New Britain herald., 1919-04-23
IA byion Today.
(LOn don Time J

thoer General Marshalrs bcnevo-
lent rule something of its ancient
prosperity is returning TO the l31t-
p"i t,ES valley. But as one stands on
'le mas Mound at Babylon, gazing
oNTi ,orca1N expanse Of clun bling
red hrlck, feeling of utter dcsol,rion
is evoked "
The silence is only broken by the
Nultures as they glide
lazliH TO earth, landing with tho :, .,Iz
ward appea rance Of = c,..s1,od ,,,.l,
plane, and by the s'hrill cries or +l,o
green jays as they fit ahout Tho r.,;,,-.
i'm all the cavities OF the oxca,.ot;o,,..
are beautifully clear pools teonino..
with insect life: tiny lizards and o,no.
horny iguanodons dart hjther .,nl
thit her: A few camels browse 1r
guilty. beneath tho palms; above OF
there is the sicllly scent OF dates and
scorched earth; one is alone with rbo
pass.
1t Isl fascinating to climb anon
the ruins; one uneNpect eddy stumhl,.>;
across wall covered with excui~itn
brick bas-relicfs. generally represent
ing alternately lions and ''sirli." oynr
half-buried do0rwaNs arc inscribed
tablets, i'm the depths Of the pools
stra n@c figures appear and vanish
among the shadows. till the stiffness
of the water is suddenly disturbed hH,
The splash of a frog.
The credit for the major part of inc
work Of excavation is due to Prof.
EoldeWcN. q German archa eolosisr,
who spent many years among tine
RUNS lie lived in a delightful DlmG-
allow on the banks Of tho old bed Of
n ffNc !, 7.,>1
ed. but the authorities were able to
recover most OF the relics: an Ar:lb
custodian has now been placed in
charged, and the house is used AS u
hotel for visiting officers
The most important discovery MAS
the Ishtar Gate, which is rcma rka oly-
we'll preserved. 1T consists Of two
rectangular towers about 40 feet in
height covered With brick has~relirIs
OF mythical animals. absolutely unin-
cured Formerly an avenue Of blue
enamel statues Of lions led Up
to the gate, but these have AL
been removed or destroyed. The
other outstanding feature of Babylon
is tho kaSrLion. Il basalt statue rep
rcsantinc the Empire City crush rs an
enemy: it is a fine piece Of work, hut
has been seriously damaged by tour
lists who used it as 4 target for Hf1c
Dra Ctice.
Other buildings can hardly be dis
1lngHlshed; here and there one tinds
steps leading down to chamber, hut
in most places the excavation has not
gone far; the surface of the ground
is covered with innumera bic f.%g-
Hents Of pottery. eNqUisitclN eNA,I-
elled in blue and green. ard occ&sion-
1x- of
be picked UP.
The country around Babylon is IN
tcrsected by a complicated system Of
canals. Tow absolutely dry. Tje&o an
cient waterways are still Is feet to
20 feet deep, and it is prof7tab!e to
think about the splendid discipline |
hat must have prevailed in the I3a b. !
Nlonian Empire, rendering possible |
the construction of these cha nncls; |
the world seems to have progressed |
little since: the days of NebuchadnJ !
zar.
Passing through a nullah on to he /
Eagdad- Hillah road, on this famous |
highway. which has seen the march |
of the armies of forgotten clnpires, |
there is a strange mixture Of the old |
and new: an endless convoy OF lTordS, ;
carrying rations to the EuphTates gar |
rson, raises an impenetrable cloud OF |
dust: herd of weary Camels, oeaT-
ing merchandise from 9he mountains |
of Persia to the shores Of the Red !
sea- wanders by apparently without |
aim: a diminutjNe donkey, almo%c in
visible beneath q gigantic load of
straw. is pushed along by villain
ous-looking Arab. clad only III 81
erinlv brown burnous: overhead
drones an r. f. s, probably taking Il
senior political officer to tho holy cit
les Of Nejcf or Kcrhcla to settle some
religious dispute.
What, it may be asked, arc the
British doing in this strange. conan
tic country? The answer is apparent
when one apprOa ches Hindiah. Here,
as if by ma gic. acres Of waving corn
relieve the monotony of the desert
landscape: companies of Arab labor
ers toll languidly under the blasphc-
NOUS tongues of British \. G.. O.'s; a.
train is being loaded with rations and
hhoOsa. The irrjga ton scheme oc Sir
James WilcOcks is being com rleted
and perfected. and the Army OF Cc-
has become almost Seif-sup-
porting It seems fitting that those
who have begun this splendid work
Will he allowed to continue ir--fOr this
* the wish of>thc people OF the coln-
try.