Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1904-11-09
THE GARDEN OF EDEN.
Scientists Unable to Agree as to Its
Location.

IL - lHc Sllc VI NdLiiShCo I<oCi. Ahoos
persons seem agreed that Paradise has
disappeared from our midst. The
question Is, where was 1t situated?
To those who deny the Biblical story
of mans genesis, the question takes
another form, and they perplex them
selves as to the spot in which man
first appeared on this earth. Some
evade the difficulty by saying that
man appeared in many different spots
that he did not spring from one
original.
If we accept the doctrine Of the Dar-
winians, we are forced to confess that
the place where man first evolved
must have been anything but Gar
den of Eden. 1t must have been a
haunt of mere animals, and its food
would certainly not have been fruit.
Roughly speaking, therefore, there are
the two schools-those who believe
that man came from divine original,
but fell away from his first estate, to
which with infinite labor he may re-
turn; and those who believe that he
evolved from the beast, and is still
evolving to the greatness that he may
ultimately attain. Setting aside these
somewhat discordant theories, we may
we'll ask-Where was Eden?
The soundest scientists are agreed
gin-whether a distinct creation or an
evolution is beside the mark; and the
original man must have had local
habitation. The geographical manuals
and maps Of the Middle Ages leave
good deal to be desired in the matter
of accurate detail, but they have at
least the merit Of boldness; and II we
go to them for an answer to our ques-
ton, We may get something like def
mite reply. According to an old map
of the thirteenth century, Paradise Is
circular island lying near India. 1t
is surrounded by a wall, in which Is
gateway opening to the west; the
gate is closed, and the wall quite in
surmountable. Our later aliases do
not locate this happy island.
Other early maps would have us be-
lieve that Eden lay in Central China.
We can go with these ancient geogra-
pliers so far as to place the probable
site Of mans birthplace in Asia; but
the consensus Of learned opinion does
not incline either to India or China
Eminent authority supports the Idea
L., tho OrQQf
Babylonian plain, watered by the IT,
girls and Euphrates-the Perath and
Hiddekel of Genesis. Other authori-
| ties give their vote for Armenia-pos-
sibly Influenced by the tradition which
says that the Ark rested on Mt. Ara
rat; but this tradition would only
point to Armenia as the probable first
home of the post-diluvian man.
Prof. Delitzsch and Prof. Sayce IA
vor Babylon, Heidegger favors Pales-
tine; Media, Arabia and the Upper
Nile all have their supporters. Jpua-
trefages, treating the subject solely
from a scientific standpoint, concludes
that linguistic and other human types
point to Central Asia, but does not de-
eide on any precise locality.
With the author of Genesis, as DR..
Kalisch has remarked, Eden is geo.
graphically described in a manner
which leaves no doubt that distinct To-
cality was before the mind Of the au-
thor. Even to those who think that
this author was building on uncertain
traditions it must yet be Of interest
to know what this locality was. Baby
lon was the most fertile land known
to the ancient world; its poorest fields
repaid cultivation fifty-fold, its better
hundred fold. It's luxuriance Of fruit
and grain was so great as to be actu-
ally embarrassing. There Is no ques-
ton at all that this district was the
seat of Asia's earliest civilization, and
therefore why may we not say Of the
worlds?
The idea Of man, created perfect and
living in a garden Of fruitful lowell
poor humanity, recognizing its present
|imperfections and the frequent dis
malness of it's present surroundings.
Even those who knew nothing Of the
Bible story pictured such spot for
themselves. Every early mythology
has its fortunate isles. its Atlantis, Its
Hesperides, it's Arcadia and its Golden
Age.
Some persons even conjectured that
Paradise had not been on the earth at
all, but was an island floating In the
air, something like the islands visited
| by Guliver. They did not wish to
think that the sacred spot could be
submerged by the waters Of the del
uge, and by this device they raised 1t
above any such calamity. On this is
land dwelt the sacred Phoenix; the
we'll of life flowed there, the elixir Of
Immortality; leaves never fell from
the trees; the sun shone always on
perpetual summer. Men declined to
believe that Eden had been destroyed
forever; they preferred to imagine
that its gates were closed to them for
SedSOll. " ueSll tilil SuSh " Sp0N
could vanish seemed sacrilegious.
| Many an early voyager and explorer
had strange dreams Of discovering
some earthly paradise, when he set
out for unknown shores; dreams per-
haps not spoken, but secretly nourish-
ed and strengthened by the uncon-
querable force of romantic supersti-
ton that lived in the heart of ages In
other ways so dark. Even the Eliza
bethans dreamed always Of some more
wonderful country to be discovered;
their tolls and perils and fightings had