New Britain Herald Newspaper, November 2, 1923, Page 11

STORIES ABOUND ON THE ORONTES RIVER Ancient Tales of Mysterions Stream Told Even to This Day ‘Washington, Nn'\". 2.—*The Orontes river, in northern Syria, which citi- zens of Mecca claim as the northérn boundary of the Island of the Arabs, the native name for Arabia, has al- ways played an important role in the theater of Asia where East meets ‘West,” says a bulletin from the Wash- ington headquarters of the National Geographic Soclety. “Juvenal, the great Roman satirist, uttered what may seem like a geo- graphic untruth when he said that ‘the waters of the Orontes overflowed into the Tiber,’ but many historians bave claimed that the river was an important factor in bringing about the downfall of the Roman Empire. Along this path made by nature be- tween the Mediterranean and the lands to the east the superstitions and corruption of Asia came to Rome, brought home by the Roman legions, and Greek art and civilization, to- gether with Roman law, flowed to the rising sun. An Farly Earthquake Theory. “It has been said that the river derived its name from a man who built a bridge over it. After one of the great earthquakes in Roman times had changed the course of the river, the oracle declared that the bones of a man of colossal size found in the old river bed were those of Orontes, and on the ancient coins of Antioch, the most famous city which ever| existed along its banks, the river is personified as a youth swimming at the feet of the female figure repre- senting the eity. The old name of | the river was Typhon after that ter-| rible mythological dragon buried un-| der the mountains around Antioch whose frequent writhings and twist- ings were believed to be the numerous earthquak valley h giant under the earth still turns and tosses and mutters and | makes the earth tremble in the vicin- ity of Antioch. It is one of the IL‘A‘ non-voleanic regions of the carth in which earthquakes occur, “According to the Syrians, the Orontes also is peopled by water spirits, which ave believed (o be the | authors of fertility,. When the water | which hus been diverted into irriga- |¢ tion ditches, again Is allowed to flow | across the river bed, childlec Hyrian women wade out into the nel | Noping for the embrace of the water- | spirit in the oncoming rush of the stream, Meanders Through Steppes, “Rising down In the great springs| of the inter-Lebanon distriet, near! the ancient ety of Baalbek, the great| river flows northward almost parallel to the Mediterranean coast, falling 000 feet through a rocky gorge, The | at depression through which f{he viver flows, traversing Syria from the Taurus mountains to the Sinui desert, | Tigs 8w outstanding physical features, 1t is made up mostly of broad pla- teaus of steppe land, rock and debris, | The tiver widens out at Humah into | @ rich district containing the sites of the ancient towns of Apamea and Larissa. At Jisreul-Tadid, the river| turns westward around the great plain of Antioch. “Though In the main the river is unnavigable, its valley has for ages' bLeen w convenient highway for traffic | from north to south. Roads figom the north and northeust, from Damas- cus and Coele-Syria converge at An. tioch, and along the depression and across the Sinal peninsula have passed armies bound to and from Egypt for hundreds of generations, Today the { . |Grain Thic\'e‘ Making fleet-footed Arablan and the rocking camel are fast giving place to the in- vincible automobile and the motor lorry. Tts Source and Mouth Cities. “No two cities in the world have had more romantic histories than those at itsgsource and near its mouth. Bu‘bck the ancient city of Baal, the sun-god, with its famous ruins of a temple made of veritable megaliths, stirs the imagination so does Antioch, which in its glorious| days saw the horses of Ben Hur crash past the chariot 6f the proud Roman, saw mighty Trojan, with fragments of his Roman army which he was to lead against the Parthians sheltering in its huge circus in the midst of the severe earthquake of 115 A. D,, and watched with careless eye the lolling of the Roman legions in its beautiful grove of Daphne. “When the hot, malaria-breathing winds from the east blow across the valley of the Orontes, the inhabitants take to the mountains and plateaus where the climate is especially agree- able. Tor most of them it is con- venient to do so, for excellent pas- turage is found in various areas, and it is never difficult for these Bedouins to take up their tents and move all their household effects to pleasanter surroundings. -No reliable statistics are obtainable upon the cattle in| Syria, but handbooks say that the number in the Orontes valley is con- siderable. Apamea in the days of Antioch’s glory was the home of the great national stud which boasted | 30,000 mares and 300 stallions. “A good many of the inhabitants have been lured by American dollars into digging licorice root on planta- tions where great wooden wats wheels have been lifting the Oronte into irrigation ditches in order that| cough-syrup and plug-tobacco manu- | factures may supply our demands.” | Alleged Crooked Election |§ Causes Political Furore | Sydney, N. 8. W, Nov. 2.—A politic- al bombshell crashed into the mids |of the labor movement in this s with the announcement of mendation of the c¢xccut i hec 1 the discovery crooked ballot tions at the headquarters of the party. It was found that & number of the boxes had sccret panels, enabling | manipdlation of the ballots, The af-| fair cansed a sensation on the eve of | the annual conference of the p.n’(\" o special committee, with A, Willis the new president, as chairman, w appointed to ascertain the r.m.! and make recommendations. Its de cislons touched some of the most | prominent figures in the party and | cs in certain elec |their expulsion, four withont limitu. | tlon of time ,and two others for two | has resuited, ; yeurs eac: Large Hau m ( anada Winnipeg, Nov, 2, tion "ot "the floors cars Jas been orderdd be 1055 ol yu=t quantities of grain through | the Jirénn-m of “plug thieves,." { Copadian railway officials stute the| “plug thieves” bore holes in the floors of grain cars, then allow the wheat | to trtekle into the ks and thores ulted m-ur the holesswith cork. | G ll‘l\ Mll\l)lt QI AKLRS, Berlin, Nov. 2.-~In recognition of the relief work performed in Ger. American and English kers during the last three yoars, « million children throughout the country recently joined in a cele- bration in honor of the Quakers. The latter undertook to feed undernour- shed children, and while they are still carrying on some of their work in 1,600 places in Gern the | greater part of their activitics has| been taken over by German organi- | ations Besse-Lelands NEVER has the season been so late—yet never have we coats. It's the style sold so many Over- and the cloth at the ¥ NEW BRITAIN DAILY HERALD, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 1228, All Styles—All Sizes—All Leathers—at the Great Consolidation Shoe Sale Plenty for Everybo;ly at Half the Former Price fine merchandise that you have been buying right Here’s your opportunity to buy the season’s newest styles at half price and lower. The entire high grade stock of this big shoe store must go—No shoes have been added—None taken away—It’s the same Consclidation Sale 7ilc 2,900 Pairs of Women's High Shoes, black, dark tan, light tan and gray; Kidskin, calfskin, pat- ent coltskin; Goodyear welt and hand-turned soles, BUY SEVERAL PAIRS along. The only difference is the new low prices. Now you can save $3, $4 and $5 a pair. Hundreds of men and women are taking advantage of this wonderful -opportunity—Why not you? SATURDAY ONLY! 637 Pairs of CHILDREN'S HIGH SHOES—Both Boys' and Girls'—=SCUFFER Shoes included—Sold formerly as high at $4.95 Sizes oW Up To and Black Calfskin Brown Consolidation Sale 1 47 1,300 Pairs of Women's High Shoes—0dd lots and odd sizes; black and brown; vici kid and calfskin; low and military heels. BUY SEVERAL PAIRS Sale Includes Such Well Known Makes as: W. J. DOUGLAS—A. J. BATES—RED CROSS—DR. KAHLER'S 'Consolidation Sale 2.47 700 Pairs of Women's Pumps and Oxfords, sold formerly at $5 and $6: black and brown suede, black satin, black kid, black and hrown calfskin; popular styles; Goodyear welt and hand-turned soles; low, military and Spanish heels. BUY SEVERAL PAIRS Consolidation Sale A big lot (1200 pairs) of Women’s Suede Pumps, sold for- merly at $6 and 87; black, tan, brown, beige and gray shades; newest styles; low, Baby Louis and Spanish heels, BUY SEVERAL PAIRS Consolidation Sale Women's Latest style formerly at $6 and §7 ack kid, black and tan Calfskin d Patent Coltskin— Half thie lot with toe cap and Military heels—half with creased vamp, plain BUY SEVERAL PAIRS Consolidation Sale 4.47 900 Pairs of New Fall Men's Shoes bought to sell at $7 and $8: birogue, plain toe and custom style; black and brown: Seotch grain or calfskin; Goodyear welt ; rubber heels. BUY SEVERAL PAIRS right kind of a price that will make it pos- sible for us to get together—No other store can touch us in a raonge of — $24.75 " $59.75 If youwant a real “Worombo” you can have it beautifully tailored at $67.50 You Have Bought These Same Shoes Before Come In Today and See the Tremendous Reductions Modern Boot Shop 168 Main Street Where else can you get so much coat for so little money? = On the Main Floor — TOMORROW New Britain