Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1873-06-26
THE HOLY LAND or TODAY.
interesting Review Ut ExDlorati on
now In f'rOgrcss.

HE ilOA1 LAND Or TO-DAY.
interesting Review Of Explorations
now In Progress.
From tho New York World Of Monilov.
A meeting in behalf of the Palestine
Exploration Society was held last
night IN tho Central Methodist Church,
seventh avenue, near Fourteenth
street. lev: Professor Hitchcock was
Tho first speaker. He said that explor-
ers were every week identifying new
spots near the Jordan. Rev. DIR. Rob-
lnson dld not make very wide expIor-
alton. Countless ruins exist, tho ex-
pf"ratlon OF which will produce great |
results III the interest OF the Bible. In
1856, the English began to examine the |
west side Of Jordan They invited the
corporation of Americans. The result
was, the English concluded to leave to
tho American Society the east side of
Jordan while they took tho west side.
rho English have surveyed |, $50 square
miles. The Americans will use the
same scales, so that uniform map
may be made. The English arc spend
ing $25, 600 q year, the American Socie-
" Will Keep within 500, 900. The whole
work Will require five years. A frank
appeal will be made to tho Christians
OF this country to furnish the money
tor tins enterprise. A number of
Americans are now OH the ground, and
have surveyed their base-line of five
miles. The expenses have been met,
so lar, ny gentlemen of New York, who
havo subscribed $500 to 500 apiece.
The desire is now to obtain $40 sub
scriptions. il the Bcdouins are too
troublesome the enterprise will be Civ
eli up. 1t is desired that this bible
loving earnest Methodist Church shall
have the first chance to subscribe. The
speaker said he would now introduce
an explorer, who is the son Of mis-.
slOnary, and was born in Palestine.
Rev. w. H. Thompson said that the
longer he stayed i'll Palestine the more
he realized how little is known about
the country. There is no site except
Jerusalem that seems so easy to ex-
plorc as Tyre. He had been there
some forty times. Beyrout is now
using old Tyre as stone.quarry.
Ceserea was evidently built from the
stones Of an old Ph@nician town.
Most modern cities in that region arc
built in this way. An Arab once took
him to sec a tcsselated pavement in
Tyre. Near it WAS hole that led to a
causeway just discovered. This was
evidently the causeway that was made
of the ruins of most ancient Tyre, taken
by Alexander; by it he connected the
island on which the city stood with the
mainland. 1t was made of mass of
old Ph9nician columns. All the
waters near Tyre are strewn with the
ruins of some of the finest
buildings ever erected. Columns of all
sorts are found, and the Oldest are
the most massive. He thought the
exploration of such waters was far
more important work than the search
for an open polar sea. Some peasants
of Sidon lately struck upon four leaden
boxes full of gold pieces. They quar-
relied, and the news coming to the
Governor, he tortured them until they
disgorged the whole sum. Such treas.
ures have been often found there, as
such burials have been going on TO,
5000 years. He had been much struck
by castle near Tyre. Found it Sara.
Genie, with Can lanite base. From
that castle he and his father counted
seventy-two luins of towns and castles.
In travelling through Galilee he found
that Josephus was right in saying that
there were 900 towns there. These
ruins stand 90 close that they almost
touch. This land has been conquered
rs far as the west of Jordan is concern
ed, by all great nations. But Jordan
Valley, 1900 feet below the seq, has
acted rs a barrier, and the east side is
remarkably unchanged from the times
of Job. An architecture is found there
that seems likely to last as long as the
earth. Every particle of the houses
even to the ceilings, is of stone. There
is a sort of lava bed there which it cos
Mehemet Ali $4,000 men to capture
from 1900 Druses. In this very place
was the stronghold of Cog, King o.
Bashan." That land has treasures O.
immense value, because it has been sc
little disturbed. There are incriptlon.
there which will certainly explain tn,
original dispersion of the race from
the plateaus Of Asia, and also why til,
Egyptians had hieroglyphic while til,
Asiatics had Il phonetic language. A
the close Of this speech the names O
those who would pay $40 a year for fiv,
years were taken.