Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1905-03-04

Ewes Original Home Was ON the
Great BnbyIoninn Plain
Almost every spot of the globe has
had the claim made on its behalf that
II 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 it
situated: To those who deny the Bib
Heal 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 TIL" difficulty by saving
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 Il garden of
Eden. 1t must have been Il 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 Il divine original, but fell
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 somew hat
discordant theories, we may we'll ask,
Where was Eden!
The soundcSt scientists are agreed
that mankind came from single ORR
whether a distinct creation or an
evolution is beside the mark-nnd the
original man must have had local
habitation. The geographical manuals
and maps of the middle ages leave a
good deal to h" desired in the matter of
accurate detail. but they have ut least
the merit of holiness, and if we 20 to
them for an answer to our question we
may get something like definite re
ply. According to an old map of the
thirteenth century. paradise is cir
cular island lying near India. 1t is
surrounded by II wall in which is n
gateway opening to the west. The
gate is closed and the wall quite in
surmountablc. 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 20 with these ancient geog
raphers so far as TO place the probable
site of mans Or ts4- Il
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, w0tered by the TigriS
and the EuphrateS the Perath and
Hiddckel 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 Deitzsch and Professor
Snyce favor Babylon; Heidegger favors
Palestine; Media. Arabia and the up
per Nile have all their supporters. Qua
trefages. treating the subject solely
from IL 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 10
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 luxuriance of fruit and
grain was so great as 10 he 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 loneliness
has always had Il fascination for poor
humanity, recognizing its present i'm
projections and the frequent distress
ing diSmalncSS of its present surround
ings. Even those who knew nothing of
the Bible story pictured such n spot for
themselves. Every early mythology
has its fortunate isles, its Atlantis. its
Hesperidcs. 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
air, something like the island visited
by CULVER. 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
b'ees; the sun shonc always on n per
petual summer. Men declined to be
lieve that Eden had been destroyed
forever They preferred to imagine
that its gates We're closed to them for
Il season. To deem that such Il spot
could vanish seemed sacrilegious.
Many an early vOyager and explorer
had strange dreams of discovering
some earthly paradise when he set out
or unknown shores dreams perhaps
Aot spoken. but secretly nourished and
strengthened by unconquerable force
of romantic superstition that lived IN
the heart of ages i'll other ways so
dark. Even the EliZabethans dreamed
ALWAYS of some more wonderful cOun.