The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-01

ular tradition to the. level of a mere
prophet. His wandering in the west is
Inc setting sun; his drinking OF the Wen
OF immortality is the sun sinking into
the sea. 1t Is said that Ell Khourd was
frequently put to death with most nor
rid tortures for the true faith by idol-
atrous monarchs but he revived after
each execution and this is taken to hS-
ure the sun setting in Storm in flames
OF crimson or swallowed by the plack
| thunder cloud His clothing the naked
stone with grass typifies the power OF
vegetation possessed by thee sun ana
mis- revivihcations are the glorles Oh
sunrise in the eastern sky.
But unquestionably this man was
the source of the legends anent the
| Wandering Jew.
| 1t is best to attribute the strange
story itself to wild flights of oriental
Imagery confounding fact and fancy IN
a heterogeneous mass. The stories are
probably not nearly so ancient as they
purport to be and all the traditions
are ex post facto. Stories had drifted
to the Arabs founded upon fact and
| in the wall of Cog and Magog we per-
haps get a glimpse of the great wall
of China while the myaths OF her
cules Bacchus and others PROBABLY.
emanate from reports of Alexander the
Great borne of misinformation and
fashioned from shadow.
Still it is a study and the ubiquf
tous fish Is one of the strangest as
sociations of these legends for we md
him in both sacred, profane and apoch-
rypha1 tales. The whale saved Jonah,
Arion was cast into the sea and car
| ried to the shore upon the backs OF
admiring dolphins: Toby banished AS
| modeus by burning the viscera of a.
| fish In his bridal chamber and nsh
led Moses to the cave of I'll knourd-
Dagon was fish god and strangest of
all. the fish was the early SYMBOL or
| the Christians. representing the name
of the Man of Sorrow.
Lastly 1t was a fish who communi-
Gated to Ell Khourd the fact and man.
ner of Moses death and 1t is a sublime
piece of imagery. Moses met in the
mountain three men digging grave
and asked whose it was The men an
swered: For one whom God will call
to be with Him in Paradise Moses
requested permission to help delve a
grave for so holy man and when the
work was completed enquired: Have
you taken the measure of the de-
ceased?" NO" was the reply; we had
forgotten that. Lie down in it and God
will reward thee when we see II 1t
be likely to suit for the deceased was
of thy size" Moses did so and the three
men who were the angels Michael, Ga
kins for the head and feet. Then the
majesty of God manifested itself and
the lord said to Moses, CLOSE thine eye
lids" He obeyed. Then the Lord said.
Press thy hand upon thy heart" And
he did So Then God said, place thy
feet in order" He did so. Then the
Lord addressed the spirit of Moses and
said Holy soul, my daughter; for 120
years hast thou inhabited this unde-
filed body of dust. But now thine hour
is come; come forth and mount to Par
adise"
But the soul answered, trembling
with pain. In this pure and undefiled
body have I spent so many years that
| have learned to love 1T and l have
not the courage to desert it."
My daughter. some FORTH" said the
Lord; Il will place thee in the high
est heaven beneath, the cherubim and
seraphim who bear up My eternal
throne" Yet the soul doubted and
quaked
Then God bent over the face of Moses
and kissed him. And the soul leaped
up with joy and went with the kiss of
God to Paradise.
This is sublime. and as | gazed upon
the lofty crest of Mount Nebo l was,
of course, thrilled with the memory of
the story.
l have never seen the black stone for
the Kaaba is only open thrice a year
and even then no Christian dog" is
permitted to enter, but l have been
so fortunate as to gaze upon the Kaaba
itself the structure reared by the
hands of Abraham and Ishmael the
house that rested in shadow.