Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-06-02
HERITAGE OE bible DAYS
ASSyrlan Girl Repeats Dances Per.
formed in Land OF Canaan.
She ALSO WORKS AS A SHOP GIRl
Ancestor of Amelia Khoury of Boston
Danced in Groves of Mount Lebanon
In Honor of lshtar, Queen Of Heaven.


In Honor Of Ishtar, Queen Of Heaven.
From the Boston Post
Working as a shop girl in Boston Is
a pretty little dark eyed girl a iineai
descendant, they say, of an Assyrian
maiden who danced in the groves of
Mount Lebanon in honor of Ishtar,
queen OF Heaven.
She is Amelia Khoury, who is re-
peating, after a lapse of many CEN
turies, the very same dances her an
cestor performed in the land of Canaan
in the day of Hebrew prophet, Jere-
miah.
In the springtime the worshippers Of
the ancient goddess would go out into
the high places and there they would
carry out various rites to catch the
tickle fancy of the easily sighted deity.
Priests, counsellors. even kings would
PROSTATE themselves, and the most
beautiful maidens of the countryside
would dance before the sacred pillows.
Sometimes the goddess frowned and
then the crops withered. Other times
she was pleased and the April sunshine
was the reflection of her smile and the
rain her tears of gratitude 1t was
then that the crops fourished and the
famine stayed away. ,..esea.e,-,
Carved in Stone. +f
OF course when Ishtar heard 1.-THE
prayers 70 her people as symbolized by
the dancing of a graceful dancing girl.
then the whole populace gave the, girl
their praise. q ,.fy4a
"Ah, she should live forever. folks
would say to each other when Ame-
las many times great great grand
mothers name was mentioped--
which in the East is the very highest
form of praise that lips can utter.
And she shall live forever" an
swered the kings sculptor and
straightaway set about to immortalize
her beauty in stone. But such thingg
were not known in ancient Canaan
and sculptors alone could save per-
sons likeness for posterity. ts az
name was spelled then dancing fav-
orite of the great goddess Ishtar
posed for the sculptors and they
chisled her likeness on the walls OF
the famous garden of Sargon, which
in those days was as great en- honor
as now being nominated to the French
academy or accepted in the American
Hall of Fame.
And all Canaan saw the finished
work and admired 1t. For long years
it stood. When the ancient temple fell
and the sands of time swept over the
ruins the coming generation forgot all
about the old garden of Sargon, the
worship Of Ishtar, and even the dane
ing girl Amelia, carved on the ancient
frieze of the garden we'll which was
broken in parts and buried under the
debris of years.
But there came a time archeolo-
gists' picks and shovels uncovered
the ruins and the glory of other days
was brought out once again to the
light Of the sun.
The Dance Of Ancient Amelia.
And now in Boston Amelia Khoury
has reconstructed the very same
dances which Amelia of Canaan skip
ped years and years ago.
The Boston Amelia is an Assyrian,
girl who went to the local public
schools, learned English and If. you
passed her on the streets-which many
of you who read these words have all
ready done, no doubt-you would take
her for a typical American girl. ~,
She appeared in public for the first
time in the ancient dance of her tpeQso
pie the other night at the Biblical play,
Jeremiah" given by the federation Of
churches. ~
She wore a dress of scarlet, made
this time by students of the Museum
Of Fine Arts, and she danced the
same dance as did the other Amelia,
and she stepped to the tune of an
aout and of q durbache played by her
father and by her friend Kahil Ayopb.
from Damascus.
Amelia used a set of pipes in the
shepherd scene which were made
probably a hundred years ago Of
reeds gathered at the foot Of Mount
Lebanon, and Ayoub played on the
aout which he himself made in DAM
ascus years ago. It Is inlaid with pearl
and precious woods taken from shells
and trees of Palestine.