Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-03-31

in 'front.' looking eastward, spreads the plains Il
Jericho, the b.sro broad d. valley of the Jordan
taIce; on the left lies the little val ey
made memorable by the incidents attending
/ lisha's journey to Bethel. In the rear towers
the Hill of Temptation, from which Christ was
offered in vain the Kingdoms Of the earth;
while on the right the waters OF the Dead Sea
glitter Ia the sun, holding the buried cities OF
rhe plain In their my ster1ous depths, with tn 2
dep and rocky bed OF the Brook CheTilr,
where Elijah was fed by ravens, according t.
GODS promise, plainly marked In the fore
1t is little wonder that spot so beautiful in
self and about which SO many sacred asSocia-
II ms cluster should be eagerly sought, and left
with reluctance.
From the site of Old Jericho our course Law
cut of the valley OF the Jordan along the steep
and cavernOuS walls Of rock which smut In the
tired by the feet Of Jesus In his 1ourneyings
from Jericho up to Jerusalem,-a long and
WearisOme way.
On the summit of high mountain several
ness We came to the inn where the good Samar-
itan cared for the unfortunate man who fell
among thieves. To its reputed site, i should
rather say; for 1t is not seriously claimed, be-
lieve, that the ruins OF the building now to be
seen there are those Of the Inn mentioned In
scripture. The portion OF the walls still stand
dences Of arched window and door caps, and
they were undoubtedly constructed long after
the inn itself had disappeared, though it is
claimed that the well in the enclosure, still
filled with good water, is a part OF the original
structure.
RUSSIAN PILGRIMS.
Some distance farther along we met large
caravan OF Russian pilgrims, on their way to
the Jordan, to be baptised In its waters 1t
was composed Of men and women, In nearly
equal proportions, mostly OF middle age, but
number were patriarchai in appearance and
bearing,-too old, indeed. one would have
thought, to undertake SO long and arduous
journey. Some were On horses others on asses,
but by far the largest portion of both sexes
were travelling afoot. They hoped to camp
near Jericho the same night, and, by rising at
the river at sunrise, when the ceremony or
baptism takes place. To have been baptised in
the Jordan is with these people an almost sure
passport to Heaven, and the garments worn at
the time are preserved with sacred care to be
put On again only when their body is laid out
for the tomb Coming from their cold northern
home. one would have thought they would suf.
fer. even with thin clothing under the fiery sun
which scorches all vegetable life out of these
hot mountain passes. Yet almost without ex-
cepticn they were dressed In the warmest and
every case heavy fur caps or hoods. sheep skin
coats, with the full fleece Of wool worn inside,
and thick boots or coarse wooden stockings and
leggings, although the mercury at the tune
could not have ranged much below 9Oo. Their
faith, suppose kept them comfortable
A few hours more, and we were again climb
Ing the steep slopes OF the Mount Of Olives
this time from the eastward. All the way up
TO its summit we could look back through the
depressions In the high intervening ridges and
catch glimpses OF the line Of the Jordan and
s9e snlnng waters OF the Dead seaso
phere, and yet so far away! few steps for
ward, around group OF obscur1ng trees, and
before us, though on much lower level, be
yond the Garden OF GethSemane, and across the
deep gorge OF JehOSaphat,-spread out ike a
map, lay Jerusalem. K.