Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1921-11-09

urwE9reG ~ Ene National Geographic 90
elNsF. W&xntnxtcu- y. CO
Irak. the new Arab state. OF which
Emir Feisal recently was proclaimed
provisional king. under British man.
Gate. strikes a new note 20 many ears;
but despite It's unfamiliar name IL
Is land whose influence upon the
history u the human race Il would
scarcely be- possible 20 overestimate.
For Irak Is none other than Mesopo-
tnmin. that between-the-rivers strip
az land which Is believed By many to
have been the original home OF the
human rsce-the Garden 81 Eden.
There In the dim and misty ages be-
fore history began. men first attempted
Go form themselves into organized
communities. there the Hebrew race
found It's origin. and thence their
first leader. Abraham. went out In
search % the land which he should
sfter7xard receive for an Inheritance.
a. Is q long and comparatively mar
row stretch of country, running up
from the Persian Gulf toward the
Taurus mountains and that lofty table
land which we now know as Armenia.
ON its northern and northeastern side
II - bOr,lered By a fringe u noun
taiE@ .gua.saally sloplng up toward the
great northern ranges. ON NE south
ern and southwestern side IL fades
away into the great Arabian desert.
It's Two Famous Rivers.
Far up tn the tableland OF Armenia.
about SD miles In straight line from
the gulf. rise two great rivers-the
Tigris and the Euphrates. The former
breaks through the mountain wall Of
the tabIeland on It's eastern flank
aud flows In a southeasterly direction
throughout almost its entire course.
The latter breaks through on the
western flank and flows at first west
ward. "a though making for the
Mediterranean. IL then turns south
and flows directly southwark FOR
awhile: then sweeps around In n great
bend to the southeast and follows q
course gradually converging upon that
Of its sister stream. Finally. near
the SEA. the two unite and issue as
enc river into the Persian Gulf.
The land travcrsed by these two
rivers has. Ike the sister overland OF
Egypt. been from time immemOrial
enc Of the great historic centers OF
human development. II divides into
rwo portions % fairly equal length.
For the flrst so miles the country
gradually descends In q gentle slope
from the mountains. forming an ir-
regular triangle between the two
rivers. within which the land becomes
less and less hlIly. as IL sinks south
ward. til. as IL nears the Euphrates.
II becomes a bread steppe. which.
beyond the river. rolls or into the
desert. This portion Is strictly the
land called by the Greeks -Mesopo-
tamia."
The second division Is totally diff
ferent In character. IL Is simply a
great delta. like that q the Nile-a
fat. alIuvial plain. which has been
entirely formed q the silt brought
down from the mountains By the two
great rivers
The process Of land making Is stu
going on. and the waters OF the Per
sian Gulf are being pushed back az the
rate o. about - feet per annum.
What this slow process may achieve
IN many centuries Is evidenced by the
fact that we know that the ancient
town ~ Eridn was. about 5000 II. G.
an important seaport on the Persian
Gulf. Il Is ncw Is niles from the
Sea
Centred % Waters Necessary.
Both lands were entirely dependent.
for their Availability and fertility OF
the rivers which traversed them. In
Nfesopofamia TIE TiEris and the Eu-
pirates have for long stretches chan
neled deep into the soil and dow be-
low the level q the land. In the low
sr dls.rict-BabyiOnla- ordinary
level CT the rivers Is frequently above
that % tie surrounding plain: so that
foundations are % frequent occur
rcnce. and large tracts OF the country
are now unhealthy marshland.
In both cases. therefore. though for
opposite reasons. the hand q man was
ueesea 20 make the rivers helpful In
Nesopotamia the water was con-
sr0gled 81 dIkes and dams. which hsld