<SPAN name="THE_TOWER_OF_BABEL"></SPAN><h2 class="chaphead">THE TOWER OF BABEL.</h2>
<p>The sons of Noah were named Shem, Ham and Japheth. These sons in turn
became the fathers of children so that the descendants of Noah were very
numerous.</p>
<p>One of these descendants, named Nimrod, was a mighty hunter and a man of
power and authority in the land, and it has even been said that the
people worshiped him as a god.</p>
<p>In those days men liked to build high towers reaching away up toward the
heavens. Perhaps they were afraid of another flood, and perhaps they
simply wished to show what they could do; but however that may be, ruins
of towers can still be seen in various parts of the world, one of the
most noted of which is that of the "Tower of Nimrod." It is forty feet
high and stands on the top of a hill near the River Euphrates in Asia.</p>
<p>In the time of Nimrod, the people said, "Let us build us a city and a
tower, whose top may reach unto Heaven; and let us make us a name, lest
we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth." So they began
to build the tower, and they made it very strong indeed, and kept
raising it higher and higher toward the heavens, thinking, Jewish
tradition, or story, tells us, that they would have a shelter in which
they would be perfectly safe from any flood which might come, or any
fire. There were some of the people also who wished to use the tower as
a temple for the idols which they worshiped. Six hundred thousand men
worked upon this wonderful tower, so the story goes on to say, and they
kept up the work until the tower rose to a height of seventy miles, so
that, toward the last, it took a year to get materials for the work up
to the top where the laborers were employed. Of course this story is
exaggerated, but without doubt the tower rose to a great height and was
a wonderful piece of work.</p>
<p>God was not pleased with what the people were doing, however, because
they thought themselves so great and powerful that they had no need of
Him, and so He put an end to their bold plans.</p>
<p>Up to this time all the people of the world had spoken the same
language; but now, when they were working upon this wonderful tower,
they commenced to talk in different tongues so that they could not
understand each other, and there was great confusion. Owing to this,
they were obliged to give up the building of the tower, and they
separated themselves into groups, or divisions, each division speaking
the same language, and then they spread out over the world, forming the
various nations.</p>
<p>The tower was called the Tower of Babel because of the babel, or
confusion, of tongues which had taken place there, and it was left
unfinished to be a monument of God's power and man's weakness without
Him.</p>
<div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><ANTIMG src="img/051.gif" width-obs="268" height-obs="350" alt="THE TOWER OF BABEL."><br/>
<span class="imgcapt">THE TOWER OF BABEL.
</span></div>
<p>These men were skillful in building, else they never could have gone as
far as they did in their stupendous work, and God was willing that they
should exercise their skill, as He is willing that people shall do now;
but when they thought themselves equal to Him, they learned how weak
they really were in comparison. The story teaches the great lesson of
dependence upon God and submission to His will and His laws.</p>
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