Morris tribune., 1881-08-11
THE DEAD SEA.
The Wierd and Wonderful Beauty OF 9
Acknowledged Region.
Theo Cuvler In the New York Evanpelist

The Wierd and Wonderful Beauty of
Much-maIigned Region.
Theo. Cuyler, in the New York Evangelist.
Our afternoons march over the bleak,
treeless and brown mountains of the wilder
ness was inexpressibly tiresome until we
came in sight of the Dead Sea. It lay 1000
feet below us-a mirror of silver, set among
the violet mountains of Moab. More pres
cipitous decents over rocks and sands
brought us, by sundown, to the two towers
of the most unique monastery on the globe:
The famous convent of Mar Saba is worth
a journey to Palestine. For thirteen CEN
turies that wonderful structure has hung
against the walls of the deep, awful
gorge of the Kidren.
It is colossal swallows nest Of stone,
built TO the height of 500 feet against the
precipice, and Inhabited by sixty mo ks of
the Greek church-genuine Manicheans,
and followers CT st. Saba and st. John of
tered the convent walls. Instead OF wo-
men S society hey make ,o,e to .hs birds,
who come and iced Off the monk's hands.
Every evening they toss meat down to the
wild jickals in the goige below. At sun
set climbed over the e1.laordinary build
ing-was shown into the rather handsome
church, and into the chapal or cave of st
Nicholas, which contains the CHASTITY skull.
of the monks who were slaughtered by
Chosroes and his Persian soldiers-and
gazed down into The awful ravine beneath
the convent wells. Some monks in black
gowns were pe,ched as watchmen on the
lofty towers: others wandered over the
stone paveuents in sort OF aimless vacuity.
What au attempt to live in an exhausted
receiver?
. lie monks gave us tospitable welcome,
sold lis canes ard woodwo. k aud furnished
us lodgings on TIE digans of two large stone
parlors. Ore o. he religious duties of the
brotherhood IS 10 kee !, vigils, and through
the night bells were l'nging ard changing
to call Them 10 their devoIo1s. The ver-
min in the lodging rooms hive learned to
keep up their yig,ls also; and as the result
our party--with one exeept;o had
sleepless night. b we sdch talent for
sleep hg, aud, ike Pat, "pay attention to
it, so closely, that / was able to defy even
the fleas and mosqc;toes of Liar S ;ba. By
daylight the next MOI ling we heald the
great ;:on door of the convert clang be.
hind us like the .;e Of Bunyan's Doubt
ing Cas,le,' and 70: five hours we made a
the shoe OF the Dead Sci. That much
malioned Sea has we.-d and wonderful
| beauty
We ook bath in its cool, clear waters
and detected no difference from BATH
Coney leland, except that the water has
such density that we foa;ed on il like pine
SHINGLES. No fish iron The sa't ocean can
live in it; but It is vely attractive to the eye
on hot MONDAY. A scorching rice we
bad across the barren plain of the sacred
Jordan, which disap ooin' ed me sadly. At
the place where the lsraelites ossed and
our I,ol d was bap.i ;ed it was about 100 feet
wide. It flows rapidly, and in turbid
current of i rht stone >lor. In size aud
appe earance it was elssrt counterpart of
the Muskingum, Few miles above Zanes-
vile. its uleless wate,s ought to be turned
off to iliieate lis barren valley which might
be changed into galden. Fo: beauty the
Jol dan will re- compare With Eliiahs brook
| Cherith, whose BRIGHT, sparkling stream
went flowing past our lodging place tJeri-
cho. We lodged over mig int in Greek con-
vent (very smalD, and rode rext morning
to see the ruins of the town made famous
by Joshua, Elijah, zaccheus, and the re-
storation of Bartimeus to sight. Squalid
Arabs haunt the sacred spot.