Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-09-17
Che family Circle.
SYRIA.

The geographical position of Syria is
very remarkable. 1t is an isthmus with a
sea of water on one side and a sea Of sand
terranean, on the east the desert which ex-
tends over more than 10 degrees of lati-
tude, or about six hundred miles to the
Persian Gulf. TIE confguration of its
surface is no less remarkable. The center
portion is furrowed by longitudinal de-
preston or wide valley, which is bisected
by high but narrow ridge of mountains
namely, the Jebel Arbel, or the Leban-
on, of which the southern part Is travers-
ed by the River Jordan, and the northern
by the Leontes and Orontes. At its high
est part near BaIbec it attains an eleva-
ton at which in Europe corn cannot be
grown, and in the depressed valley Of the
Jordan, and on the shores of the Dead Sea
the heat and the vegetation are tropical.
The countries on each side of these valleys
consist in some places of fertile plains, In
others of elevated tabIelands, rising occa
sionally into mountains, the submits of
which are covered with almost perpetual
snow.
Another remarkable popularity in the
physical conformation of Syria is its grad
ual elevation from its southern to northern
extremity, thus presenting as it We're, a
series of steps. The significance of the
Biblical expression of going down into
Egypt, and going up to the promised land
is thus strklngly shown. From Northern
Syria, moreover to Sinai, the country has
certain divisions marked by the natural
fertility Teach. Northern Syria is char
acterized by a well-watered and produc
tive SOIL In Palestine the soil is much
less fertile, but under careful cultivation
must have been much more productive than
it is at present. South of Palestine is the
Negeb of Scripture, once highly fertile
tract, bnt now, from ages of neglect and
depopulatiou, little better than desert
Still further south the Tih, country which.
even when better watered than it now is,
could only have been vast camping
ground, supplying pasture for focks and
herds Thus Syria presents four clearly
defined districts on an ascending scale of
fertility-namely, the Tih, the Negeb,
Palestine, and Northern Syria.
Dean Stanley has admirably pointed out
the special adaptation of Syria, by reason
of its geographical position and popularity
of surface, for the separation of the Israel
ties from other nations, and for establish
ing theocracy which was to effect the
moral and religious elevation of mankind
To the east were the empires which had
arisen on the plains of Mesopotamia, and
their great and dissolute cities, which were,
what Babylon is metaphorically described
to be in the Apocalypse, the rulers and
corrupters of all the kingdoms of the earth
but between these great empires and the
people of Israel two barriers were interpos
ed-namely, the eastern desert with its
nomadic tribes, the irreconcilable enemies
OF civilization, and the vast assure of the
Jordan valley, which seemed, like deep
| iosse or moat, to serve as an exterior ram
tpart of the desert.
But it was necessary to guard the Israel
ties, not only from the corruption of the
great eastern empires, but to cut them of
from the possibility of any renewed inter
course with Egyptian idolatry; therefore
up to the very frontier of their own lane
stretched that "great and terrible wilder
ness" as impossible again as the Red Sc;
would have been without miraculous inter
vention. On the west was the Medterra
mean, regarded with dread by the Easter
nations as limitless ocean. On the NORTH
the ranges of Lebanon formed two not in
considerable mountain barriers, although
the long valley of Cee-Syria between
them has too often afforded an opening fo
invaders.-British Quarterly Rerie,o.