Show BIBLICAL TREASURES IN king menelik of et says science siftings promised that as soon flood as peace Is restored within bt his do minious be will permit a 0 minis sion loo of european scientists tomake to make so an exhaustive examination of the vault of the cathedral church at axum where the monarchs mona of ethiopia have been crowned from time immemorial A widespread tradition of the moslem world asserts aerts that bat it la in within the ao an clent cleat vaults of 0 this abl structure that tb tat ark of the covenant is preserved along with abe tables of stone atone coote oon taiL lag jag the ten and which maea brought down from mount sinai blasi the seven brancel braoo ed candlestick ot of gold which figured in the holy of holies of the temple of 0 solomon at jerusalem Is ie said eald to be imputed immured to in those abee vaults which are also aleo known to contain a mass maee ot of ancient papyri and other that are in an excellent state of preservation but have bave never been translate i or annotated it la 18 nu no were mere vague lou handed doat from fattier to sou son which has transmitted to generations ot of Abyssinia nc the story of hew bow thebe eless trams urea area came tore to pome in the cathedral of the story of their procure went by the rulers of the and of their being deposited within theme sacred vaults to la specific particular anu and detailed it la Is told bow they were brought from jerusalem to abyssinia by the founder of the present reigning gning dynasty ay nasty the first of the emperors menelia Mene lib who was tie the son BOD of king solomon of israel and of that biblical Q leen jeen of sheba who is in on record as baing carried on a ivery pronounced flirtation dictation with the ruler of the jews abis original menelia menel iii is ie frequently referred to 0 o to in the song ot of solomon although as authentic history eaches born after the return of die ble mother to her bar own dominion be was wae brought up at the court of tile father at Je jerusalem Hs be remained there until the first destruction and sacking backing of jerusalem and the pillage of the temple or of solomon oy king of egypt immediately wed lately before the destruction of the ibe dempie menelik fled back to abys aluia he carried with him for safekeeping the tres treasures eures ot of that structure which were threatened with seizure nd and ded declement lement it to Is positively a sett seit tid ed by abyssinian tradition that thai he be car tied back with him the tables of stone the ask aak of the Cun convent vent and the vel canu candlestick lestick these no ne deposited in the luter lor of tha huge granite pile which ibe ebe pedestal pede ital of the ancient abyssinian temple of axum long anle anie dation tue christian era and where the rulers oi 01 ethiopia have been crowned arm fr m the earliest times the present cathedral if i axum to is built on the summit of a species of granite pyramid the rem ant of a heathen temple that former y occupied i A ibis site it io IL within tho the interior of this pyramid pyran aiu that the ibe vaults are situated which king M menelek has now promised to throw oper the Ua catheral theral ot of axum to la out but one ot of the repositories of biblical treasures which menelik offers to open up to the be modern scientific world lor for tt it Is believed that he wils will open up for the first time the ric eleas treasures that thai have ter for thou banus of years been jealously preserved un on the holy island of Debra Blumn located near the l he center ot of the great inland ties or lake of ajol in the be dout bern portion of the kingdom of aboab this island la is reputed sacred 09 only among the abyssinian themselves but also ahr the he moslem world and it la Is to this ahli probably that thai must be attributed the toot act that notwithstanding the innumerable were wars that have raged in abyssinia for at ai losea 1800 years yean the sanctity ot of the island should never have been violated by either christian or infidel chis island of debra moad abe abys rendering of mount alual in ia inhabited babi teil suu and guarded entirely by monks as ignorant and fanatic as are all we tue aby clergy but who when ones nce they take up their residence OL the island are never permitted to leave it solo in iao the soil aall of the island bad never dean been trodden by the foot 0 any layman until two years ao ago what emperor menelik himself atten attended tieu by a low few of his principal ras or gen and ts curLed by a eiro etro ugly bodyguard tody guard crossed the mateis ot of the lake sull aud luied on lag its snores the ibe bodyguard remaining ja in the boats boals ready lur jor emergency according tu the dusky MOD monarchs archa own account the vaults of the abe monastery which is of enormous size and built upon rock are filled with papyri and patch parch ments mento and books of every description the abe books are believed to have been sent seat thither at the time of the mohammedan invasion of abyssinia in the sixteenth century but the parch parchment ments are declared to hall from the world famed library of alexandria which was dis dispersed persO in the seventh century oy the mohammedan caliph ainar the papyri evidently date from a much earlier era and probably relate to that period when the emperors emperor of ethiopia ruled not only over abys riols viols but also over egypt ane r dom of the latter country being ale plc aured by mavy many a and paint I 1 log ng on the pyra haida alside and temples in the land of the nile |