The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1930-09-04
SODOM, COMORRAH
WICKEDEST CITIES
Disinterred City Magnificent
and Luxurious, Brick
Structures Disclose
FIND ASHES ABUNDANT

FIND ASHES ABUNDANT
Fine Ruin May Have Been
Place Where Lot Enter
tanned Angels
Jerusalem, Aug. 30-The site and
ruins of the ancient worlds wick
eldest cities, Sodom and Gomorrah,
have been found on the shores of
the Dead Sea. The two cities were
destroyed by birthstone and fire
raining from Heaven, according to
the Biblical account, after Abra-
ham had vainly tried to intercede
on behalf of the inhabitants.
One of the most remarkable fea-
lures of the discovery is that an
cient Sodom seems to have been
equipped with subway system. On
the outskirts of the city, also a
strange formation was found, like
pillar, as high as an ordinary hui
man being. 1t recalled the story of
Lots wife who looking back, was
turned into pillar of salt.
Father Mallon, of the Pontificial
Biblical Institute of Rome, excavat-
ing near the scene of Christ's bap-
tism in the Jordan, is responsible
for this sensational discovery. The
sight is dominated by Mount Nebo,
from which Moses viewed the
Promised Land.
With the aid of some twenty
Arab workmen, Father Mallon
found brick houses surprising in
their size. In the old Bible cities
which have been previously I'M
covered in Palestine the homes of
their inhabitants were mostly small
and cramped. Here they were
spacious, with courtyards and els
terms, bespeaking wealth and af-
fuence.
One fine ruin uncovered had a
particularly spacious courtyard, and
before the destruction of the city
must have been an imposing resi-
dence. The question is asked: Was
it the dwelling where Lot enter
tanned the two angles who advised
him and his family to flee from
the city? It is situated near the
city's gate, and it was while sitting
here that Lot was confronted with
the heavenly messengers, whom he
;nI,,oaI RI anfor hic ho,,co ond nor
take of unlavened bread.
It will be recalled that Abra-
hams nephew, Lot, and his family
were the only individuals who es-
capped the catastrophe fire rain
from Heaven, having been warned
to flee the city by two angels. Lots
family was advised not to look back
on the city they left on penalty of
death. Lots wife disobeyed this in
junction, and persisted, being
changed into a pillar of salt.
The desire of Lots wife to look
back once more on the city where
she had dwelt fop long time, as
sumes new and unexpected signi-
ficance in the light of Father NAL
Ions discoveries. The woman could
scarcely tear herself away from a
city, which now appears to have
been one of the most magnificent
and luxurious of antiquity. To
change from an existence in which
she had known all the amenities of
civilized life and ease to roaming
in the sun-scorched deserts of
Arabia. little appealed to her and
in a last look of regret backwards
to her former home she not only
acted in true womanly fashion, but
also indicated, archaeologist at
firm, that Sodom was no mere
primitive village.
The birthstone and fire of the BIZ
BILE seem to have been real enough,
Father Mallon declares in his re-
port on the excavations. Every
where there was an abundance of
ashes. They Uttered the main
street" to the depth in some places
of several inches. Ashes were every
where, covering the courtyards and
all open spaces. Bricks were crack
ed and redeemed by great heat.
Several human skeletons were
found and another strange object
was the head of boy in pot. It
is thought that this indicates that
the inhabitants resorted to the
practice of human sacrifice. The
skeletons and the boys head have
been transferred to the museum in
Jerusalem for anthropological ex-
animation.
Human sacrifice was practiced in
ancient Canaan before the conquest
of the Israelites. and even Abra-
ham adhered to the practice, as
shown by the Bible account of his
willingness to slaughter his only
son Isaac on an altar which he had
erected on Mount Moriah, the site
where later the Hebrew Temple
arose. In the present Mosque of
Omar, the visitor is still shown the
rock upon which Abraham intended
to sacrifice Isaac until stopped by
the Divine voice.
Answers to This Weeks Puzzle
Vegetables not sold in hardware
store
2-Suitcase has one corner piece
missing