in the case of Ham and his
punishment but in the blessing of the Others. Shem was for a long time
signally blessed as is witnessed by the Asiatic supremacy and
especially in the Jews who conquered the Canaanites (descendants of
Ham) and in whose tents God dwelt. During that period of the
ascendancy of the Shemites not much was known of the descendants of
Japheth. But now for more than two thousand years his have been the
dominant race of the earth. Year by year, the Japhethites have spread
over the globe, until whole continents are now peopled by him. He now
rests his foot upon every soil either as a trader, colonist or
national power.

The Tower of Babel. The place of this tower is in the land of Shinat,
which is the name given by the early Hebrews to the land of Babylonia
(Gen. 10:10; 14:19; Is. 11:1; Dan. 1:2; Zech. 5:11). This plain of
Shinar had become the center of the earth's population. They threw up
with infinite toil great mounds, which still stand as monuments of
human achievement. Many such mounds and ruins, any of which would have
seemed lofty in contrast with the level plain of Babylon, may be seen
by the traveler.

The exact location of this tower cannot be determined with certainty,
but it has been thought by some that a great mound on the east of the
Euphrates, which probably represents the remains of the great temple
of Marduk with its huge pyramid-like foundation, was the site of this
tower. On the west of the Euphrates, however, is a vast mound called
Birs Nimrood, which used to be regarded as the ruins of the Tower of
Babel. The fact that it early gave the impression of incompleteness
favors this claim. Nebuchadnezzar says on a tablet that another king
began it but left it unfinished. It fell into disrepair and was
completed by Nebuchadnezzar and was used as one of the great temples.
It was built of brick and was oblong in form. It measured seven
hundred yards around and rose to a height of from one hundred and
fifty to two hundred feet high. It consisted o? seven stages or
stories colored to represent the tints which the Sabeans thought
appropriate to the seven planets. Beginning from the bottom they were
black, orange, bright red, golden, pale yellow, dark blue and silver,
representing respectively the colors of Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, the
Sun, Venus. Mercury, and the Moon. These marks may indicate the
prevalence of idolatry and have led some to think the tower of Babel
was intended to do honor