Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1879-12-02
enternr;ses and out uuon it the GOSPEL Of


most sacred land upon the earth, our i'm
aginations were wrought upon and eul
hearts touched and we could net sleep
The thought that within fifteen hours We
should look upon the hottest land beneath
the skies, the land we had read about and
been taught of in the Sunday school, and
that was associated in our minds with tbs
most tender and sacred things in human
history, the thought that we were to look
upon this land-we could hardly realize. it.
The next morning we rose eagerly and
went out upon deck. It was the Sabbath.
It was Palm Suuda-. The waters were
perfectly Tranquil and beautifully blue.
All the pilgrims were still asleep upon the
deck. No sound was to be heard except
the measured, regular stroke of the pro-
peller. As we turned to the right side OF
the ship we could just descry a low,
sandy coast in the distance, and beyond
that rose line of mountains. There
was the land of GAIA AS we near
the shore we look at every rock and tree,
and every single thing in the distance, and
we can hardly realize that we are looking
upon this sacred, holy land. The city Of
Joppa stands upon a conical hill, and
looks very much like sugar loaf OF conf
cal bee hive, with It's houses scramb bling
up the sides of the hill. About three
hundred feet from the shore our steamer
casts anchor. No sooner do we come into
ths roadstead than about fifty or a hundred
little boats that are laying on the water
row up to our steamers side. 1t is now or
never with them for business. Such a
scrambling and hurly-burly and commo>
ton / never beheld. All the languages
after Babel were used-American, Indian,
French, Italian, Spanish, German. Russian.
Every variety of costume was represented.
All are scrambling for work; they catch
hold Of us, and seize our baggage, SO
anxious are they to row US to the shore.
Among them all, see large, strong man
in the American dress. He wanted to be
estine, and upon our informing him that
we had already employed guide, he left
US with look of disappointment. We
selected two or three reliable looking
Arabs, aud told them we would take their
boat, and, embarking our bag
gage, we started for the shore.
About one hundred feet from the shore
is line of low half-submerged rocks. The
sea breaks over them at high tide, but
when tine tide is out and the sea quiet they
stand out of the water. Right in the
main path there is q little passage-way
through which our little boat must go.
Many a man on his way to Jerusalem has
wrecked his little boat on these rocks and
gone down. Our safety is in going right
straight into the narrow passage, but we
took little turn to the right and on low
sandbar our little boat struck, and from
here the Arab men take US one by one on
their shoulders.
Our Chicago professor. who weighing
l75 pounds, and having family
at home, fears to trust himself to single
Arab, and with his csrpet-bag, his guide
book, and Bible, and spectacles, requires
two Arabs to carry him safely to the shore
From the top of this conical hills one of
the most beautiful views [ ever beheld.
This is the place where Peter came and
stood upon the roof of the house of one
Simon q tanner and saw that wonderful
vision. The house is we'll identified, and
recently the remains of atannery have been
found close by. There is but one method
of entering the city from the west and all
that enters the city must pass through
side there is another gate, and there
the judges in ancient times gathered for
counsel. To-day they sit there in the same
way. There were horses standing there
saddled, and little stands of fruit for sale.
The streets of the city are narrow and
filthy. Orange and lemon trees grow in
great luxuriance.
On Monday morning we chose four
horses that looked very much like ours
thirty-slx miles by the course we take
through Lydia. On the way we met a car
AVIAN that is going up to Jerusalem to cell
ebrale the festival of Easter. Many Cath
oiics are gong up to light their tapers at
the sacred fire. The Moslems are going
up in order that they may say their pray
ers in the Mosque of Omar.
One thing that attracts our attention in
this land is the wonderful profusion of
flowers. The tulip and poppy are very
abundant, whole acres being literally COW
cred with them. The rose of sharon, /
think, was the red poppy, from the profu-
sion of this flower. This plain of Sharon,
in Solomon's time, was all covered over
with hocks 1t extended from Carmel to
Palestine. 1t has been cultivated for over
four thousand years. Il is generally und L.
lating and reminds one of the praries of
Illinois. We find everywhere the hus-
bandman planting and blowing. They
pillow with little red heifers, or with
a COW and an OK yoked toge her. Most
of them pillow with cows, because
they can not afford any other. The pIow
is an exceedingly small and trihjng affair.
There is not child in this room but could
take the yoke and pillow upon his shoulder.
l could hold the pillow up with my little
finger. They are simply little wooden
stick. and another little stick, at
tached to a small piece of iron,
which scratches the earth about an inch
and half to two inches deep, and the
driver has long stick like this pointer I
have insmy hand to nudge the cattle with.
The yoke is fastened across the horns of
the cows. Near Lydia We come upon
magnificent orchards of orange and fig trees
and pomegranates. st. George, the patron
Saint of England, was born at Lydia and
died and was buried there. We went int o
the Church and found his burial place. A
little, mean, ragged boy was the only
orchestra they had there to perform that
sacred service.
We here experienced the immense dews
that fall in this land. / should think it
had been raining all night. The copious-
ness of the dews that fall here is what
keeps Palestine from utter extinction. We
now commence TO ascend by gradually
winding path. The hills are Guilt
tree to be seen. The ground up there is
covered with white limestones, but still in
fine cultivation. We go four miles up
gradual or slightly precipitous ascent to
Bethharah, three thousand feet aoove the
level of the sea. On our way, we pass a
number of little boys and girls, ragged
and dirty, but with eyes of wonderful
lustre. Every one beseeches us for back
shish," gift. One old woman took up
stone as large as my head, and was going
to throw it at US, but we were not afraid.
Our enemies were not formidable, and we
passed on and kept our 'backshish." In
making the descent, we have to get off our
horses and lead them down the
precIpice. But our dragoman never got off.
de went down, it seemed to me,
an angle of forty-fve degrees and it
seemed as if his horses feet would be
.aken from under him. But his life was
not of so much value as some of the party
hn 70, he ntA