Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1906-07-04
STORY OF THE FLOOD
THERE ARE MANY AND VARIED YER
SloNS OF THE DeIuGE.

n
I'm the y.eRends of Almost Every
H"e~ That Ever Lived on Earth.
One OF the most powerful and vivid
descriptive portions OF the book OF
Genesis is That devoted to the wonder
ful story OF the dcluge. Together with
the accounts OF Adams fall, the slay-
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 dld
live, hinsclf and his family and two
or every beast OF the field aud fowl of
the afr. for the space Of 100 DAYS. or
until tho waters subsidized and the dry
iand appeared. But the Biblical recital
OF this terrible visitation OF divine
wrath is by no means the only one.
I'm fact. the most skeptlcaliy inclined
must believe that something OF the sort
actually occurred long ago. for Il has
been pcrpetuated 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 savages
OF Africa.
The story. of course. variCs material
" In the multtudnoIs trl -,i-. Tut
the gist Of It remains sur - i.y 10
samc-namely. that the ca... ,.s ,..ce
visited by q great food 81 l-'I.oi nearly
every living thing was overwhelmed
and lost. thus In the Koran we read
that Noah constructed the ark with
divine assistance and was rallied at FOR
his pains 10y the wicked. When the
time prescribed FOR tho punishment OF
mankind arrived. water was seen 10
Eow from the burning oven OF Noah's
wife, and Immediately all the veins
and arteries OF the earth broke and
spurted ont water
Noah was then admonishcd ia these
words; Take and bring into tho ark
two couples Of every kind Of animal.
male and female, with all your family.
except him who has been condemned
by your mouth. and receive the faith
full and even the mbclicvlng. 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 70 be saved. There
fore Noah cursed him, and his posteri-
y became black and were ensIaved.
The PcrSiaus assert that Ham incurred
his fathers malcdiction as we'll When
six months had passed the ark rested
on the top Of Mount Djondi (AraraD.
after having made the circuit of the
world. Tabarl says that two sorts OF
animals left the ark which had not en-
tered it-tho pig and the cat Concern
Ing the latter we have this Interesting
piece Of Information: When the rats be-
gan 10 make trouble the voyagcrs com
planned to Noah. Whcrcupon the patri-
arch passed his hand down the back
or tho lion, who Sneczcd. and the cat
leapcd out OF its nose And the cat ate
the rats"
According 10 the Talmud. Noah and
his family and one pair OF each kind Of
beast were 60 be saved IN the ark. but
Of every clean beast seven were 10 en-
ter I'm. The rhinoccros. however. had
10 Dee left out, Tor the simple but sufR-
Client reason that it's neck alone was
three miles long. Nevertheless all the
rabbinic writers agree that the rhi-
noceros survived the flood: hence Il IS
reasonable 20 suppose that the huge
beast was taken in tow by n rope at
tached 10 It's horn. Some authorities
likewise declare that Noah extended
his hospitality 70 another outsider in
the shape Of Og the giant. who climb
cd on the roof OF the ark and received
his daily food through Il hole bored In
the side ~ the vessel.
Ararat has been known under this
name for 5000 years. and an Armenian
writer declares that an entire country
was SO called after Aral the Fair. an
ancient Armenian king who lived
about 1870 j. C.. He fell in n bloody
battle with the Babylonians. and the
scene OF his death was thenccforth
known rs Arai-Arat. or the Fall Of
Arai. Joscphus refers 10 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 Chaldce history B. c.
@Go) speaks Of ten kings, who appear
10 correspond 10 the ten patrlarchs in
Genesis before the flood. The last OF
these kings was called Xisuthrus. Be
rosus relates that "KronoS appeared to
Nisuthrus in dream and warned him
that all men would he DESTROYED by q
deluge on the 10Th of the month Dae-
sios and commanded him to write
down all the learning and science Of
men and 10 hidc II in the sun city
Siparis and then 10 build ship and
enter it along with his family and rcla-
tivcs and nearest friends and TO take
into it with him food and drink and
beasts and winged fowl. When he was
asked whittier he was about 20 sail, he
was hidden to reply. To the gods 10
pray them that men may prosper"
NiSuthruS did rs he was commanded,
and when the flood showed signs OF
0bating he sent out three birds in sue
cession. The first and second came
back, the latter with mud on its feet,
but the third returned not Soon after
this the ship was stranded on a noun
tain. and XiSuthrus dISembarked with
his family. offered thanks to the gods
and vanished. Subsequently the re
naming survivors heard his voice In
the heavens bidding them fear God
and 10 take his writings out Of Sipalfs
and from them instruct men.