Amador ledger., 1905-01-27

Almost every spot of the globe has
had the claim made on its behalf that
1t Is the site of vanished Eden Most
persons seem agreed on the fact that
paradise has disappeared from our
midst. The question is, Where was il
situated? To those who deny the Bib
lical story of mans genesis the ques.
ton takes another form, and they per-
pick themselves 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 Oar
winians we are forced to confess that
the place where man first evolved must
have been anything but garden of
Eden. 1t must have been haunt of
mere animalism, and its food would
certainly not have been fruit Rough
ly speaking, therefore, there are two
| schools-those who believe that man
came from a divine original, but fell
away from his first estate, to which
with infinite labor he may return, and
those who believe that he evolved from
the beast and is still evolving to the
greatness that he may ultimately at
tain. Setting aside these somewhat
discordant theories, we may we'll ask,
Where was Eden?
The soundest scientists are agreed
that mankind came from single orr
gln-whether distinct creation or an
evolution is beside the MARYLAND the
original man must have had n local
habitation. The geographical manuals
and maps of the middle ages leave a
good deal to be desired in the matter of
accurate detail, but they have at least
the merit of boldness, and If we 90 to
them for an answer to our question we
may get something like a definite re-
ply. According to an old map of the
thirteenth century, paradise is cir
cular island lying near India. 1t is
surrounded by wall in which is a
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 geog-
raphers 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
that Eden lay somewhere on the great
Babylonian plain, watered by the Tigris
and the Euphrates-the Perath and
Hiddekel of Genesis. Other authorities
give their vote for Armenia, possibly
Influenced by the tradition which says
that the Ark rested on Mount Ararat,
but this tradition would only point to
Armenia as the probable first home of
postdiluvian man.
Professor Delitzsch and Professor
Sayce favor Babylon; Heidegger favors
Palestine; Media, Arabia and the up
per Nile have all their supporters. Qua
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 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. Babylon
was the most fertile land known to the
ancient world; its poorest fields repaid
cultivation fiftyfold, its better a hun
dredfold. Its luxurianee Of fruit and
grain was SO great as to be actually
embarrassing. There is no question at
all that this district was the seat Of
Asia's earliest civilization and there
fore why not say of the worlds?
The idea of man created perfect and
living in a garden Of fruitful loveliness
has always had a fascination for poor
humanity, recognizing it's present i'm
perfections and the frequent distress
ing dismalness Of its present surround
ings. 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, its 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
afr, something like the island visited
by Gulliver. 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 it
above any such calamity. On this is
land dwelt the sacred phenix; the
we'll of life flowed there, the elixir of
Immortality; leaves never fell from the
trees; the sun shone always on a per-
petual summer. Men declined to be-
lieve that Eden had been destroyed
forever. They preferred to imagine
that it's gates were closed to them for
season. To deem that such a spot
could vanish seemed sacrileglous.
Many an early voyager and explorer
had strange dreams Of discovering
some earthly paradise when he set out
for unknown shores-dreams perhaps
not spoken, but secretly nourished and
strengthened by unconquerable force
Of romantic superstition that lived in
the heart of ages in other ways so
dark Even the Elizabethans dreamed
always of some more wonderful coun-
try to be discovered. Their tolls and
perils and flghtings had ever the re-
deeming glamour of romance. In those