The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1915-01-23

salem since 1857, and a little digging was done
outside the present city limits to determine the
lines of the ancient walls. In the course of the
superficial study of the land a number of impor.
tant monuments were discovered still standing
upon the surface. In 1868 the German mission
airy, Klein, discovered an inscription of Mesha,
king of Moab, who is mentioned in II Kings 8. In
1880 some boys, playing in the conduit which
leads to the pool of Sloan, discovered an inscrip.
ton in ancient Hebrew characters dating from
the time of King HeZekiah. In 1891 Schumacher
discovered a monument of Rameses II G292
b. c., who was probably the Pharaoh who op-
pressed the children of Israel in Egypt, and in
1901 Prof. George Adam Smith discovered a beau
uful STEELE of Seti l, the father of Rameses H."
The Harvard expedition at Samaria in 1909.
1910 discovered remains of the palace of the
Hebrew kings Omri and Ahab, and in one of its
chambers p%otsherds were found containing bust.
ness accounts written in a character similar to
that of the Sloan inscription.
These discoveries are only a beginning of the
exploration of Palestine. The sites excayated.
except that OF Samaria, are relatively unimpor-
tant towns. The great religious centers Of an
tiquity, such as Hebron, jerusalem, Bethel and
Dan, remain unexplored. Hundreds of large
mounds exist all over the country, within which
the records of ancient times are deposited one
above the other in chronological order. It is not
unreasonable to expect that, if these mounds
could be explored thoroughly many more Baby
lonian tablets such as those found at Tanach
would be discovered.
Perhaps even a whole library might be un.
earthed in such a place as Kirjath-Sepher, whose
name means Book Town" Since Hebrew In
scriptions have been found already there is no
reason why more might not be found, or why
even manuscripts might not be discovered sealed
up in earthen jars, which, as we know from Jere-
miah 32:14, was the custom of the Hebrews.
Think how the world would be startled If some
of the lost books mentioned in the Old Tesla.
ment were rediscovered, or ancient manuscripts
of some of the canonical books!
Not only the sacred places of the Holy Land
but the most famous sites Of the ancient and
classical world, barring those of Greece and
Rome, lie under the clutches of the unspeakable
Turk. Among them are Constantinople, Troy,
Babylon, Nineveh, Damascus, Tyre, sidon, Arbela
and many others.
Before the war French psychologists had Just
begun some very interesting researches at Con.
stantinople. They have now partially laid bare
the ruins Of the palace of Constantine, which,
of course, is of great interest as the residence of
the emperor who gave his name to the city. This
amazing building covered a space of many acres,
including quarters. baths and every luxury for
the one thousand persons who composed the i'm.
perial household and the guards of the palace.
1t surpasses incomparably both In extent and
splendor the palace of the Caesars at Rome, and
yet it is probably equaled in interest by many OF
the other ruins in the city.
Few Americans realize the extraordinary in.
terest of Constantinople and the strange manner
in which the wealth of the ages has been locked
up in it. Constantinople has a longer continuous
history than any other great city in the world
Everybody hopes that one of the first results
of the war will be to free this ancient center OF
culture and Christianity, as well as the HOLY
Land, from the horrible, barbarous Turks.