Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1906-07-11
STORY OF THE FLOOD
THERE ARE MANY AND VARIED YER
SIoNs or THE oELuoE.

CHN VI TIC MOST powerful ana vivid
descriptive portions OF the book OF
Genesis Is that devoted to the wonder
tul story OF the deluge. Together with
the accounts of Adam's fall, the Stay
Ing of Abel and the turning OF Lots
wife into pillar of salt. every one
remembers from childhood how Noah
was warned of the doom impending
over the children OF men and how he
constructed huge ark In which he did
live, himself and his family and two
or every beast OF the field and fowl OF
the air. for the space Of 100 DAYS. or
until the waters subsidized and the dry
land appeared. But the Biblical recital
OF this terrible visitation of divine
wrath Is by no means the only one.
In fact. the most skeptically inclined
must believe that something OF the sort
actually occurred long ago. for II has
been perpetuated not only In the Tai
mud and Koran. but I'm the legends OF
almost every nation and race that ever
lived on the face of the earth. including
the Chinese. the ancient Aztecs OF
Mexico. the Indian tribes OF North and
South America and even the sava-cs
OF Africa
The story. OF course. varies Material
" In tho multtudinoIs t. .r-. mt
the gist Of II remains su' - "a
same-namely. that the c..... ...s once
visited by a great food I'm ,A.oh nearly
every living thing was ovor,.hclc.cI
and lost Thus In the Koran we real
that Noah constructed the ark with
divine assistance and was rallied at for
his pains 10y the wicked. When the
time prescribed for the punishment OF
mankind arrived. water was seen TO
flow from the burning oven of Noah's
wife, and Immediately all the veins
and arteries OF the earth broke and
spurted out water.
Noah was then admOnishcd IN these
words: Take and bring into the ark
two couples Of every kind Of animal,
male and female. with all your family.
except him who has been condemned
10y your mouth. and receive the faith
ful and even the unbelieving. but few
only VIII enter" The Koran also SAYS
that the ark was built In two years
and that il contained three stories. the
upper one for the birds. the middle one
for the men and the provisions and the
hold for the beasts. Canaan. the son
OF Ham. refused 10 be saved. There
fore Noah cursed him. and his posteri-
" became black and were enslaved.
The Persians assert that Ham incurred
his fathers malodictiOn as well. When
six months had passed the ark rested
on tho top OF Mount Djondi (AraraO.
after having made the circuit OF the
world Ff hot .
animals left the ark which had not en-
tered it-the pig and the cat Concern
ing the latter we have this interesting
piece OF Information: When the rats be-
gan 20 make trouble the voyagers com
planned 10 Noah. Whcreupon the patri-
arch passed his hand down the back
Of the lion. who sncezed. and the cat
leaped out OF its nose. And the cat ate
the rats"
According 20 the Talmud. Noah and
his family and one pair Of each kind OF
beast were 10 be saved I'm the ark. but
or every clean beast seven were TO en-
Ter IN. The rhinoccros. however. had
10 be left out. FOR the simple but sufn-
Client reason that its neck alone was
three miles long. Nevertheless all the
rabbinic writers agree that the rhl-
noceros survived the flood: hence It is
reasonable 10 suppose that the huge
beast was taken In tow by n rope at
tached 20 its horn Some authorities
likewise declare that Noah extended
his hospitality TO another outsider In
the shape of Og the giant, who climb
Ell ON the roof of the ark and received
his daily food through 4 hole bored in
the side Of the vessel.
Ararat has been known under this
name for 1900 years. and an Armenian
writer declares that an entire country
was so called after Arai the Fair. an
ancient Armenian king. who lived
about 100 r. c. He fell in n bloody
battle with the Babylonlans. and the
scene OF his death was thenceforth
known rs Arai-Arat. or the Fall OF
Arai. JOSephus refers to the mountain
rs Nazuana and declares that the re-
mains OF the ark were there to be seen
carefully preserved.
Almost all the Asiatic traditions
closely resemble the Biblical account.
Berosus IN his Chaldee history Oh. c.
26O speaks Of ten kings, who appear
10 correspond TO the ten patriarchs in
Genesis before the flood The last OF
these kings was called Nisuthrus. Be
rOsus relates that "KronoS appeared to
NiSuthrus In a dream and warned him
that all men would be destroyed by a
dcluge on the 10Th Of the month Dae-
siOs and commanded him to write
down all the learning and science Of
men and TO hide II in the SIN CITY
Siparis and then to build ship and
enter 1t along with his family and rela-
tives and nearest friends and to take
Into ii with him food and drink and
beasts and winged fowl. When he was
asked whittier he was about to sail, he
was hidden TO reply, TO the gods to
pray them that men may prosper"
Xisuthrus did as he was commanded,
and when the flood showed signs Of
abating he sent out three birds In sue
ccssiOn. The first and second came
bach, the latter with mud on its feet.
but the third returned not. Soon after
this the ship was stranded on n noun
tain. and Xisuthrus disembarked with
his family, offered thanks TO the gods
and vanished. subsequently the re-
manning survivors heard his voice In
the heavens. bidding them fear God
and to take his writings out OF Siparis
and from them instruct men.
Shocking PrecOcity,
"What Is the result" asked the teach
er of the primary class in arithmetic.
"when YOU put two and two togetherr