that ut little distance rode
slowly back and forth as safeguards
against approaching danger.
Again came the voice:
prince ALI son of Abulfeda, Prince
Ali. son of Abulfeda"'
Quick as flash the prince drew the
splendidIy ornamented and equally
splendidly tempered blade at his side
and stood ready to face any opponent.
But il was unnecessary. Before him
stood an old man. bowed and whiteDed
by the sorrows and trials of many
years. His dress and manner also dis
tinguished him as belonging to some
other period.
Prince Ali. son of Abuifeda" he be
gan
Il am" assented Prince Ali. scarcely
knowing whether TO tower up TO his
full height and answer with the pride
he felt in his noble name or acknowE
edge his inferiority before a higher
power.
Il know you. l know you" answered
the aged man. Il knew your honored
father and your fathers father. and
a supernatural expression spreading