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AD the fountain of speech dried up, or why did silence prevail in the High Council of Babylon?

There they were, seated in a circle, all the wise fathers of the great city; all were absorbed in deep meditation, fixing their glances upon the ground as if expecting that help and advice would grow up, like herbs and flowers.

What had brought the High Council of Babylon into such a state of helplessness and confusion? It was a small slip of parchment upon which were written these words: "Abdul Kader asks Babylon to show him hospitality."

Abdul Kader—the light of the Orient, the wisest among wise men—whose speech was vivifying as balsam, refreshing as rain. He asked Babylon to open its gates for him—Babylon, the city of