Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1903-01-31

SSI LUZ Llcu. uI IluSEAloTe, ue uoIiCSu
that they didn't eat as much as men
should. Then he began to smell a rat
and accordingly watched them till he
had discovered their sex.
When the Queen Of Sheba knew that
her disguise was detected she marvelled
at Solomon's wisdom, and Solomon,
having only few hundred wives at
that time and not wanting to appear
discourteous, took her in clandestine
marriage. A little later he also mar
ried the minister. He put his djinns at
work on the queens foot and they re-
stored it to it's pristine beauty; how, it
is not told.
These djinns, 1t may be remarked by
way Of parenthesis, were Solomon's
devils. According to the Arabs, they
were good-natured devils and did all
his dirty work for him. Only one in
stance is recorded when they revolted,
and that was when they were building
his temple and discovered, after work.
ing year. that their master had been
dead all the time. Solomon died, the
Arabs say, leaning on his staff, and the
djinns didn't discover the fact until q
worm ate hole through the staff and
it broke, letting Solomon fall to the
ground.
However, the Queen Of Sheba and her
minister, the Abyssinian manuscript
says, stayed in Solomon's court for
several weeks, and when they returned
to their country he gave to each a pre-
cious ring which would always admit
the bearer to his presence. In due time
each gave birth to son, and the
Queen called her son Menelik.
One day when the boys were half
grown, as they were playing with the
other youths Of the royal families, they
were asked who their fathers were.
They couldn't tell and went to their
mothers inquiring.
Solomon, the wise King Of Jerusa-
lem," the queen and her minister re-
piled, and thereupon the boys wanted
to see him.
So each received the ring which Sol
omon had given to his mother, but be-
fore she let her son go, Bilkees gave
to him, besides, mirror and charged
him when he came into the court at
Jerusalem to look diligently into the
mirror and then to pick out his father
from the resemblance to his own coun-
tenance.
Solomon heard that the youths were
coming and, desiring to see which had
really inherited his wisdom, and which
was, therefore, his son in spirit as well
as in fact, put one Of his attendants
on the throne and himself mingled with
the crowd.
The son Of the minister marched
straight up to the throne and made
obeisance to the substitute, but Bill
kees's son, being good boy and wise
for his years, looked into the mirror
and then surveyed the crowd until his
glance fell on Solomon's face.
He presented his mothers ring and
Solomon took him in his arms, knowing
that Menelik was his true son and that
his wisdom had been transmitted In
the boy. He kept the lad with him a
long time, taught him in the ways Of
wisdom, confirmed him in his right to
the Abyssinian throne and, when he
left Jerusalem, offered him as a gift,
the ark of the Angel Gabriel; but on
second thought gave him instead the
ark of the Virgin Mary.
This, the manuscript says, contain
ed the tablets which had on them the
Ten Commandments given by God to
Moses on Mount Sinai.
Menelik, according to the manuscript
built for the ark q great church IN
Axsum, the sacred city Of Abyssinia,
and the Ethiopians declare that the
ark and it's contents are there to this
day.
The story ends by telling how Meme
lik ruled successfully in Abyssinia for
many years and how he handed the
kingdom down to his son who had in
herited Solomon's wisdom.
The Abyssians' positive belief In the
truth of this tradition has, it Is said,
remarkable effect on Menelik and in
directly on his people. Naturally he Is
a fiery-tempered barbarian; but his
firm conviction that he holds as leg
acy the wisdom of his renowned an
cestor has tempered his rule with the
most extraordinary acts Of justice and
humanity.
One instance is worth telling. In
fit of violent anger he was about to
punish an Ethiopian king who had for
years been devastating his country,
when suddenly he set the man free,
saying that, although the Ethiopian
king had done much i'll to the Abys-
sinians and to the law, yet he was less
to blame than those who would have
Judgment passed on him by king IN
anger.
The alacrity with which he has taken
up with European ideas has, 1t Is as
serted, been largely due to his desire
to identify himself as worthy son of
Solomon's line.
The account in the Bible of the Queen
of Sheba's visit to Jerusalem makes no
mention Of her marriage to Solomon.
It says that she went with a great
train Of camels, bearing spices and gold
and precious stones, and that she re-
turned satisfied that Solomon was the
wisest man living.
The version Of the story in the Koran
and in other Arabian literature, sup
ports the Abyssinian tradition, some
times in minute detail. The Arabs say