Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1904-08-17

DeS MONIES, Iowa, Aug. 17.-Ihat
the garden of Edeu was located in
Iowa has been discovered by no less
authority than one of the leaders of
the Iowa legislature. Burton E. Sweet.
enc of the leading attorneys of north
ern Iowa and representative from
Bremen county. is one of the histor-
ical. judicial and legislative authori-
ties of the state. After having studied
Iowa history, conditions and people he
came to the conclusion that Adam and
Missouri. where the state of Iowa is
now located The next time Nh Sweet
goes before the voters to ask their
support il may be ON this issue. Ger
tainlV Mr.. Sweet has startled his con-
stituents. as we'll as all Iowans But
he claims to have plenty OF authority
for his statement, authority that even
as good an attorney as Governor Cum
MINIS must agree is entitled to ere
dence. Here are Mr.. Sweets own
statements on the subject. as he dis
cussed it recently at meeting of Bre-
mer county old settlers:
"The other day I read in holy writ
of the garden of Eden. 1t is described
as being a place where every tree
and herb grew that was pleasant to
the sight of man and good for food.
1t is also recorded that a river flowed
through it, which was divided into four
heads or sources. 1t is described as
an ideal spot for the abode of man.
THAT such a place did exist on the
earth at one time the bible is abund-
ant proof. Where it existed is lost in
the night of antiquity. Even tradition
cannot assist us in finding it. AS to
lent. 1heologians long ago abandoned
looking for it. They now say: We
know it existed, but just when and
where it existed we do not know, and
neither are we concerned, for when it
existed and where it existed does not
matter
America First Dry Land
by strange coincidence a few days
ago | picked up book written by
Agassiz, the great naturalist and
thinker, and to my surprise read the
following: 'Forst born among the
continents, though so much later in
culture and civilization than some OF
more recent birth, America, SO far as
her physical history is concerned, has
been falsely denomjnated the 'snew
world" Hers was the first dry land
lifted out of the water: hers were the
first shores washed by the ocean that
enveloped all the earth besides, and
while Europe was represented only by
islands rising here and there above the
sea America already stretched one un-
broken line of land from Nova Scotia
to the far west
after reading this began to do a
little thinking ON my own hook. rea-
soned that the garden of Eden could
not have been on the banks Of the
wandering Nile Neither could it have
been located in Europe Or any of the
small islands of the sea.
'''rhen 7 remembered that it was
written in holy writ that the waters
were sathered in one place, that the
dry land appeared and that the garden
or Eden was upon that dry land rea-
soned that if the garden of Eden was
upon the first dry land it must have
been located upon the North Ameri-
can continent.
"Haviug located it upon this con-
tinent, began to look for evidence
to detremine if possible just where it
was on this continent. again planced
in the pages Of holy writ and |
found that a river ran through the
garden of Eden and thence it was
parted and became divided into four
heads or sources. also read that one
If these rivers compassed land
where there was gold. That one of
the rivers branched to the east. l be.
gan to study the map of the United
States. I SOW the Mississippi river.
saw it's three great tributaries, the
Missouri, the Platte and the Ohio.
Located Near the Mississippi.
"The conclusion was irresistible that
II was located in the Mississippi val |
lev. The Missouri, which finds its |
source in the Rocky mountains and
which compasses great gold fields |
The Ohio which branches off to the |
sast and finds it's source in the Allie
yhanies. l knew then that it must be |
n the Mississippi valley and I asked
lIoN fnynS w H..