The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, November 28, 1897, Page 18

30 WAS BABEL’S TOWER | A FACT OR MYTH? e L Question by | Recent Explorations, | The Higher Critics Say the Bible Story Is% Only Hebrew Folk Lote. i the Tower ages from the dawn s related in G 1m lical sc liam Haves W I the “Higt exponents of with t N 1 these critics rish their views on the subject : A pivot nt in the current discus- , norshall the shepherds make their fold there. | ioh s of the Bible regaiding | But the wiid s of the desert shall lie e el < o there, and thetr houses shall be full of doleful the 3 ity of the historical st d owls suall dwell there, and ments of the Old Testament is that re- dance there. And the wild beasts lating to the Tower of The opin- 1siands shall ery in their desolate 10n 1 cn the o that the in their pleasant places, e contained in the Bible 1s merely time is near to come, and her days nd, introduced at a late period in |shall notbe prolonged first beok of the Scriptures. | This is a perfect pen-victure of the ( r ha claimed that | Babylon of to-day. statement of < place in tt y history of the h ofsuch a s nst in re, the cir y recorded was on the neig ient | the 1borhond MATER MISERICORDIAE HOSPITAL In this world of conten and 1 to occasion- m into some nd the lives of our fel- erved rather than sac- v retreat where life a low-beings are J riticed. In such a place will one find him- self upen a v to the Sisters’ Hospital in Sacramento. The popular prejudic t hos pital justify the chance of sentiment, of Mercy will meet you at the d extend a welcome that is given ybody who enters. There are no class distinctions here, no sectarian re- strictions, no questions ot belief to an- swer, no pledges to make, no hindrances of creed; the saint and the sinner, the pure ungodly pass sice open door of the § The hospital was ide through Hospital. te »f Batel ever really exist, or is it on Crit ’ thinks otherwise. nd the defiled, the godly and the | the | opened for the recep- | o 8, 1897 ek Suggested | | | Y | 1 legend handed down | Miiiions of devout believer Have they all been mis- Are they right? Dr. Wil- itor of the Indepsndent, agrees Dr. Henry Mason Baum, editor In the following article, written for of history ? :nesis, it olar and e All is gone, and in the entire world thero is to-day hardly a place so drear and uninviting as the scene that breaks upon the vision of the traveler as he first looks out over that Babylonian plain. But not for long does the feeling of desolation hang over him, for in the distance rises a mound that instantly attracts his atten- tion, sending his thoughts back to the dawn of human history. It is the mound that tradition points to as marking the spot where stood iue tower so famous in history. The Herald i1s indebted to Dr. William Hayes Ward for the photographs here produced, showing the mound, the € tower upon the summit and t ex ns at its base. These pliote were made by J. H. Hayne of Dr. porty during his late ex pedition to the mound and surrourding | i They represent the ruins as they | d to-d “\The Tower. as-Scie Belleve it ‘tol “Nave e : Lamp of Excavators, then, that descendar d and began the building the crowni ory of which was | Tower of According to | ts the tower was undoub: w when completed, most learned authorities, csembled the accompanying er reached thig its completion the d by coufusing the »ple compelled the aban- colossal undertaking, the evidence bearing tence of the tower it must rises 150 feet from the plain below. The accompanying illustration accurately pictures the excavations that have been | zoing on, and gives a clear idea of exactly how ine base of the tower looks to-dav. In the excavations of the interior of this mound many inscribed bricks have been | unearthed, and most of them bear Nebu- chadnezzar’s name in cuneiform char- | | | 10 be the L edly nple according to the was to have r e | act On one of these bricks is an in- | scription that the tower was never com.- | pleted, and that it had been abangoned | since a very remote period. - A HISTORICAL RECORD. 5 s considering on the e not be forgotten that the Babylonian e like the anci ; B 13, "e“'“i‘ their | Pelieve the Story of Pentecost and | temyples on the original foundations. H | us on the spo: where the tower was | You Must Believe the Story | reat tem were subsequently of Babels [ the last of which was that of tne et [ uchadnezzar, and which was Dr. Henry Mason Baum. | ta grea: Lower constructed to rors of another flood. but a ple ri pin the midst ity of the plain, alike for wor- and to commemorate the glory and e of m ¢ present ruin a irregular ¥ e remains of a tower, which The ab event in count given in Genesis xi: 19, ix | istorical record of an importaat | he early history of the human e is notni incredible in it | ss the first great attempt at | temple building. It was the spirit of | pride that was checked by the interpo tion of the Almighty. And we have | i reason to believe that the people Wwere !l ef cons huge | lating to the multipi | of the —————— Rvins of fhe Tower of Bapel a5 Seen From. @ Distance > iststill AchuaisRemalng.on e - SummitFie BhERe 0 Tower-of- Banel. already departing from the worship of the | one true God. The part of the account that seems to be a stumbling block to many is that re- ine of the language. We bave to-day the various languages of he (ifferent races, and the more we study them the more we are convinced that they all had a com- mon origin. All tbhis would seem to agree with the story of the Bible, and making Babylon the starting point. | Only once has there been a like event in | the history of the world, and that was on the day of Pentecost in Jerusalem, when | the reverse of the confasion of language | took place. Those who believe the New | Testament account of the day of Pente- | cost must of necessity believe the Old Testament account of Babel. ‘While the tixing on the exact location Tower of Babel is immaterial, there is s(rong presumptive evidence in vor of the ruins of Birs-Nimrud (a few | miles from the ruins of the royal build- | ngs of Babylon) marking the site of the tower. It has been, according to Baby- lonian records, the site of a temple from remotest antiquity. Iz this respectit is | without a rival. Of course, the present great Nebuchadnezzar. We shall have to accept the story of the Tower of Babel as a true historical record until something has been found disproving it. The burden of proof does not lie with those who believe in the Biblical statement, but with those who re- gard it as a legend. To me the only incredible thing in con- nection with the story is the attempt of some writers of the Bible to make it ap- pearas a legend incorporated into the| Book of Genesis at a late period. But our friends have been so frequently buried in Egzvpt ana Babylonia by the spade of the excavator that it is getting to be difficult for them to keep their heads above ground. o A BIBLE LEGEND. The Story of the Tower of Babel a Bit of Hebiew Folklore. By Dr. William Hayes Ward. What is usually spoken of as the Towe: of Babel is the temple pyramid in seven in honor of the god Nebo, at Borsippa, a dozen miles from Babylon, to the west of the Euphrates, and repaired by the great King Nebuchadnezzar, who was named { after that god. The ruin_is now called Birs-Nimrud or Tower of Nimrod, after a Mohammedan tradition. I visited it | and photozraphs of it were taken by our | photographer, J. H. Haynes. It was the Babylonian style to build the temples in the form of pyramids, in of different planetary gods. The Egyp- | tian style of enameling the whole face ot the pyramid did not prevail in Babylonia ordinary thing about the Birs-Nimrud | tower | duced to a rounded bill the bricks of the | upper siage were in some great confluzra- | uon meited together into a solid vitrifieq {m which has been in some way brok en perhaps_ by lightning, and 1t is split from | top to bbttem, and pieces weighing manv tons have fallen to the ground and lie about the base or have rolled down the hill. I think it improbable that this was the Tower of Babel of the Genesis writer. when in charge of the Woife expedition, | | stages, the separate stages being in honor | except in the earliest period. The extra- | is that while most of it is now re- | S Voanya P o™ pyramid temple, or Ziggurat, of Babylon, now called Babel, the measurements of which, taken from an old inscription, were puplished by George Smith. Itis now an immense hiil of burnt bricks, re. built by Nebuchadnezzar, and has long been used as a quarry. I regard the story of the Tower cf Babel, told 1n Genesis, as one of the most inter- esting religiou' folklore taies current among the Hrbrews, which has been most happily preserved to us by the sacred writer. * It is not to be taken as veritable history, but as a relizious story, one that has the same grand monotheistic character as the stories of the Creation and Flood, with which it is associated, {and which was, like them, admirably adapted for the religious instrection of the Hebrew people, offering a marvelous contrast to the puerile myths of the sur- | rounding nations. No Babylonian counterpart to the Gene- sis story of the Tower of bel has yet been found 1n the Babylonian monu- ments, nor any reference to_it, though 1t 1s likely to turn up at any time. Oune sup- posed reference to it is the error of an early translator, before tne inseription could be correctly read. The word Babel comes not from a word meaning con- | iusion, but from the Babylonian Bab-ilu, ruins are of the temple rebuilt by the | stages, built (we do not know how early) { That was more likely the much larger | "Gate of God." | tion of patients in May of this year and [of praise of this great inmitution, and, at this time there is nota vacant room in | wben interviewed by THE CaA corre- the building, There is no regular corps | spondent, spoke as foliow of medical men there, but any physician | Dr. F. L. Atkinson said: “The Sisters’ of standing bas the privilege ot sending | Hospital lately constructed at Twenty- ients there and directing his own | third and R streets, in our city, is one of urse of treatment and plan of nursing. | the most thoroughly equipped institu- Dr, C. D. McGetti, is the medi- | tions of the kind in the West. cal perintendent in the employ of | No one anyw: ere within the environs Sacramento seeking the aid that such utions afford can hope to find better | nccommodations for themselves ana iriends. Dr. A. M. Henderson: “One who, ay a pbysician, has always been in association with a bospital, can scarcely realize how the physicians of Sacramento, so quick as they have been to take advantage of every contribution to medicine, ¢ould so long have endured the absence in our city of such an institution as the Sisters of Merey have only so lately nrovided for % Said Dr. W. H. Wentworth: “Opera- tions for appendicitis have become no- tably common in the United States, and, trom whatever cause, apparently nowhere in the United States more common than in California ana in Sacramento. This operation is a type of a great class of such work where absolute bacteriological clean- liness is the keynote of success. In any private residence thisis obtainable, if at all, only with great difficulty, delay and expense, but is assured with the greatest certainty in an institution such as the Mater Misericordiz. Numbers of lives, I doubt not, have been saved in SBacramento in the one cperation by the presence of this hospital.” Dr. G. L. Simmons said: “The erection of the fine and commodious Sisters’ Hos- pital in Sacramento marks a new era in the modern treatment of the sick and in- jured in Central Caiifsrnia, as its plan of management is entirely original. For the their calling from different members of | first time in the history of such institu- the medical fraternity of Sacramento | tions no medical or surgical staff has been city. Sacramento is justly proud of her |appointed, and its superior advantages | standing in the world when it comes to | and body of trained nurses ate at the dis- the reputations of her medical men. posal of the surgical and medical profes- | Among their number are some of the I sion for the accommodation of their priv- lest physicians, surgeons and specialists | ate patients. Already are the advantages in the State. lof such a liberal system apparent, and the They are all unanimous in their words | success in filling its numerous rooms in- Dr. Thomas Ross. the sisters and is there to look after those who have no outside physician, Mother Superior Ligouri is at the head of the sis community there and Miss Louise Igo isat the head of the corps of trained nurses. Under her supervision is also a class for traming nurses, who re- | cerve weekly lectures upon the science of | would certainly avail myself of the privi- OF THE BUILDING. dicates that st no distant day addi ions! must be made to the prasent siructure.” Dr. Thcmas Ross said: It is a greal | advantage to the profession and the public of Sacramento to have such an institution as the Mater Misericordiw Hospital. No place could be better equipped for the treatment of the sick, and no place better calculated to restore the invahd., If sic ness or the necessity of a surzical opera: tion should overtake any of my family I institution offers. because it would be the best place to treat them.” Dr. W. A. Briggs: “The situation of the iospital is salubrious, the main building commodious, the operating-room with its leges this Dr. W. H. Wentworth. accessories one of the best if not the best on the Pacific Coast. Success is already achieved. T:e hospital is crowded 1o its fullest capacity and even now material enlargement is seriously considered. The central and northern interior of the State is unler deep obiigation to Bishop Grac2 and Rev. Mother Licouri for ibe fine structure known as Maier Misericordim and to Dr. G. L. Simmons for founding and so many vears, almost single handed, ma:ntaining its forerunner, the original Ridge Home.” Jup oN BRUSIE. Dr. Henderson. GALLANTRY ON THE CARS Nancy Lee Makes Experiments to Test the Matter. Do San Francisco men give up their | seats to jadies in the streetears? That's the question. For one entire day I rode up and down, in and out our busy thoroughfares, and at nigntfall I came home with an empty purse who-e sides had once bulged out with nickels. The an r to the question may sound parodoxical, *They do and they do not.” Let me add by way of exvlanation that | they do give up their seats on the car lines south of Market street, and that north of Market street they do not. To convince you of tiis truth let me say that I found one or two exceptions to both of | these statements, which, of course, only goes to prove the rule. At ball-past 7 in the morning I boarded a Sutter-street car, attired in a gown and hat that had seen better days. The car was full ot weli-fed, sleek, high collarea youths who toy gracefully with the prob- lem of making a living. A woman in a shabby black dress and shabbier hat stood up against the door. Oneor two pairs of took in my apparel in a second and nary a seat was proffered. One callow youth, comfortably seated in the corner, his wearv head reclining azainst the side of the car, amused me im- mensely, He stared at me once or twice, a puzzled expression in his glassy blue eyes. I knew that he was trying to place me. Evidently he soon came to the conclusion that he was mistaken, for he bestowed his entire altention upon the head of his cane whereon was carved the grinning Lead of a monkey. Here was a study for a Darwinian theorist! I could have told the young gentleman why I lookad famil: iar. For three successive evenings I nad met him in the car, always to be offered | his seat in the most approved Willieboy fasbion, wkich means to lift the hat, holding the eibow stiffly out, the arm making an angle that is nct foyud in Eu- clid. But on these evenings I had been attired in my best, Manners may sometimes make a man, | but ciothes more often make a woman, 1 soliloquized as we neared Kearny street, and my leet were beginning to feel like iwolumps of lead. I got off there without even getting a parting glance from the young man who was still looking at his picture on the cane. By the time I reached Mission street I bad walked off the stiff feeling and was reconciled to the thought of standing for another fifteen minutes. But I was | doomed io an agreeable disappointment, for I was scarcely inside the door when three men rose and offered their seats, one } of which I thankfully accepted. There | were several other women in the car, but they all were seated. The men looked to | be mechanics; most of them had tin lunch | pails, and I really felt more uncomfort- able depriving these men, who bad a hard day’s labor before them, from a seat than I would have felt standing. For this rea- son I rede but four blocks and thea boarded an eastbound Valencia-street car, where I was again given a seat by a gray- haired man, wao, when I hesitated about | accepting it, looked so pained that to avoid further discussion I teok it. There was a motley gathering in the Kearny-street car—Italians, Irishmen, Mexicans and a tow-headed German or | Swede by wxy of contrast. The Mexican | gave me his seat and when I thanked him in Spanish he looked at me with the most delighted expression that made feel glad I had yielded to the impulse of the mo- | ment. | At Post street a beautifully gowned | eyes were raised as I entered, but they | woman got into the car. Her clothes bore | the stamp of dame fashion frem the | ostrich-befeathered hat that crowned her | head to Ler boots, which were unusually | well shaped. The swish-swash of her silk-lined skirt was as music (o the ear | feminine. The Irishman respectiuily of- fered her his sext. She did nut' so mucn as flutter an eyelid assie sank into it, He | waited a second ior the “thank you” that never came, then with a twinkle in hLis | eye said in a voice loud enough for every | one to hear, “I begiyer pardon, ma’am, for | living, shure, an’ iU’s not me own fault, iv's | me mither’s.”” A dull angry red dyed her | cheeks at the general laugh that foliowed | and with an annibilating look at the son | of Erin she left the car at the next corner. Iiollowed herexample, and ridded my- | self of a few more nickels, but as 1t was now after 9 o’clock there was sufficient room for everybody to sit down, and I did not have a chance to continue my observa- tions until 12, when there was another rush on the cars. The Geary-street car that Itook was crushed, jammed, crammed full, the overflow depositing itself on the back and front platform, with a total dis- regard of the number of square inches necessary per person. Among the fortu- nate ones who were sitting were three men. Tue women were all well dressed, had evidentiy bezn shopping, with the ex- ception of a few who might have been en- gaged in some occupation that made it necessary for them to take the car at this untimely hour. But it struck me that it would be a good idea for women to manage to finish their shopping before the noon rush, and so give the men a chance to oc- cupy the seats they have paid for. At half-past 12 I was paying my re- spects to the California-street cars. By squeezing ourselves into the smallest pos- sible space everybody managed to have a seat until Jones sireet was reached, when a woman with a child of about 6 years boarded the car. A gentleman imme- diately gave up his seat and, without ac- knowledging his kindness, she planted | the youngster ou the seat and then looked around for some one to give her one. But the gentlemen thougnt otherwise—~and she stood. The child kneeled and looked out of the window, his dirty shoes dan- gling into the aisle and soiling everything that came near them. When studying the scenery from the window ceased to amuse aim ke began to appropriate my bairpins, regardless of embarrassing con- sequences. When I mildly remoustrated the mother grabbed the child and, in melodramatic tones, said: ‘‘Come, my precious; I will not have you insulted.” When 6 o’clock came I bad ridaen so much I began to feel like perpetual motion. I managed to get into a Sacra- mento-street car. It was a case of jump up, scramble up, crawl up, any way you can get up. Eibows were of more use | than feet in getting from the platform to the inside of the car. Four men were occupying seats. “Do they ecall them- elves gentlemen?’ said a woman with suspicious spots of red adorning either cheek and chem:cal blonde hair. I wiit wager, had she been given a seat, she would have taken it without a word of thanks. After riding a few blocks 1 got off and took the next car. A €hinaman gave me his seat. 1 have never known a Celestial to sit when ladies had to stand. Wherever they ate found in public they are palfte, despite the constant indignities heaped|upon them by young America. A man-about-town whom I know chanced to be on the car. Idrew him out on the sulject uppermost in my thoughts at the time. “I aiwaysgive my seat, not because I think the ladies have more right to it, but because 1 feel more comfortable standing than I do sitting.” “D> the majority thank you for the | sear?” “Noj; those who do not acknowedge it form an overwhelming majority! You will near this from nine men out of ten that you ask about it.” It is undeniably a man’s privilege to keep the s2at he has paid for. It is also his privilege to offer it to a lady who would otherwise have to stand. In my j mind the man who keens his seat is a | thousand times more courteous than a woman who takes a seat without thanking the donor. I have frequently heard it said by visitors that Sin Francisco men giv up their seats more willingly than in any other city 1 the Union. Men who are tired do not appreciate the compliment when lovely woman datlies downtown until 6 o’clcck 50 a3 to ride home when the men do, for it means that they must give up their seats. To sit or to stand? Iy's a knotty problem, but the car companies coall easily cut the Gordian knot by pu.- ting on a sufficient number of cars for every one to sit, forit is for that that we pay our 5 cents, not for the privilege of hanging precariously on to the breezy | edee o nothing. Nancy Les.