most worshipful grand lodge - Louisiana State University

28 SPECIAL COMMUNICATION OP THE GRAND LODGEof it; did the Lord directly superintend and instruct the workmen,or were they already skilled in boat-building, in caulkingand pitching vessels! Are we to assume it was a special work ofDeity? I put the interrogations—you will answer as your mindsmay suggest.One other example of buildings in stone constructed sincethe flood is noteworthy. They are monuments of a remote age,standing, many of them, to-day in all their freshness as of theyesterdays—out of the beaten track of the general traveler—in aland seldom visited. This particular spot, which has been denominated!i the land of sacred romance," is a small territorylying east of the upper Jordan and the Sea of Galilee. In thescriptures this territory is called "the land of giants." Here awonderful development in masonry appears, administering moreto the needs of man than to his religious sentiments. This spotcontains, perhaps, not more than 3600 square miles.It is the famous land of Bashan, the land of the giants, ofwhom we read, in Numbers, xiii, 33:"And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, whichcome of the giants ; and we were in our sight as grasshoppers,and so we were in their sight."When the Israelites came up out of Egypt, this land wasalready divided into provinces; it had wonderful and numerouswalled cities and villages. Over four thousand years agoBashan was in its glory. Out of its hundreds of walled cities wemay mention Burak, Kenath, Carnaiu, Suweideh (its ancientname has been lost), Keriotli, Selcah, Bozrah, Argob, Edrei. Adescription of one dwelling will suffice for all.Mr. Porter, in his interesting work, entitled "The GiantCities of Bashan," page 26, says : "I could scarcely believe inthe reality of what I saw. * * * * * The house seemed tohave undergone little change from the time its old master hadleft it; yet the thick nitrous crust on the floor showed that it had