The mountain sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1844-1853, 1850-09-19
Correspondence Of the Philadelphia LedgeI
Letter from Jerusalem.
Jerusalem Nav 10. 1850
FROM JAMES b. EvERHARr, ESQ.


Glad as bird left the prison walls
of the Lazaretto and GAIA. the ancient
city of SIMPSONS heroic feats, whose
gates he carried to the mountains, and
where he bowed between the pillars
crushing the Philistine lords and ladies'
in his last revenge; and then near Askelon,
whose ruins strew the shore, and by the
sites of other places that have left no
wrecks behind; by Ashdod, where "Da~
gon fell fiat and shamed his worshipers,"
and Gath, the city Of Goliah and Enron,
'now rooted up" whose sinitten people
sent away the ark of God, when the un,
driven kiEe went lowing along the high
way 10 Beshemesh, rejoicing the hearts
of the reapers IN the valley. Our way
had thus passed two days over plain so
level, SO wide and cheerful, that we slack
ed our pace TO feast upon the scene. Il
was the season of flowers and the time of
singing birds and the voice of the turtle
aud the carol of the lark were filing with
sweet music this voluptuous vale of Sha-
ron. The day seemed like an hour. and
the road like a garden path--old olives
here and there white with vcrnal bloom,
and crimson blossoms shone like leaves
Of fire amidst the luxuriant branches Of
the pomegranate trees; and there were
pInks, bright as stars upon the ground,
roses worthy the strains Of the sacred bard +,
and lilies such as the delighted eye of
Christ remembered when ne utcrc the
parable of Providence.
We went on through field of grain and
tracts of land, which men were plough
ing for Indian corn, with an instrument
like bended stick, drawn by heIferS,
such as perhaps the earliest fathers Of
mankind employed, and we reached Ram
la, beautiful among the palms, the Ari-
mathea of Joseph, who buried Jesus;
thence through a gap and along scques>
tered valley, up declivity. by the VII
lage of the repentant thief, frowning like
a fortress, and oa a road, if can be called
a road, which is the DIR y bed of a winter
torrent, filled with stones Of every size
and figure, wildly hurled together, like
broken walls or fallen rocks, deep and
slippery, winding and narrow, up and
down, no turf, desolate and hot, every
step difficult, and every turn perilous,
the horse plungIng, crawling, sometimes
on the mountain top, sometimes in noun
tain gorge-here village; then va.e of
Jeremiah; by a Roman ruin and over
which he smote the giant, and up another
rugged ascent, and soon, with its embat-
tied walls, be held the sacred city.
How solitary she seemed to sit upon
the desolate mountain .'shorn of her
charms" Her environs burned up like
u wilderness. The neighboring heights
no longer crowned with groves, nor the
declIvIties gay with gardens; the fruitful
the pleasant trees, the green
pastures, and the still waters have disap-
peared. The soil that was rich in grain
and flowers, that flowed with milk and
honey, that was the pride Of Jew and
praise OF Gentle, has given place to ma
ked rocks, and sterility almost univer-
sal reigns around. \ few olives still give
their name 70 that memorable hin where
the saviour wept over the unrapenting
city, and that spot called GethSemane sa-
cred to his agony and sorrow, when he
prayed for the hour and the cup to pass.
Some little culture is Or Zion where David
had his palace, where is now his tomb
and IN that valley of the son of Himon,
the scene of infamous worship paid to
Moloch. On the Mount of Scandal stands
a strange tree, almost alone, which tradi-
tion calls the gallows oTJudas, the betray-
er.
Some delicious verdure and cheerful
pomegranateS flourish at the base Of
Ophel, watered by best Silva's brook;
nothing grows upon the field of blood, i.
IS as barren as the highway; no stream
flows in summer along the channel of
hedron; and that pool is dry where the
tempting beauty of Bathsheba bathing
provoked the guilt of the enamored King
Within the town the streets, though
paved, are as difficult to travel as the road
outside, lined with low, mean houses;
now and then a heap of filth, perhaps
carcass unburied, half rotten aud ALI
eaten; here a horde of hedious dogs,
there knot of savege Arabs, crowds of
ragged pilgrims, some beggary looking
citizens, some fororn Jews in greasy
robes and WIDE rimmed hats. some funk
ish soldiers with pipes and swords. some
women hermeucally yelled, without even
visible eyes. Amidst such objects, and
a sight unexpected as unpleasant, one
unconsciously uses the prophetic word
can this be the city whose comelneSs
was proverb; that men called the per-
fection'.of beauty and the JOY ofthe earthi
was It here that God thought fit TO put