Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-05-10
IN THE DAYS OF SOLOMON.
Rich and Wise King Not as Com.
Portable as Wage Garner Of Today.

solomon, altnOuSn lnQeeQ tne wealth.
lest of all the kings Of Israel, never
lived as comfortably as the average
man of today in a $50 fiat. For many
generations the traditions Of the splen-
dors of his life have held the fancy Of
romancers and poets. Workmen were
|13 years building his famous palace,
called The House of the Forest OF
Lebanon" because Of the liberal use
of cedar wood in its construction.
1t was $50 feet long and rs feet
broad, standing As feet high, with
four rows of cedar pillars, and cedar
beams above the pillars.
It was ceiled with cedar, and there
was a porch rs feet long and As feet
broad in front of the palace. He had
great Porch Of Judgment" in
which stood the great ivory throne,
overlaid with gold, with six steps lead
ing up to the throne, and a gold foot
stool, and IL lions Of molten gold on
the steps.
All of Solomon's drinking vessels
were Of gold, and all the dishes and
plates from which he ate-but was he
as comfortable as the man Of mod
crate means who lives today in a
modern fiat in a great city?
1t is true that King Solomon had
slaves by the hundreds, even by the
thousands, to await his beck and call,
but all Of these could not really give
him the ordinary comforts which the
modern householder or fiat dweller
enjoys without any special considera-
ton.
The house of the forest Of Lebanon
was very cold when winter came, and
though doubtless there were fire
places in it, the king might be roast
ed on one side and almost frozen on
the other.
II the king wanted to take a bath
It meant heating the water and bring
ing it up in pals, even though these
utensils were Of gold. He had no
such thing as a porcelain tub in which
he merely turned the faucets and had
water at the temperature he desired.
Nothing was known Of electric or
gas lighting in that day, so all of the
gorgeous feasts Of Solomon when he
entertained the Queen Of Sheba could
be Illuminated only by smoking, fiar-
ing torches, for kerosene and the
modern brilliant lamps were unknown
i'm that time. Reading by such light
and from the cumbersome scrolls that
served as books in his day, was far
from comfortable.
The sanitary conditions Of the pal
ace and the city of Jerusalem were
far below those Of even the most un-
progressive Of modern cities. The con-
veniences Of the bathroom were lack
ing altogether. There were no sewers
to carry off the waste, and even the
garbage laid in the streets until the
dogs devoured what they could, as
they did in Constantinople until the
last year..
When the king went out, If he
wished to walk, as he seldom did, he
had to pass through the filthy city,
and muddy streets If 1t had rained,
or dusty streets If 1t was dry. If he
rode it was in very magnificent
chariot, it is true, but it had no
springs, and jolted him sorely over
the stones and powders Of the streets
or roads. If you have seen the spring
less chariots in the circus and noticed
their jolting, even on the smooth tan
bark, imagine how unpleasant it was
to ride in a conveyance like this over
rough roads.
If there was a plague in Jerusalem,
the king was i'll protected from ILL
ness. for nothing was understood OF
quarantine, with the exception OF
leprosy, the lepers being sent out OF
separate settlements beyond the city
limits
The ordinary man Of moderate
means in our day can know what the
world is doing as he glances over his
morning paper, buy what he needs,
whether it be food and drink, or
clothing or jewels, at moments no
tice, keep warm, be clean and healthy
and all without any great effort
on his part. All Is ready at hand,
and he has comforts of which Sol
omon, with all his far-famed wisdom,
could not dream.-New York Ameri-
can.