Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1905-01-25
THE LOST PARADISE
THEORIES AS TO The LOCATION OF
THE GARDEN OF EDEN.
rhe Consensu. OF Learned Opinion
support. the Beiies That Adam and
Ewes Original Home was on the
Great Babyionisn Plain.

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 IL
situatedG To those who deny the Bib
hcaI sSory OF mans genesis the ques-
ton takes another form. and they per
pick themselves as to the spot I'm which
man first appeared on this earth.
Some evade the difficulty by saying
that man appeared I'm many different
spots-that he did not spring from
one original.
II 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 a haunt OF
mere animalism. and it's 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 ne 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 well ask.
Where was Eden?
The soundest scientists are agreed
that mankind came from a single orr
gin-whether distinct creation or an
evolution is beside the nark-and the
original man must have had a local
habitation. The geographical manuals
and maps OF the middle ages leave n
good deal 70 be desired I'm the matter OF
accurate detail. but they have ut least
the merit Of holiness. and II we go TO
them for an answer 10 our question we
may get something like n definite re
ply. According to an old map OF the
thirteenth century. paradise is cir
cular island lying near India IL is
surrounded 10y wall in which is n
gateway opening 10 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-
lieye that Eden lay I'm central China.
We can 20 with these ancient xeog-
raphers so far as 20 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 10y the Tigrls
and the Euphrstes-the Perath and
Hiddekel OF Genesis. other authorities
give their vote for Armenia. possibly
influenced 10y tire tradition which saws
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 scientific standpoint. concludes
that linguistic and other human types
point TO central Asia, but docs not de-
eide on any precise locality.
With the author OF Genesis. as Or.
Kalisch has remarked, Eden is geo
graphically described in n 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 or 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 n hun
dredfOld. Its luxuriance OF fruit and
grain was so great as TO be actually
embarrassing. There is no question Mt
all that this district was the seat OF
Asia's earliest civilization and there
fore why not say OF the worldsi
The idea OF man created perfect and
living in garden OF fruitful loneliness
has always had fascination for poor
humanity, recognizing its present i'm
PROJECTIONS and the frequent distress
ing dismalness 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
Hesperides, its Arcadia and its Golden
Age.
Some persons even conjectured that
oil, 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
by the waters OF the del
uge, and by this device they raised II
above any such calamity On this is
land dwelt the sacred phenix; the
well OF life flowed there, the elixir OF
leaves never fell from the
trees; the sun shone always on n per-
petual summer. Men declined to be-
lieve that Eden had been destroyed
forever They preferred to imagine
that its gates were closed TO them for
a season. To deem that such q spot
could vanish seemed sacrilegious.
Many an early vOyager and explorer
had strange dreams Of discovering
some earthly paradise when be set out |
for unknown shores-dreams perhaps
not spoken. but secretly nourished and
strengthened by unconquerable force |
II romantic superstition That lived in
The heart OF ages in other ways so
lark. Even the Elizabethans dreamed |
always of some more wonderful coun- |
Try to be discovered. Their tolls and |
Derils and fghings had ever the re- |
ieeming glamour OF romance. In those
lays was the true poetry OF travel.
There was always some Fl Dorado.
'ome hidden Eden. to be reached. -
Kansas City Independent.