St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1875-08-13

give great antiquity 10 these houses.
/ Certain it is that Edrci. Kenath B"zrah
and other cities mentioned in the books
of Moses. still exist. although. is have
already said. deserted, and in partial
ruins But do not propose to enter
. into il discussion of the antiquity of
/ these places. The fact of their having
withstood the changes and commissions
of twenty centuries is alone worth re-
cording.
| In one city we found Bedouin en-
campment The Sheikh, or chief, re-
ccived lis in his tent and, surrounded
/ by IA crowd of dirty and wild Arabs. we
rested awhile, and ate of the rude fare
offered us. OF our two guards one
carried Il shot gun and the other Il club.
a poor defence for pilgrims in Il hostile
| from the enemy itself. we were perfect
~ safe, for had any one harmed us
/ while we were under the care of those
deputed to protect lis. the code of Arab
honor would have led the Sheikh to
shed blood. if need he. in our defence.
Our safety WAS doubly assured after
We had been received 10y the Sheikh
and eaten salt with him.
Space permits me to dwell neither
tory of these cities nor upon the in
cidcnts of our visit to some of them
have called them deserted cities. and
Yet have spoken of an Arab encamp-
mcut in one of them. The Bcdouin
wander through this region, now pitch
ing their tents in Il dcSolate city, now
Phaemo has long ere this moved his
harem and his hockS several times
After SYRIA had been lett 10y our party
We passed through the Aegean s,;l
L" ConStantnople and afterwards to
Athens and Corinth. ConStanlinoplc
has one of the best localities possible
and ought to Ice in the very van of
commercial and political progress. but
her plotiigale and prodigal Sultan Is
working the ruin of the city and of all
/ Turkey. y single fact will give an
/ iniinIltinn of the character of the man.
and of the reason for the present iinan-
rial distress in Turkey. While thou
sands of his people are dying of >tarva-
ton. ana other thousands are kept alive
only through the charities of the Chris
tan world, this M"h:lmmedam monarch
Is Just completing il costly palace tol
| himself and his extensive lGIlcm. and
is building Il grand mosque. the cost ot
which. ii i said. will he several million
d"ll;nS. tonStantinoplc is already full
of these Mohammedan mosques. >nm,
OF which are very handsome aud with
their slender mllIarrt> and dome shaped
roofs. are conspicuous and picturesque.
/ | think Americans have reason Ia Irinicr
that some OF the hest influences al WORK
III the @lcai Turkish capital have come
down from above 10y the way of Amer
lea. The Bible House in Siamhoul. the
"llomc IN Scutau. instituted by the
/ oman'> Board of Missions ia Boston,
/ Missionary Labor throughout the city
and Robert College ut Il>>ar on The
B"sph"lI> all these Christian and
moral and intellectual agencies have
been organized III America. and are
worked aud supported 10y Americans
vt the Home" | met Miss Clo<>un.
whom many of your readers in st
bloomsbury and elsewhere have met.
and to whom she has presented the
claims of the missionary work among
the women of Turkey. Passing through
tonStantinople. on her return to
Ca>arca, she WAS requested 10y the
Board of Missions t"Irmain temporarily
ut the Home" to assist in the work
now III charge of Miss Rapplcye
At Robert College | met one. who has
won il place in the hearts of many
friends III st. J"hnshurN. and who
is winning friends. while doing faith
''''' p'''''h' WIN III ''uNldDIl-
uople. Mr.. Savage enters heartily
into his work rs teacher in Robert
College. hut the pictures of st. Jhoms-
bury Academy and the Athcnrum
which Saw in conspicuous places in
his room on the Bosphorus, aic sug-
geStive.
This College is Il promising institu-
ton. Already it contains about two
hundred students from all parts of the
Turkish Empire. and is possessed of ii
fine building, beautiful grounds. and Il
good corps of teachers. In the time of
my second visit to the college | was
very fortunate. Mr.. {. X. Robert of
New York. whose various gifts to the
college amount to about two hundred
thousand dollars. arrived about sunset.
The stars and stripes floated from the
tower of the building which his he
neticcnce had caused to lie raised. Two
hundred Turkish and American bows
and young men. students within its
walls. welcomed him through one of
their number. and then opened ranks
and stood. with uncovered heads. while
their gray haired bencfactor passed
through and entered the building for
the first time. 1t WAS Il pleasant hour
for them and | am sure it must have
been Il happy hour for the Christian
realized the bleS>ednes> of giving.