The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1910-10-27

Two Valuable Young Men-When
Mahomet was o Man OF Influence
Part of the History Unprintable-I
When Poison Took the Place Of
BulIets-strange Warfare.
correspondence of The Caucasian
Enterprise.)
Bnkinsville, N. c.. Oct. 23.-The
ancient history ov most countries IL
wonderfully interestin'. though not
ANYWAYS accurate. Ov course that
does not hold good az TO awl coun-
tries, for sacred history supplies
much in the way OF historical facts
regardin' few ov them.
Abysinnia may be included among
the countries that furnished a con-
tinuous performance In the early
history oy the world. The history
ov Abyssinnia dates from the visit
ov the Queen of Sheba to King Solo
mon at Jerusalem. Hit liz sed that
this queen havin' heard ov the won
derful wisdom ov Solomon she re-
solved to see him an learn the truth
0v the reports. The queen had awl-
ways been a pagan. But after visit
In an talkin' with Solomon she be-
came a convert to the Jewish faith.
Hit liz further stated that when she
returned to her home she sent her
son to Jerusalem to gain instruction
and he wuz there crowned King ov
Ethiopia When the son, Menelik, re-
turned to hiz own country he wuz &C
companied by twelve Isrealites, who
became hiz advisors in rulin' hiz
country. The queen died erbout $50
years before Christ. Hit liz claimed
that her descendants have been the
rulers ov Abyssinnia ever since. But
there liz or wuz a period in the his
tory ov the country when but little
IL recorded. After that time Cam
byses became the ruler ov Ethiopia
and tried to get up trouble. He later
brought great army into the coun-
try. But having made but little pre-
paration for feeding hiz army hit act
ually starved to death.
n
pened. Meropius, a Greek, sailed
from a port on the Red Sea, having
with him two young men who were
highly educated. Their ship wuz
wrecked on the coast ov Abysinnia
and Meropious wuz slain by the ma
tves. But hiz two young companions
were saved and carried to Txum, then
the capital ov the country. The king
became interested in the young men,
for educated men were scarcely known
then, and they were given positions
IN the palace ov the king. One ov
them finally became private teacher
for the son ov the king. He took
advantage ov hiz position and taught
religion along with other things and
that wuz really the beginning ov
Christianity in Abyssinnia. But for
a long time after this, nearly three
hundred years, only paganism wuZ
known. After that, in the year 521,
they had another glimpse ov religion.
King Adad wuz engaged in war and
gaining great victory he concluded
that some power, higher power,
Christian religion. Later Mahomet
got foothold in Abyssinnia. Hiz
followers drove the Jews out ov the
country, and to distant parts ov hit
On account ov religious differences.
But small number of Jews managed
to exist in certain mountain districts
and the germ ov religion wuz not
fully destroyed.
About this time the Saracens con-
Quered Egypt and began a system ov
persecution which wuz outrageous.
Stone masons and awl hewers ov
stone were special objects ov hatred.
Lalibala, then the ruler ov Abyssin-
mia, determined to offer protection
to the prosecuted Egyptians and Of
fered them homes in hiz country. Az
they must have somethin' to do he
employed many ov them to hew
churches out in the sides ov the
mountains, cutting them out in the
solid stone. The pillars, or supports
were highly ornamented and many
ov these churches, hewn out ov soliG
stone, are said to still be in existence
in that country.
This wuz period Of high-handet
doings by kings, and the Abyssinnis
rulers were not exceptions to tht
rule. In some cases their conduc
wuz too outrageous to put in print
Amda Sion, who began to rule IL
1912, wuz fine specimen ov tina
class. He would have made an up
to-date politician in this day an
time. At one time he made war OF
the Moors. He killed many ov them
biz army held the best portion O.
their farmin' lands until he exacte,
q heavy tribute from the poor citi
zens, who had to pay the tribute o
face starvation.
The Abyssinnians believe that tn
world is full ov Spirits" at nigh
and that hit il not safe to disturb tn
spirits by maxim any noise, beir