Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-08-02

put dust on their heads and pay tribute 10 MIN
Armageddon was so often the scene of battles
that the name became a symbol of terrible war
and destruction, much as waterloo has acquired
its meaning. There some people think the last
battle OF the world will be fought.
The story OF the most famous battle at Me-
giddo between the Syrian princes and King
Ihotmes Ill OF Egypt can be read on the temple
walls at karnak by those versed in deciphering
the handwriting of the Egyptians.
Thotmes III was the king who was responsible
for the obelisk now in Central PARK He is also
remembered as the KING who quarreled with
mis- sister or aunt, Queen Hatsheput, over the
Egyptian throne Tor a decade or two, and VINO,
when she died, haa her pictures and name
chiseled off the monuments she had built anu
his own put in their place. Sometimes his
workmen were careless in their alterations, 50
that an INSCRIPTION READS king Thotmes III,
she made this monument to her father Amen.
AS soon as Thotmes got the Kingdom to him
self he set out in ms chariot with his army back
OF him to conquer other Kingdoms, and one OF
his first big victories was at Megiddo.
Press Agelting "a king.
We should probably know little more tnan
this if Thotmes Ill had not regarded himself
as a person whose doings were of infinite i'm
portance. He carried with him everywhere a
secretary who did nothing but write down what
His Majesty did or said On all occasions. 80 the
battle of Meglddo was reported in detail ana
the last chapter of the kings journal was sent
back every day to Egypt to be deposited in the
.ence today, but Thotmes insured a permanent
record of his conquests by having the most i'm
portant facts carved on stone walls, where they
can be seen today, somewhat damaged Dy time'
but still readable.
Megiddo was so important because it was IA
walled city on a hill and IN a strategic place
on the way from Egypt to Babylon. Thotmes
went directly to it and drew up his well drilled
troops on the plain in front of the city. one
hundred and nineteen OF the princes ana tneii
warriors from different parts of the Invaded
country had gathered together to drive OUT the
Egyptians, but, when they met the Syrians fed
panic stricken, and Thotmes had his official
reporter record that the people of the city drew
up their fugitive protectors over the city walls
by their clothes, because they were AFRAID TO
o-1. the - GUAM for THAR nUn npnDIe.
The Syrians escaped because the Egyptian
soldiers stopped to seize and divide the beautirui
gold and silver chariots-1,OOo or them-aho
1000 horses and many arms forsaken IN the
fight.
der. He said that to take Megiddo was ike
taking a thousand towns, since all the I'M
portant chiefs of the country were inside II,
and he proceeded to starve out the city by
every possible entrance. flnally,
Megiddo surrendered. The princes and warriors
filed out of the gate and agreed to pay Thotmes
yearly tribute. The city was then sacked, per-
haps burned, and valuable works of art and
the Jewels and gold of a remarkably wealthy
city carried off to Egypt, as well as such tro-
plies as the scepter. royal tent, and Iurniture
to the King of Kadesh. Thotmes had
it all recorded and went on to other uncoh-
Gulered regions.
fought at different times at this Strategic spot:
Some years ago, 1908, a German Palestine
Society sent an expedition to the city, now a
ruin. to explore the old foundations and see II
any relSs of the battles were left buried there.
For nearly three years the scientists worked,
with the result that traces of seven cities were
found in different strata below the present sur
face. The oldest city. they believe, fourlshed
back in the neolithic, or stone, period. Pieces
of walls, skeletons, temple and palace ruins, a
seal marked as the property OF .Snema, tne
servant of Jereboam," king of Israel, al helped
to identity the times when different CIVILIZATIONS
held the important fortress.
Ruins Still Hold Secrets.
The expedition had to give up its work peIore
the possibilities of the site were exhausted. ana
later the war put a stop to any but unitarian
digging in the near east. So the ruins OF Arma-
geddon are looked upon as still holding many
secrets.
The reference to Armageddon in the book
Of Revelation has been taken by some scholars
TO mean that the last war of the world is to ne
fought in this old traditional battle-ground. Ine
book, written as if the events prophesied had
already happened, says that the kings gathered
together in the place called Har-Mageddon.
But of late years the term Armageddon mas
been taken more as a symbol. some students VI
the mysteries of Revelation still hold tnat the
recent war was the prophesied war or Arma-
geddon, and that Belgium where the nghtlnS
was begun met the conditions of being the
Armageddon referred to in the prophecy.
Some of the interpreters have been able TO
apply almost every mysterious reference In the
book to the recent war, even to naming the
beasts of the visions as the nations in the con-
Hict, and comparing the reference to blood up
to the brides of the horses to the tact that the
dead were sometimes piled four and five deep,
about the height of a bride, after some battles
in the World War. They found it significant TO
point out that the verse about hailstones weigh
ing a talent-the heaviest measure of weight
known in Bible days-coming down from
heaven upon men could be applied to the heaVy
bombs and shells of modern warfare.
However, other scholars disagree with TINS
and insist that the Armageddon described is a
spiritual conflict. Here again they disagree and
some think the prophecies refer to events ex-
pected to happen soon after the book was
written, and others insist with equal posltlveness
that the era described has never come
Disarmament is a step toward a new war
less age. Whether it will be a permanent sue
cess. leaving the World War indeed the last
war, or whether the world is to be the scene
of battles for years to come, there seems to be
no modern prophet to foretell.