The weekly union record., 1866-01-13
Damascus.

Balbec and Palmyra were founded, and
Balbec and Palmyra had been in ruins
a thousand years when America was
discovered. Even Moses give us no
clue to its origin. 1t was already a
well known city when Abraham dwelt
in the plains OF Mamro. The Patriarch's
steward was 'Elizer of Damascus.
Cotemporaneous with all history, from
the date of Abraham to The present
time, it stands in this year of grace,
1865, fresh and young and vigorous,
bearing fewer marks of extreme age
than Rome, or even Edinburg. With
forty miles and two ranges of noun
tainS between it and the sea with the
desert of Hauran around it; never in
habited by people of great enterprise !;
surrounded by desert tribes Of savage
habits without commerce without
art-for four hundred years it has been
pefsistently prosperous. Twice it has
been swept with the besom of destruc-
ton, only to re-appear with new vigor.
Six different great nationalities have
held it in their power. Five Of them have
gone to decay. and the sixth is fast
going after them; yet it wears today
the beauty of its youth, its white house
tops. and marble minarets and cleaning
creseents glancing out from amid the
grey of the olive, the green of the walnut,
and the purple of the pomegranate.
laughing at the ages gone. as its old
fountains laugh at the wasted streams
of the desert. One of its own writer's
has said -" Though old as history
itself, thou art fresh as the breath Of
the spring, blooming as thine own rose
bud, fragrant as thine own orange
flower.O, Damascus! pearl of the East!"
Shortly after the death of Mohammed
the Saracens took it, and seen made it
the capitol of the Moslem empire.
Eastward and westward the strange
power grew, till Damascus was the seat
of an authority which reached from the
Himalayas to the Atlantic shore. The
sword of Islam ravaged the world, and
brought its trophies hither. The church
of John the Baptist was made the
Great Mosque, and decorated with the
plunder of East and West. Wealth
flowed in at the gates and luxury dwelt
in the palaces and marble halls, and
inlaid fountains and divans sparkling
with gems. Noureddin fostered schools.
There were libraries, too, filled with
the literature of the khalifs. The
crusaders attacked the city, but were
beaten back by Saladin. For four
hundred years the Saracens enjoyed
their i'll gotten wealth ; but the. day of
vengeance came at last. Tamerlane,
whom the Arab writers term Ell
Walsh, "the Wild Beast,n and whose
motto was. earth should have but
one master, as there is but one God in
Heaven" laid seige to the city. 1t
surrendered, and the conqueror, first
receiving redemption money from every
male citizen, afterwards gave up the
city to his troops, urging them to indis-
criminate slaughter. They needed no
urging. Their prisoners were helpless,
and for days these Tartar savages
revelled in deeds of bloodshed and
cruelty. The city soon recovered again,
and in 1916 was taken by the Turks,
who hold it to this day. 1t is now the
head of large Turkish pashalic,
extending from near Aleppo on the
north to Petra on the south, and from
Lebanon on the west to the ruins of
Palmyra on the east, including the vast
plains of the Aauran.