The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1868-05-29

IrrrEK rRox PALEsrISE.

ssssAsS ResHtsss.
-
IErrER YRox PALESrINE.
Inv. u. D. Snm-li
PAlussxr. Feb. d, issa
Starting from Jericho. We have ueI'gnual
ia An ~ early morning. over the plain 10 the
.;ss, Jor,isn. Although but little past mid
H;nss,' lie Air Il tropical. We are In . furnace
tine ode Of mari. the door Of sand. which
burns n noon like hot ashes. his chasm s1-
tsnd, from the head waters oil the jordan near
~ % the northeastern arm OF the Red Sea.
~ Dsad Sea Is q pool at the lowest depth OF
ths rim the surface Of the water being about
,soo fast lover than the Mediterranean. which
sonndines give an additional 1900 fset. making
shs ch,sm 2f0O feet lower than the surface OF
,hs Mediterranean. The Dead Sea receives the
Jorisn from the north, the kedrou rom the
west, and several small streams iron tne east
tricklng down from the mountains VI Moao,
and several others from the cssn
Iookine mn 10 the walls of the chssm We Zee
vhs, .eems 10 have been an ancient shore line.
or rsther a line which has the APPEARANCE Of
Ss.;nc hsen broken off, a. u the plain had
Amen 10 mi, lower level During the primeval
wears. long before man appeared, the bottom
Sell in Terrible the convulsion must have been
which made I'll, more q, s man three hSndred
tventy.siI hundred feet deeper than the tide
water Of the ocean
riIE PLAIN OF TIE JORDAN.
The plain is dreary enough DOW, though In
the time Of Abraham and when Jesus Vas on
earth IL supported IN immense population.
There are thickets Of tangled thorn, aores Of
v;M sage and 10 ~ shrubs. Here and there the
Arabs have turned the water from the noun
tain brooks from its course and cultivated small
patches which produce luxurisntly. Jericho
was the City Of Palms. but the last tutted trunk
disappeared long ago, and nov the plain Is al
most . treeless eIpanse. In summer the Say Is
Yainless, and every green thing, unless its roots
reach down to moisture beneath the surface, h
scorched and crisped In the fearful furnace
heat A dam thrown across the Jordan, up
stream, and sideways carried along is banks,
or such a system Of irrigation rs practiced in
Egypt, would transform this desert waste To q
garden but nothing hourishes under the De-
douin. and there is hope for this land till the
Sultan has taken his departure rou Stamboul.
aILGAL
We have been taking this general view while
riding toward the miserable village of Riha,
the Gilgal VI the Old Testament, where the chill
dren VI Israel encamped after crossing the Jor-
dan, and where the twelve stones taken from
rial. Also the tabernacle and ark. where they
remained seven years. when they we're removed
to Shiloh. This place, during those years while
Joshua Was subluing the land, was his head
quarters. From hence he marched out to Jer-
icho. All your readers know tho stsry-hov
the walls Of the city went down, how Que Of
Joshua's soldiers could not keep his hands of
the rich spoil. but took gown. or some gar
ment Of that sort manufactured at Babylon.
and Nvvn Anps ~ III. hal kao
oil the days OF his life and there wss an oppor-
tunity Of becoming suddenly rich.
We know how Joshua sent three thousand
men, small brigade, up the ravine northwest
to Al, near Bethel IL Was about II miles from
camp. We have the account Of their defeat.
Of the lamentstion In camp when the fugitives
returned With the story OF their disaster-hov
the man Who appropriated the ,plunder at Jsri-
cho VS. stoned. We had . look into the valley
where he suffered death on our way hither nom
Jerusalem.
A few days aher that affair party Of trsv-
elers came into camp, deputatiou from . far
country. We may think Of them Is coming
down the road over which We came. or more
probably nom one northwest of Us A they
ride up to General Joshna's headquarters they
present sorry appearance. Their clothes are
torn. their shoes out at the toes, Gown ut the
heel. their feet bound with rags the bread In
their saddle bags 10 mouldy their gostskin
wine bottles bound upon the backs Of their
donkeys are musty, worn and torn. Joshua,
or whoever wrote the history Of his campaigns.
has given 10 . minute account OF their appear
northward from Jerusalem We will take look
at the "far country" from which these fellows
came. II 70 only seven or eight miles from that
city.
Passing over $50 years. We see the prophet
Samuel here holding court Somewhere IN the
vicinity Of this crumbling tower he sat a. Judge
and settled important questions relating to the
government Of the people. His circuit en-
braced Mispsh. Bsihsl and ailgAl :,
Saul, the young King Of Israel, who has been
but few months upon the throne. and who has
won Q great victory over the Ammonitcs on the
other side Of tho Jordan. II Is . joyful day.
The people arc here from oil the country round
TO manifest their loyalty.
Two years later saul has his headquarters
here. He has been obliged to dee from his own
home 1t G,beah, eight or nine miles north Of
Jerusalem, for the Philistines have declared Val
and invaded the land. The children Of Israel
Arc fleeing down to the Jordan. streaming over
the plain toward the fords to escape the invad.
ers. Without waiting for the prophet samuel
% come, Saul takes upon himself the ofics o.
priest and offers sacrifice. Far better u would
have been for him II he had not been quite %
altar the prophet comes into camp. some
where not far from this tower and this filthy
collection OF Arab huts Vas q remarkable inter
view between the prophet and the King.
They had Q second meeting here In the year
1919, when Saul came back nom his great
Southern expedition agaist the Amalekites, with
King Agag prisoner and an immense amount
Of plumber. Il vas here that Ssauel, In right
eous indignation and a. Q minister of justice,
hewed In pieces that savage murderer of the
South who hsd made many mother childless.
Nfty-six years later, In 1903, David came
across this plain. along the path where we have
had our morning gallon, fleeing from Ahsalon,,
We So him barefoot, weary, weeping, bowling
his head, with multitude Of people from Je.
rusalem accompanying him. They cross the
Jor,.sn 10 MAhsnsmin. Absslom With his ar
my came along the same path in pursuit. The
usurper 10 tall, eomsly, has long. flowing hair,
Is popular With the people. but Is . shameless
dsbauchee. He pAsssv o1 to his doom.
rHs JORDAN.
But lingering no longer ut Gi'gsi. We pass
on, descend 10 lower level, ride over yellow
sands bare of vegetation, and reach line OF
bushes and trees beyond. ringing the banks Of
the Jordan. The waters sweep angrily past.
for the snow lice deep on Hermon. and there
have been copious rains The hanks are over
flowed, and the current which three months
hence will be about 100 feet vide Is 1000 nov.
The water |, thick with mud. like that Of the
Mississippi In spr'oc. weheT arumbling and
splashing. and leaking mp stream see huge
slice Of the opposite bank orumbling away, un-
dermiued by the current There Is nothing
beautiful or particularly attractive about the
river. The vegetation along Its banks Ia scanty.
the trees Are small. You may pick out great
many streams In America which. 20 far ~ mere
beauty 10 concerned, would be more pleasant
than the Jordan. Yet this stream has greater
historic interest than any other in the world.
The Jordan runs through literature. II waters
our poetry. 10 10 altered through sermons.
Shall We say that sometimes the stream II mud
dyf To think Of this river avakens religious
and poetic fervor. The ideal Jordan separates
us from the Better World, the Land Of the
Blest. Good Bishop Steunett imagined that he