The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1875-05-08


The traveller going up through th'
highlands Of Edom has continually before
him lofty mountain, which, with It's nos,
Or rather salmon-eolored tint, eontrastl
finely with the dark cliffs around. Il i
the more noticeable because Of its. .doubls
peak, the summit being forked into two
unequal projections which resemble the
horns Of q saddle. This Is Mount Hor,
the one gigantic hill which commands tho
entire Arabah from end to end. Il Be.
longs to the few sites connected with the
Wanderings Of the children Of Israel, about
which there Is no reasonable doubt. Its
relative situntion corresponds with that Of
the Hor mentioned in the Pentateuch. II
Is the most conspicaous object in the
whole region. Il answers to the moun.
tain encircling Petra. which Josephus
mentions as the place Of Aaron's death.
And these evidences are confirmed by is
present Arabic name, JeBel Hrun (Mt.
Of Aaron, and by its traditional sanetity
recognized alike by Jews, Christians aud
Mohammedans.
The traveller who has entered Petra BY
the SIX, leaves It BY rayine on the SOUTH
west, which in half an hours ride brings
him to long white limestone rock lying
east Of Mount Hor. From this rises up
the mount itself, rugged mass Of red
sandstone, in sheer nakedness, unrelieyed
BY single tree or bush. The ascent 70
the top is made BY very good path which
winds around in the usual sigzag way. At
one or two places there are wells or rather
cisterns Of water, which, however, is not
very palatable. As the summit is ap-
preached little plain appears, compared
BY some to the well-known plain a little
below the summit Of Jcbel Mousa. From
this rise the two peaks which are 80 CON
spicuous far and near. The scuthernmost
and shorter one is Of conical form the
other is truneated and surmounted BY q
rude mosque or chapel, supposed 10 cover
the very place where Aaron was buried.
The little building is Of rude masonry, and
covered with . fiat roof, at one end Of
which Is the white dome usually placed
over saints tomb, Within are two apart
ments, one above the other Ia the lower
is semi-circular projection guarded By an
iron grating, which is said to contain the
bones Of Aaron. 10 the upper is an or
dinary cenosaph Of marble, covered with
ragged pail, and garnished with the
shawls and beads and ostrich eggs which
are always found-I know not for what
reason--in Moslem tombs. On the ceno-
taph are inscriptions, some Of which are
in Hebrew. But the building with its
contents is assuredly modern; although a
part Of il at least must date back as far as
the Crusades The chief interest Of the
spot lies in lis associations, and in the view
Il commands. The latter Is very complete.
On a clear day one sees in the north the
Dead Sea shining distinctly in the sun,
and full outline Of the curious projection
from its eastern bank, called the Lisan.
On the west Is the wide expanse Of the
Arabah, broken here and there BY dry
water courses, and bounded by the hills
which shut IL of from the Negeb. On the
west is wilderness Of jagged SUBMITS Of
every shape and size. But quite agree
with an old observer, that no part Of the
prospect is more impressive than the crags
Of Mount Hor itself, which stand up on
every side in the most rugged and fantas-
tic forms, sometimes strangely piled one
upon another, and sometimes yawning in
chasms Of frightful depths.
1t was here that Aaron took his last
view Of the world, he participated in his
brothers sin at the waters of Meribah, and
he shared in the retribution. Neither was
permitted to enter the promised land, al
though both approached it, Moses laid
his bones 10 one Of the mountains Of No
ab, east Of the Dead Sea. But Aaron had
his course arrested at an earlier period,
when the Isrselites stood on the southern
verge Of their destined inheritance. II
must have been keen disappointment
To escape from Egypt, 70 see the great
theophany at Sinai, to eat miraculous
bread and drink miraculous water, TO FOL-
low the pillar Of cloud forty years, to sur
vive nearly all the contemporary genera
tion, and when at last just within sight Of
the goal, to lie down and die. What a
fearful privationl Ye, it received all the
mitigation Of which il was capable. The
place, the manner and the circumstances
Of the high priests death gsve il an un-
equalled soIcmnity and grandeur. Not
under cover Of tent IN the sncampment,
not beneath the shade Of palms fed BY rip
ping springs. not anywhere in the broad
plain was Aaron 70 meet his end, but far
up on the loftiest most distinguished and