Show OF THE OLI OLD COVENANT A low few days ago the remark was toads made in these columns that evi berces for the christian religion were multiplying as the attacks on it were rendered more severe rod and I 1 the he scientific we researches searches that apparently cupply grounds of ael sault also ajeo furnish material for strengthening the position there in 8 a strong probability ebat this fact will receive additional proof by future researches indication are that crotto ebe aloo ancle fit repositories depositories deposit oriee ories of countries almost unknown will arise il witnesses for the abe truth decisive and nd unimpeachable according to scientific siftings biati nee quoted in the abe millennial star we may look iok to abyssinia Abye sinia for some valuable ducov eri eries bearing on questions now in dispute ute among chitka of the bible the Is ia said to have given tola his consent elot to the opening of the of the k kingdom to a commie aioo 0 european scientist as soon as shall be ire reo kored to LIB 1118 country the pru probable bable importance of abib may toe ite gathered from abo following A widespread tradition of the moslem world asserts that it is within the ancient vaults aults of this thin structure that theara of the covenant is preserved along with the tob cabled lesof of stone containing the teri ten coni com and which moses brought down from mount sinai the seven branched candlestick of gold which A figured in the holy of holies of the temple of solomon at jerusalem to is said asid to be immured in these vaults which are also known to contain a enaes of ancient pap papyri y A and other manu scripts that are in an excellent state stale of preservation res see ovation tion but have never been translated ced or annotated it la in no mere vague tradition handed down from father to son which has transmitted anit ted to generations ot of abyssinians Abyssinia ns the story of how these priceless treasures amme to repose in the cathedral of axum the story of their procurement by the kulers of the country and of their being N i deposited within these theme sacred vaults I 1 is specific particular and detailed it i is told how bow they were wece brought from jerusalem by the founder of I 1 the present reigning dynasty the first of the emperors menelik MenAl lk who was the son or of king solomon of israel and of that biblical il queen of sheba this original manelik is by some thought to co be referred to in the song of ef solomon although as authentic teaches born after the return of his bin mother to her bar own dominion he was brought up at the court of his lather father at Jerusa jerusalem liam he remained there until the first arst destruction and sacking of jerusa jem ism and the pillage of the temple of solomon by Sh ishak king of egypt before the destruction of the temple menelik fled back to abysinia inia he carried with him for safekeeping the treasures of that structure which were threatened with seizure and defilement leme ut it is positively asserted by ab abyssinian tradition that be carried back with him the tab tables lesof of stonette sto stone nethe abe ark of the covenant and the neven brave branched tied candlestick these he deposited tn in the interior of the huge granite pile which constitutes the Apo destal ed estal of the ancient abyssinian temple ample of axum long antedating ante dating the hr era Q and where the rulers of f ethiopia have been crowned from the arl lest times the present cathedral of axum is built on the summit of a species of granite pyramid the remnant of a heat beath lien temple that formerly occupied this site it is within the interior of this pyramid that the vaults are situated which king menelik has now promised to throw open the cathedral of axum is but one of the depo repositories depositories deposit ories of biblical treasures which menelik offers to open up to the modern scientific world for investigation it is believed that he will open up for the first priceless treasures that have for thousands of years yeara been jealously preserved on the holy island of debra sinan located near the center of the great inland sea or lake of zuni in the southern portion of the kingdom ot of shiah this island is reputed sacred not only among the themselves but also throughout the moslem world and it is to this probably that must be attributed the fact that not withstanding the innumerable wars that have raged in abyssinia for at least lease 18 1800 00 years past the sanctity of the island never has been violated by either christian or infidel this land of debra Sin anthe abyssinian rendering of mount sinai is inhabited and guarded entirely by monks as ignorant and fanatic as an are all the abyssinian clergy but who when once they take up their residence on the island are never permitted to leave it a gain again in fact the soil ot of the island had never been trodden by the foot of any layman two years yearn ago when emperor menelik himself attended by a few of his principal ras or generals and escorted by a strongly armed bodyguard crossed the waters of the lake and landed on its shores the bodyguard remaining in the boats ready for emergency according to the dusky monarchs own account the vaults c of f the monastery which is of enormous size and built upon rock are filled with papyri and parchments parch ments and books of every description the books are be lieveld to 0 o have been sent thither at the time of the mohammedan invasion of abyssinia in the sixteenth century but the parch parchments m ments ants are declared to bail from the world famed library ol of alexandria which was dispersed in the seventh century tur by the mohammedan caliph omar the the papyri evidently date from a much earli earlier er era and probably relate to that period when the emperors of ethiopia ruled not only over abyssinia Aby esmia but also over egypt their domination of the latter country being pictured by many a sculpture and painting on the pyramids and temples in the land of the nile it Is more than possible that the opening of the old archives of abys sinia mey may not bring to light all ail the treasures indicated by tradition still enough is known to center interest lo in the be contests of those vaults the author of the second book of the mae mac cate cates a states that be bad loudd to in the records that the prophet jeremiah concealed the tabernacle or large tent that hat served for religious worship during the wanderings ot israel in the wild wilderness wilder ernest neet and also the irk ark and the altar of incense toese sacred relics relice were taken to a mountain cave anu carefully Carf cart fully lully induce I 1 becore it e debt destruction ruction of aatu jerusalem adem by the later b hi wever jeremiah and baruch went to egypt where the history of the prophet to ia lost except for the tradition that he be there suffered buffered death at the hands of his big own people the question tion is ia whether he carried the sacred implements of worship with him to egypt in which case they might have found their way to tn abe edifice of the ethiopian lan king at all vents events the abe record deterred ret rel erred to by the author u abor ot of the book of Maccab eee states state that the prophet jeremiah had bad left a prediction to the effect that the place olace of their concealment should he be unknown until the time that god gd gather his hi people again together aud and receive them unto mercy then shall abe lord show ebow them these things and nd the glory of the lord shall appear arid and the cloud also alev as aa it was wae showed unto moser end and as ae when solomon desired that the place might be honorably sanctified 11 2 mae mac 2 7 8 in view of tnie this ancient tradition tion the coming researches in abyssinia are of toe greatest possible poe aible interest inte reet |