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Communication Research
Measures III
Building on the measures included in the original 1994 volume and subse-
quent 2009 volume, Communication Research Measures III: A Sourcebook
extends its coverage of measurement issues and trends across the entire com-
munication discipline.
Volume III features entirely new content and offers an assessment of new
measures in mass, interpersonal, instructional, group, organizational,
family, health, and intercultural communication and highlights work in
emergent subdisciplines in communication, including social media and new
communication technologies, sports communication, and public relations.
The “best of the best” from 2009 through today, the profiled research meas-
ures in Volume III serve as models for future scale development and consti-
tute the main tools that researchers can use for self-administered
measurement of people’s attitudes, conceptions of themselves, and percep-
tions of others.
This book is ideal for undergraduate and graduate courses that
emphasize quantitative research methods, measurement, and/or survey
design across communication studies disciplines.
A Sourcebook
Typeset in Sabon
by Swales & Willis, Exeter, Devon, UK
We dedicate Communication Research Measures III: A Sourcebook to
all measurement scholars whose work aided our quest for know-
ledge about measurement and communication. We especially want
to acknowledge Rebecca B. Rubin whose vision of a compendium
of communication measures put this series in motion. She set the
standard, we just followed her lead.
Contents
Part I
MEASUREMENT TRENDS AND ISSUES
Part II
MEASURE PROFILES
Editors
Elizabeth E. Graham (Ph.D., Kent State University, 1987) is Professor and Dir-
ector of the School of Communication Studies at Kent State University.
Beth’s research interests include three foci: (1) family communication pat-
terns; (2) student learning and engagement; and (3) measurement and data
analytic issues and trends in communication research. Her work has
appeared in Communication Monographs, Communication Education,
Communication Quarterly, Western Journal of Communication, Journal of
Family Communication, Communication Reports, Communication Research
Reports and other communication-related journals. She has authored/co-
authored several books and book chapters and co-edited Communication
Research Measures I and II: A Sourcebook.
Joseph P. Mazer (Ph.D., Ohio University, 2010) is Professor and Chair of
the Department of Communication at Clemson University. Joe’s research
interests include communication in teaching and learning contexts, social
media and new technologies, and measurement issues and trends in com-
munication research. He has authored or co-authored over 80 research
articles, book chapters, and books and has been ranked in the top 1%
of prolific scholars in the communication discipline for the past 10 years.
A recent study named him among the top five influential scholars in
instructional communication. He recently completed terms as editor of
the Basic Communication Course Annual and consulting editor for
forums for Communication Education.
Contributors
Nicholas David Bowman (Ph.D., Michigan State University, 2010) is an
Associate Professor in the College of Media and Communication at
Texas Tech University. His work examines the cognitive, emotional,
physical, and social demands of interactive media such as social media
and video games. He has published more than 80 journal articles and
xiv Editors and Contributors
presented more than 160 conference papers for regional, national, and
international associations. He is an editor for the Journal of Media
Psychology and Communication Research Reports and is a regular con-
tributor to a number of news media outlets.
Jeffrey T. Child (Ph.D., North Dakota State University, 2007) is a Professor
in the School of Communication Studies at Kent State University. His
primary research explores privacy regulation, communication technol-
ogy, and interaction. Most recently, his work has focused on how people
manage their privacy and respond to breakdowns in privacy manage-
ment when interacting on social media and the influence of family com-
munication on privacy regulation practices. His research has been
published in journals such as the Journal of Family Communication,
Computers in Human Behavior, Journal of the American Society for
Information Science and Technology, Communication Quarterly, and
Communication Studies, among others.
Stephen M. Croucher (Ph.D., University of Oklahoma, 2006) is Professor
and Head of the School of Communication, Journalism, and Marketing
at Massey University. He is also the Wellington Regional Director of the
Massey Business School. He researches immigrant cultural adaptation,
religion and communication, statistics, and conflict. He has also explored
how religion influences communication behaviors. He has authored more
than 100 journal articles and book chapters, authored/co-edited 10
books, and given keynote addresses in more than 20 nations. He serves
on the editorial boards of more than 10 journals, and served as the
editor of the Journal of Intercultural Communication Research
(2010–2019) and Speaker & Gavel (2010–2015). He is active in the
National Communication Association, International Communication
Association, the World Communication Association, and holds profes-
sorships at the University of Jyväskylä, Universidade Aberta, and the
Universidade de Coimbra.
Bryan E. Denham (Ph.D., University of Tennessee, 1996) has held the
Campbell Endowed Professorship in Sports Communication at Clemson
University since 1999. He is the author of Categorical Statistics for Com-
munication Research (Wiley, 2017) and has published in disciplinary
outlets such as Communication Theory and the Journal of Communica-
tion. He is a Research Fellow in the North American Society for the
Sociology of Sport and serves on the editorial boards of Communication
and Sport, Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, and Mass
Communication & Society.
Nichole Egbert (Ph.D., University of Georgia, 2000) is Professor in the
School of Communication Studies at Kent State University. Her research
centers predominantly on social support in health contexts with
Editors and Contributors xv
Elizabeth E. Graham
Joseph P. Mazer
Acknowledgments
people; if scores change and nothing else has intervened between the
two administrations, the measure is unreliable. Internal consistency tests
a scale’s items to see if they are homogeneous in nature; this is typically
measured via Cronbach’s alpha. With split-half reliability half of
a measure’s items are randomly chosen and correlated with the remain-
ing items; if the reliability coefficient is low, the items are not measuring
the same construct consistently.
Validity occurs when a measure is actually measuring what it is sup-
posed to measure. Three types of validity are identified and include:
content, criterion, and construct validity. Content validity is concerned
with representativeness. Scale items are generated to represent the con-
tent domain of the construct of interest. Face validity, a subset of con-
tent validity, is a starting point for scale development. Face validity
relies on common agreement that on its “face” the measure appears to
be a good translation of the construct. Criterion-related validity
addresses prediction and outcomes and involves assessing a measure
with some external criterion. There are two common forms of criterion-
related validity, predictive and concurrent validity. Predictive validity
involves the future prediction of an outcome (i.e., criterion). Relatedly,
concurrent validity is indicated when the criterion measure is obtained
at the same time, i.e., concurrently, as the initial measurement of inter-
est. Construct validity, the most important and recent addition to meas-
urement practice, links theory to measurement (Kerlinger & Lee, 2000).
Variables are deduced from theory and are tested for expected relation-
ships. If the measures perform in theoretically hypothesized ways, then
this constitutes a degree of construct validity and reflects on the theory,
the measures constructed, and the method employed (Allen & Yen,
1979/2002). Four different forms of construct validity include: conver-
gent validity, discriminant validity, multitrait-multimethod validity, and
factorial validity. Convergent validity addresses the degree to which the-
oretically related measures should be statistically related to each other.
Discriminant validity (sometimes referred to as divergent validity)
examines the degree to which theoretically unrelated measures should
be statistically unrelated. Multitrait-multimethod validity features the
examination of unrelated and different traits measured by different
methods. The resulting correlation matrix reveals relationships between
the variables measured in different ways. Hypothetically, the same trait
should produce high correlations, even though it is measured via differ-
ent methods (i.e., convergent validity). Conversely, correlations between
different and unrelated traits, measured via the same methods, should
be low (i.e., discriminant validity). Measurement bias is suggested if cor-
relations for different traits are higher when the same method is used
than when different methods are employed to measure the same trait
(Allen & Yen, 2002). Factorial validity is a data reduction technique
Introduction xxiii
References
Allen, M. J., & Yen, W. M. (2002). Introduction to measurement theory. Long
Grove, IL: Waveland Press. (Original work published 1979)
Kerlinger, F. N., & Lee, H. B. (2000). Foundations of behavioral research (4th
ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Part I
(Continued )
6 Carolyn K. Shue and Glen H. Stamp
study findings. Wigley (2011) discussed the use, and at times misuse, of
Cronbach’s alpha as a measure of reliability as well as Likert scale use
in communication trait research (Wigley, 2013). Wigley (2011, 2013)
framed his discussions in terms of myths providing arguments for both
dispelling the myths and adopting analysis practices that strengthen
empirical findings.
Measurement Considerations
It is in the footsteps of this work that we offer observations about scale
development in the interpersonal communication domain, organized
around the following questions: What are we intending to measure?
How are we creating our measurement tools? And how do we ensure
our measurement tools remain relevant and useful amid a changing rela-
tional landscape? To answer these questions, we examine three areas
related to the scales we reviewed: conceptual definitions, theoretical
issues, and operational definitions; scale development and validation;
and relevancy and utility.
As Graham and Titsworth further point out, the preference in social sci-
ence research is typically to use low-inference measures, but self-report
data often limits the researcher to more subjective considerations. While
the topic of inference was not overtly discussed by the majority of the
research reviewed here, an examination of the scales indicated both
low-inference and high-inference items.
The use of different levels of inference may be due, in some cases, to the
type of construct being measured. For example, the unidimensional con-
struct of blurting, measured with the Blurting Scale (Hample et al., 2013)
is defined as “speech that is spontaneous, unedited, and negative in its con-
sequences” (p. 503). Since blurting, by its very nature, entails a vast array
of possible verbalizations, the items on the scale (e.g., “When I interact
with another person, I just say what’s on my mind”), specifically reflect the
descriptors in the definition and are low inference as a result.
Scales with multiple factors may also impact the inference of the
items. For example, in the Active-Empathic Listening Scale (Bodie,
2011), the three factors are sensing, processing, and responding. The
items for sensing (e.g., “I understand how others feel”) and processing
(e.g., “I assure others that I will remember what they say”) are high-
inference due to sensing and processing being more abstract internal
processes. In contrast, responding (“I show others that I am listening by
my body language” [e.g., head nods]) has more concrete behavioral
indicators, resulting in low-inference items.
Two of the articles specifically discuss issues related to inference.
Richmond et al. (2003) review previous immediacy scales regarding
their high-inference nature being problematic in terms of lack of valid-
ity. As a result, the items of their Nonverbal Immediacy Scale are specif-
ically low-inference (e.g., “I touch others on the shoulder or arm while
talking to them”). Similarly, one of Ledbetter’s (2013) specific goals in
developing the Relational Maintenance Communication Scale was to
improve on previous maintenance scales that are “high inference in
nature, requiring significant interpretation to determine whether
a particular communication behavior indicates openness, positivity, sup-
portiveness, and so forth” (p. 290). As a result, the scale contains low-
inference items such as “We go out on dates” and “We say ‘I love you’
to each other.”
Measurement in Interpersonal Communication 13
using the scale. Wright and Miller (2010) used college students as parti-
cipants managing stressors of general living and compared them to par-
ticipants in online health support groups managing health concerns.
These two different samples were then used to determine discriminant
validity of the Weak-Tie/Strong-Tie Scale. Wright and Miller predicted,
and partially supported the hypotheses that individuals managing differ-
ent types of stressors prefer support from different types of relation-
ships – weak-tie versus strong-tie.
To develop the scales, typically, researchers generated items from the
literature (e.g., Verbal Rumination [VR] measure: Henson, 2009), used
items from previous scales (e.g., Dogmatism Scale: Shearman & Levine,
2006), adapted scales used in other contexts for use in interpersonal
research (e.g., Active-Empathic Listening Scale: Bodie, 2011), and cre-
ated items based on participants’ experiences (e.g., Blurting Scale:
Hample et al., 2013). Some utilized experts or participants to establish
face validity as a preliminary component of the validation study (e.g.,
Narrative Believability Scale: Yale, 2013). Some researchers did use
exploratory factor analysis to reduce the number of items and identify
factors as a first step in the scale development process (e.g., Communi-
cation Anxiety Regulation Scale: White et al., 2015); however, in subse-
quent studies, data from new samples was subjected to confirmatory
factor analysis (CFA) to demonstrate factor stability. This process
reflects the standards advocated for by Levine (2005).
The majority of researchers designed studies to establish construct
validity, offering claims about the relationships between the construct
measured in the new scale (e.g., self-censorship – Hayes, Uldall, and
Glynn [2010]: Willingness to Self-Censor Scale) and other constructs
(e.g., dispositional shyness). While not as prevalent, researchers have
focused on criterion-related validity as well. For example, Stafford
(2010) demonstrated that the Relational Maintenance Behavior Meas-
ure predicted relationship satisfaction, commitment, liking, and love for
both husbands and wives.
When demonstrating the validity of scales, it is important for
researchers to clearly state the type of validity the study intends to
establish and articulate how the study results align with the validity
type. For example, confusion occurs when researchers state predictive
validity which involves scores to predict future behavior when in actual-
ity the researchers are testing theoretically derived relationships among
the measure and other constructs or construct validity. Readers must
pay attention to the study design and findings when evaluating validity
type and claims.
While cross-sectional survey design studies, often using online survey
tools, still dominate the interpersonal communication scale development lit-
erature, some researchers employ hypothetical cases and full-experiments
Measurement in Interpersonal Communication 15
(Hayes, Glynn, & Shanahan, 2005; Hayes et al., 2010) to evaluate the util-
ity of their measure. Hayes et al. (2005) used hypothetical scenarios to
manipulate the opinion climate environment when testing their Willingness
to Self-Censor Scale. In the 2010 validation study of the scale, Hayes et al.
experimentally manipulated the opinion climate of a conversation using
two research confederates. The findings revealed that those low in will-
ingness to self-censor were not affected by the opinion climate, while
high self-censors were affected by the opinion climate. Use of quasi- and
full-experiment designs can increase researchers’ confidence in the meas-
ure while also answering important empirical questions. Continually
revisiting the issue of scale validity, as demonstrated in Hayes and col-
leagues’ 2005 hypothetical scenario study and the 2010 full-experiment
study, illustrates that validity should not be a “one study and done” elem-
ent of scale design. To maintain a scale’s relevance and utility, evaluation,
testing, and reflection should be an ongoing endeavor.
the original Romantic Jealousy Scale, the item “look through my partner’s
belongings for evidence of a rival relationship” has been updated to be
“look through my partner’s belongings/computer for evidence” in the
revised Communication Responses to Remantic Jealousy Scale. This revi-
sion reflects the evolving ways we engage in relationship surveillance in the
technological age. Another item “repeatedly called my partner” is quickly
losing relevancy among a generation that prefers texting and often fears
calling on the phone. This item is likely to be revised in future versions of
the scale or when individual researchers take it upon themselves to modify
items. Careful reflection on, and revision of, outdated items or awkward
word choices is necessary to maintain the validity of a measure.
Finally, successful instruments are ones that are used in multiple stud-
ies with different samples at different points in time. The consistent
results of multiple studies demonstrate stability in the scale structure as
well as reliability. Many of the published scales we found when generat-
ing our initial list of scales to review were only used once in the initial
validation study. This trend does not even account for scales developed
and presented in conference papers that do not result in a published art-
icle. Researchers are expending considerable effort to conceptualize,
operationalize, construct, and test measures that ultimately do not make
sustained contributions to a line of research. Successful instruments are
championed by the developer(s) (e.g., Bodie, 2011; Hayes and col-
leagues, 2005; Stafford, 2010). Those contemplating designing a scale
should conceptualize scale development as the beginning of a line of
research rather than the end product of a single research project.
References
Bodie, G. D. (2011). The active-empathic listening scale (AELS): Conceptualiza-
tion and evidence of validity within the interpersonal domain. Communication
Quarterly, 59, 277–295. doi:10.1080/01463373.2011.583495
Burleson, B. R. (2010). Explaining recipient responses to supportive messages:
Development and tests of a dual-process theory. In S. W. Smith &
S. R. Wilson (Eds.), New directions in interpersonal communication research
(pp. 159–179). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
Canary, D. J., & Stafford, L. (1992). Relational maintenance strategies and
equity in marriage. Communication Monographs, 59, 243–267. doi:10.1080/
03637759209376268
Carpenter, S. (2018). Ten steps in scale development and reporting: A guide for
researchers. Communication Methods & Measures, 12, 25–44. doi:10.1080/
19312458.2017.1396583
Cionea, I. A., Hoelscher, C. S., & Iles, I. A. (2017). Arguing goals: An initial
assessment of a new measurement ͉instrument. Communication Reports, 30,
51–65. doi:10.1080/08934215.2016.1184695
Craig, R. T. (1999). Communication theory as a field. Communication Theory, 9,
119–161. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2885.1999.tb00355.x
DeVellis, R. F. (2017). Scale development: Theory and applications (4th ed.).
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Graham, E. E., & Titsworth, S. (2009). Measurement in interpersonal communi-
cation. In E. B. Rubin, A. M. Rubin, E. E. Graham, E. M. Perse, &
D. R. Seibold (Eds.), Communication research measures II: A sourcebook (pp.
76–93). New York, NY: Routledge.
Guerrero, L. K., Hannawa, A. F., & Babin, E. A. (2011). The communicative
responses to jealousy scale: Revision, empirical validation, and associations with
relational satisfaction. Communication Methods & Measures, 5, 223–249.
doi:10.1080/19312458.2011.596993
Hample, D. (2003). Arguing skill. In J. O. Greene & B. R. Burleson (Eds.), Hand-
book of communication and social interaction skills (pp. 439–478). Mahwah,
NJ: Erlbaum.
Hample, D., Richards, A. S., & Skubisz, C. (2013). Blurting. Communication
Monographs, 80, 503–532. doi:10.1080/03637751.2013.830316
Hannawa, A. F., & Spitzberg, B. H. (2011). A cross-validation of the relational
entitlement and proprietariness scale. Communication Methods & Measures,
5, 1–27. doi:10.1080/19312458.2010.527871
Hannawa, A. F., Spitzberg, B. H., Wiering, L., & Teranishi, C. (2006). “If I can’t
have you, no one can”: Development of a Relational Entitlement and Proprie-
tariness Scale (REPS). Violence and Victims, 21, 539–560.
18 Carolyn K. Shue and Glen H. Stamp
“Sheba,” said the peewit, “is the name of the king who founded the
kingdom; it is also the name of the capital. Sheba was a worshipper
of the sun, Eblis having drawn him from the true God, who sends
rain from heaven, and covers the earth with plenty, and who reads
the thoughts of men’s hearts.
“A succession of kings followed Sheba: the last of the dynasty was
Scharabel, a tyrant of such dissolute habits that every husband and
father feared him. He had a vizir of such singular beauty that the
daughters of the Jinns took pleasure in contemplating him, and
frequently transformed themselves into gazelles that they might trot
alongside of him as he walked, and gaze with admiration on his
exquisite beauty. One of these Jinn damsels, Umeira by name,
conceived for the vizir a violent passion, and forgetting the great
distance which separates the race of the Jinns from that of mortals,
she appeared to him one day as he was hunting, and offered him her
hand, on condition that he should fly with her into her own land, and
that he should never ask her origin. The vizir, dazzled by the
marvellous beauty of Umeira, gladly yielded, and she transported
him to an island in the midst of the ocean, where she married him. At
the end of nine months she gave birth to a daughter, whom she
named Balkis. The vizir, all this while, was ignorant of the nature of
his bride, and one day forgot himself so far as to ask her to what
race she belonged. No sooner had he asked the fatal question, than,
with a wail of sorrow, she vanished for ever from his sight.
“The vizir now left the island, and, regaining his native country,
retired with his babe to a valley far from the capital, and there lived in
seclusion.
“As Balkis grew up, her beauty became more striking, and was of
such a superhuman nature, that her father became uneasy lest the
fame of it should reach the dissolute monster then seated on the
throne of Sheba, and lest his daughter should be ravished from his
arms. He therefore redoubled his precautions to guard Balkis,
keeping her much at home, and only allowing her to appear veiled in
public. But these precautions were vain. Scharabel was in the habit
of travelling about his empire in disguise, and making himself, by this
means, personally acquainted with the condition of his estates.
“On one of these expeditions he appeared, dressed in rags, as a
mendicant, at the door of the ex-vizir, and obtained a glimpse of
Balkis, then thirteen years old, lovely as a houri; she stepped out to
give the beggar alms. At the same moment, the father hurried out
towards his daughter. The eyes of the two men met; a mutual
recognition ensued. The vizir fell at the feet of his king, and
entreated pardon, telling him all that had happened; and Scharabel,
who had fallen in love at first glance with Balkis, readily pardoned
him, restored him to his place as grand vizir, and lodged him in a
magnificent palace near Sheba.
“Installed there, the vizir was full of disquiet. His daughter observing
this, inquired the cause, and received from her father the answer that
he dreaded lest the tyrant should carry her off to his harem; ‘and,’
said the unhappy man, ‘I had rather see thee dead, Balkis, than in
the power of this licentious monster.’
“‘Do not fear for me, my father,’ replied Balkis; ‘what thou dreadest
shall not take place. Appear cheerful before the king. If he wishes to
marry me, then ask him to give me a splendid wedding.’
“A few days after, Scharabel sent to ask the hand of Balkis. The
virgin replied that it should be his if he would solemnize the marriage
with great pomp. To this the king agreed, and a magnificent banquet
was prepared.
“After dinner, the vizir and all the company retired, leaving Balkis
alone with the king. There were, however, four female slaves
present, one singing, another harping, a third dancing, and a fourth
pouring out wine for the king. Balkis took the goblet, and plied her
royal bridegroom well, till he fell drunk upon the floor, and then, with
a dagger, she stabbed him to the heart.
“She at once communicated with her father, and bade him send
orders throughout the town that all the citizens were to bring their
daughters before the king, that he might add the comely ones to his
already extensive list of wives and concubines. He obeyed her, and
the commotion in the town was prodigious. Parents gathered their
friends, those who were officers in the army agitated amongst their
soldiers, and the whole town rose up in revolt, and rushed furiously
to the palace, determined on the death of the tyrant.
“Then Balkis cut off the head of the king, and showed it to the
excited multitude from a window. A cry of joy rang through Sheba.
The palace gates were thrown open, and Balkis was unanimously
elected queen in the room of the murdered tyrant.
“From that hour she has governed Sheba with prudence, and has
made the country prosperous. She sits to hear suits, and gives
judgment on a throne of gold, robed in splendour. All prospers under
her wise administration: but, alas! like her predecessors, she too is a
worshipper of the sun.”
When Solomon heard the story of the peewit, he wrote a letter and
sealed it with his ring, gave it to the bird, and bade him carry it
immediately to the Queen of Sheba.
The peewit flew like an arrow, and on the morrow appeared before
Balkis, and gave her the missive. The queen broke the seal and
read: “Solomon, son of David, and servant of the Most High God, to
Balkis, queen of Sheba, sendeth greeting. In the name of the
merciful and gracious God, peace be to those who walk in His ways.
Do what I bid thee: submit immediately to my sceptre.”[670]
The queen, startled at the abrupt and peremptory command, read
the letter to her council, and asked their advice.
They urged her to follow her own devices, and promised to agree to
whatever she thought fit. She then said: “You know what disasters
follow on war. The letter of Solomon is threatening; I will send him a
messenger, and propitiate him with gifts. If he accepts them, he is
not above other kings; if he rejects them, he is a prophet, and we
must yield to his sway.”
She then dressed five hundred boys as girls, and five hundred girls
she equipped in boys’ clothes. She collected, for presents, a
thousand carpets of gold and silver tissue, a crown adorned with
pearls and diamonds, and a great quantity of perfumes.
She also placed a pearl, a diamond cut through in zigzags, and a
crystal goblet, in a box, and gave it to her chief ambassador.
Finally, she wrote a letter to Solomon, telling him that, if he was a
prophet, he would be able to distinguish boys from girls in the train of
the ambassadors, that he would be able to guess the contents of the
box, pierce the pearl, thread the diamond, and fill the goblet with
water which came neither from earth nor heaven. The chief nobles of
Sheba were sent to bear the letter. Before they left, she said to them:
“If Solomon receives you with arrogance, fear nothing; pride is a sure
token of weakness. If he receives you graciously, be careful—he is a
prophet.” The peewit, who had watched all these proceedings, and
listened to the message and advice, now flew to Solomon and told
him all.
The great king immediately ordered his Jinns to spread his carpet
seven leagues long, leading from his throne towards Sheba. He then
surrounded himself with gold and gems, and gathered all his
courtiers and officers together, and prepared for the audience.
When the ambassadors of Sheba set their feet on the carpet—the
end of which was beyond the range of vision—they were full of
astonishment. This astonishment increased, and became terror,
when they passed between ranks of demons, and Jinns, and nobles,
and princes, and soldiers, extending for many miles.
When the leaders of the embassy reached the foot of the throne,
Solomon received them with a gracious smile. Then they presented
the letter of the queen. Solomon, without opening it, told them its
contents, for it had been read by the peewit. They offered the box,
and he said that in it were a pearl, a diamond, and a goblet. He next
ordered his servants to bring silver ewers before the train of the
ambassadors, that they might wash their hands after their journey.
Solomon watched intently, and he picked out the boys from the girls
at once; for the boys dipped their hands only in the water, whilst the
girls tucked up their sleeves to their shoulders and washed arms as
well as hands.
Then the box was opened and the pearl produced. Solomon
unclasped his pouch and drew forth Schamir, applied it to the pearl,
and a hole was drilled through it immediately. Next he took the
diamond. The hole pierced in it wound about, and a thread inserted
in one end would not pass through to the other end. Solomon took a
piece of silk, called to him a worm, put one end of the thread in its
mouth and inserted it in the diamond. The worm crawled down the
winding passage, and appeared at the other opening with the silk. In
gratitude to the little creature, Solomon gave it for its food for ever
the mulberry-tree. Then he took the crystal goblet. He summoned to
him a huge negro slave, bade him mount a wild horse and gallop it
about the plain till it streamed with sweat. Then, with ease, the
monarch filled the chalice with water that came neither from earth
nor heaven.
Solomon, having accomplished these tasks, said to the
ambassadors: “Take back your presents, I do not want them. Tell the
queen what you have seen, and bid her submit to my rule.”
When Balkis had heard the report of her servants, she saw that it
was in vain for her to resist.
“Solomon,” said she, “is a great prophet, and I must myself do him
homage.”
She accordingly hasted to prepare for her journey, and marched to
King Solomon at the head of her twelve thousand generals, and all
the armies they commanded. When she was a league from
Solomon, the king hit upon a scheme. He called to him a demon,
and bade him transport immediately from Sheba the throne of the
queen and set it beside his own. The Jinn replied that he would bring
it before noon, but the king could not wait, for the queen would soon
be there; then Asaph, his vizir, said, “Raise thine eyes, sire, to
heaven, and before thou canst lower them the throne of Balkis will
be here.”
Asaph knew the ineffable name of God, and therefore was able to do
what he said.
Solomon looked up, and before he looked down Asaph had brought
the throne.
As soon as Balkis appeared, Solomon asked her if she recognized
the seat. She replied, “It is mine, if it is that which it was.” A reply
which, we are told, charmed Solomon.
Now the Jinns were envious of Balkis, and they sought to turn away
the heart of Solomon from her; so they told him that she had hairy
legs.[671]
Solomon, accordingly, was particularly curious to inspect her legs.
He therefore directed the Jinns to lay down in front of the throne a
pavement of crystal one hundred cubits square. Upon this pavement
he ordered them to pour water, so that it might appear to be water.
In order to approach Solomon, Queen Balkis raised her petticoats,
lest they should be wet in passing through what she supposed to be
water of considerable depth. The first step, however, convinced her
that the bottom was nearer the surface than she anticipated, and so
she dropped her petticoats, but not before the great king had seen
that the Jinns had maligned her, and that the only blemish to her legs
was three goat’s hairs; and these he was enabled to remove by a
composition of arsenic and lime, which was the first depilatory
preparation ever employed. This was one of the five arts introduced
by Solomon into the world. The others were, the art of taking warm
baths, the art of piercing pearls, the art of diving, and the art of
melting copper.
The queen stepped gracefully towards the king, and bowing, offered
him two wreaths of flowers, whereof one was natural, the other
artificial, asking him which he preferred. The sagacious Solomon
seemed perplexed; he who had written treatises on the herbs, “from
the cedar to the hyssop,” was nearly outwitted. A swarm of bees was
fluttering outside a window. Solomon ordered the window to be
opened, and the insects flew in, and settled immediately on the
wreath of natural flowers, not one approaching the artificial wreath.
“I will have the wreath the bees have chosen,” said the king,
triumphantly.
Solomon took Balkis to be his wife, and she worshipped the true
God. She gave him all her realm, but he returned it to her; and when
she went into her own land, she bore with her the fruit of her union
with Solomon, and in the course of time bore a son, who is the
ancestor of the kings of Abyssinia.[672]
6. SOLOMON’S ADVENTURE WITH THE APES.
The throne of Solomon had four feet. It was of red ruby, and of the
ruby were made four lions. None but Solomon could sit upon the
throne. When Nebuchadnezzar came to Jerusalem and sought to
ascend the throne, the lions rose and struck at him, and broke his
legs. He was given remedies, and his legs were reset. No one after
that ventured to sit on the throne.[674]
Djarada was the daughter of King Nubara, of an island in the Indian
Sea, according to the Arabs; of King Pharaoh of Egypt, say the
Jews.
Solomon marched against the king, on his carpet, with as many
soldiers as it would accommodate; defeated him, and slew him with
his own hand. In the palace of King Nubara Solomon found the
Princess Djarada, who was more beautiful than all the ladies in
Solomon’s harem, surpassing even the beautiful Balkis.
Solomon made her mount the carpet, and he forced her, by threats
of death, to share his faith and his couch. But Djarada saw in
Solomon only the murderer of her father, and she recoiled from his
embrace with loathing, and spent her nights and days in tears and
sighs. Solomon hoped that time would heal these wounds and
reconcile her to her fate; but as, after the expiration of a year, her
sorrow showed no signs of abating, he asked her what he could do
which might give her comfort. She replied that at home was a statue
of her father, and that she desired greatly to have it in her chamber
as a reminder of him whom she had lost. Solomon, moved with
compassion, sent a Jinn for the statue, and it was set up in the
apartment of Djarada. Djarada immediately prostrated herself before
it, and offered incense and worship to the image; and this continued
for forty days.
Then Asaph heard of it, and he ascended the pulpit in the temple
and preached before the king and all the people. He declared how
holy and pure had been the ancient prophets from Adam to David,
how they had been preserved clean from all idolatry. Then he turned
to Solomon, and praised his wisdom and piety during the first years
of his reign; but he regretted that his latter conduct had not been as
full of integrity as at first.
When Solomon heard this, he called Asaph to him, and asked him
wherefore he had rebuked him thus before all the people. Asaph
answered, “Thou hast suffered thy passions to blind thee, so that
idolatry is practised in thy palace.”
Solomon hastened to the room of Djarada, and found her in prayer
before the image of her departed father. Then he cried out, “We are
the servants of God, and to Him shall we return.” Then he broke the
image and punished Djarada.
After that he put on him garments which had been woven and sewn
by virgins, strewed ashes on his head, and went into the wilderness
to bewail his sin. God forgave him, after that he had fasted and wept
for forty days.[675]
Another sin that Solomon committed was this. He was very fond of
horses. One day, when the hour of prayer approached, the horses of
Saul were brought before him; and when nine hundred had passed,
Solomon looked up and saw that the hour of prayer was passed, and
he had forgotten to give glory to God. Then said Solomon, “I have
cared for the things of this world, instead of thinking of my Lord;” and
he said, “Bring back the horses;” and when they were brought back,
he cut their throats.[676]
Some commentators on the Koran object that this was an act of
injustice, for Solomon had sinned, not the horses; and they explain
away the passage by saying that he dedicated the horses to God,
and that he did not kill them.[677]
8. HOW SOLOMON LOST AND RECOVERED HIS
RING.
When the prophet Elijah appeared, idolatry was general. God sent
him to Balbek (Heliopolis), to persuade the inhabitants to renounce
the worship of Baal, from whom the city took its name. Some say
that Baal was the name of a woman, beautiful of countenance. The
Israelites also adored Baal; Elijah preached against idolatry; and
Ahab at first believed in him, and rejected Baal, but after a while
relapsed. Then Elijah prayed, and God sent a famine on the land for
three years, and many men died. None had bread save Elijah, and
when any smelt the odour of bread, they said, “Elijah hath passed
this way!”
One day Elijah came to the house of an old woman who had a son
named Elisha. Both complained of hunger. Elijah gave them bread. It
is said, likewise, that Elisha was paralytic, and that at the prayer of
Elijah he was healed.
When the famine had lasted three years, Elijah went, accompanied
by Elisha, before King Ahab, and he said:—“For three years you
have been without bread; let your god Baal, if he can, satisfy your
hunger. If he cannot, I will pray to Jehovah, and He will deliver you
out of your distress, if you will consent to worship Him.”
Ahab consented. Then Elijah ordered the idol of Baal to be taken out
of the city, and the worshippers of Baal invoked the god, but their
prayers remained unanswered. Then Elijah prayed, and immediately
rain fell, and the earth brought forth green herb and corn.
Nevertheless, shortly after, the people returned to idolatry, and Elijah
was weary of his life; he consecrated Elisha to succeed him, and he