The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1913-02-11
RELIGIOUS
WORLD
THE MOST FAMOUS FMIGRANT
The International sunday school Les.
son for February 10 Is. "Ahc NaA'
Of Abraham" Gcn 12:1-9.
NV WILLIAM r. ELLIS.l

VelVeteen coat, waiting IN the
railway station. il a real person ana
an emigrant from his homeland We
can easily understand. but that Sheik
Abraham. far off in the distance OK
the centuries, wearing a long abeyeh,
or cloak, and Arab head-roo.. sitting
in his black tent at noon. Is Just as
real an emigrant and quite as truly
an historical parsonage as the rus
sian Is not 30 easy to grasp. III TINS
great and romantic bit of history Is
to mean anything TO the reader. lie
must get q clear, strong hold OF the
truth that the characters involved are
as real individuals Us President Taft
and King George; and that the places
are as definite as Chicago or Toronto
or London or Picking.
The migration OF his man Abra-
ham from MeSOpotamia to Canaan
has had a greater influence upon the
human race than any other outgoing
of a people from its native home;
greater than the movement Of the
Mongol human tides; or OF the Danes
to Britain, or OF the Moors to Spain.
or Of the Turks to Europe, or OK
Europeans to America. On this point,
which Is we'll worthy Of a columns
treatment by itself. 1t must suffice to
say that the three great monOtheiStic
religions trace their course back To
that cmigrant whom they in common
call Father Abraham" Five hun
dred million Christians, two hundred
million Mosiems and ten million Jews,
or nearly half the total population
OF the globe, regard Abraham as the
"a lied prophet Of the Most High.
The Brick and the Exile.
The present Turkish war, which
may yet open the doors Of Palestine
once ore to h Jews Of earth.
links us with Abraham. for all the
k;cenes OF this migration story are
laid within what is now the Turkish
empire; n MesOpotamia, the old
home OF Abraham, may o 0 come
under another dominion, which will
restore it's ancient fertility and pros
perity and Inevitably open up the
secrets OF that desert mound which
was once Ur OF the Chaldees.
An ancient brick is one link with
Abraham which I personally have.
While travelling In Babylonia two
years ago. about the desert above Ur
81 the Chaldees, I visited the remark
able excavations of tho University OF
Pennsylvania at Niffur. With my own
hands / dug from a lower wall one Of
tho hugo fifteen-inch square bricks
stamped In the center with the name
OF the king at whose order 1t was
made. The other evening an Assyri.
ologist offered to read It for me; bu'
he returned It. with word that the
language was older than the common
cupieform inscriptions. II goes bach
beyond the time OF Abraham.
Is Abraham q mythical figure IL
the dim miSts OF rcmotest antiquity
10 be questioned by every smart
n unlettered skeptic? Here by m,
fireplace is a brick bearing writer
record from a. date far beyond hi
I n~A ~.
full OF cunieform tablets which
brought from his old home may b
records of Abraham's father or hi
contemporaries.
Does it seem fantastic to sugges
that one day. and that within tn
life OF most readers OF these line.
the excavator's spade will unearth TN
secrets OF Ur Of the Chaldees: an
that when the clay tablets are brougf
to light. those little books. or ie,
eers. that suggest shredded whes
Mscuit. they may tell tho details
the business transaction OF the Sal
Of h property Of Abraham's family
Tor was not TeIah the father OF tn
best business people on earth? W
know nov. beyond all 1uesswork, thu
It was the usage OF his time to maxi
lions ON cunieforn tablets Corrobor.
tons OF the inspired story Quite {
retnark~tle as THE have been brougi
Out. In the fuilnees Of time. fro,
Gods Horehouses in the desert land
Even the Schoolboys now know
ftsmmurabt the great king who W,
contempcraneous with Abraham ar
who caused the laws Of his time {
De inscribed on stone pillars. and s
mp Tor the peoples instruction.
"A Historic Journey.
As Russian peasants migrate
siberia by entire families and q
lase at once. as every traveller
tho Siberian railway has seen. so II
eSodus of Terah and his family fro
U Of the Chaldees. and later the x
ing out OF Abraham irons Haran, "
ratriarchal in its character. T.
whole family. with servants and loc
and property, went at once. Let
pause to recall Terah to memoi
even while we "a his SDn Abraha
There Is n great deal OF talk abe
"seif-made men" which is sheer nc
rense. The stuff that was in Abb