Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1881-07-27
aMisrellanu.
A Visit to the Dead Sea.

Our afternoons march over the bleak.
treeleSs and brown mountains of the will
derness was inexpressibly tresome until
we came in sight of the Dead sea- 1t Law
1000 feet below us-a mirror of silver, set
among the violet mountains of Moab
More preciptOus descents over rocks and
sand brought us, at sundown, to the two
towers of the most unique monastery on
the globe. The famous convent of Mar
Saba is worth journey to Palestine For
thirteen centuries that wonderful structure
has hung against the walls of the deep
awful gorge of the Kidron 1t is a colos-
sal swallows nest of stone, built to the
hight of 800 feet against the precipice, and
inhabited by 60 monks of the Greek church
genuine Manicheans, and followers of
St. Saba and st. John of Damascus No
woman foot has ever entered the con-
vent $ walls Instead of woman's socety
they make love to the birds who come and
feed off the monks hands. Every evening
they loss meat down to the wild jackals in
the gorge below. At sunset | climbed
over the extraordinary building--was
shown into the rather handsome church,
and into the chap or cave of st. Nicho
las, which contains the CHASTITY skulls of the
monks who were slaughtered by Chosroes
,nd ''ia Persian soidiers-Ind gazed down
lhto the awful ravine beneath the convent
walls. Some monks in black gowns were
Perched as watchmen on the lofty towers;
o'ne's wandered over the stone pavements
III sofI OF almless vacuity. What an
attempt to live in an exhausted recei, eri
ne monks gave us hosptable welcome,
sold Us canes and woodwork, and furnished
ns ln1UIDUS Tho Iiynp., e
st ne parlors One of the religious duties
Of the brotherhood is to keep vigils, and
through the night bells were ringing and
Changing to call them in to their devotions
The vermin in the lodging rooms have
learned to keep up their vigils also; and
as the result our party with one excep-
tion-had Il slerpless night. have such
a ttleut for sleeping, and like Pat "pav
attention to it," so closely that was able
to defy even the 1ras and mosquitoes of
MAJ Saba Bv daylight the next morning
we heard the great iron door of the con- !
ven' clang behind US like the gate of Bun i
vans " Doubling Castle" and for five
hours we made II toilsome descent of the |
drsOlatc clltt to the shore of the Deal sea
That much malgned sea has weird aud |
wonderful beauty. We took a bath in its |
NNbl' Nlt1l Wdt'I, u6tcCttu no ulutf
ence from Il bath at Cunev island except
that the water has such density that we
hoaed on it like pine shingles. No fish |
from the salt ocean can live in it; but it
is very attractive to the eye on hot noon
day. A scorching ride we had across the
barren plain to the sacred Jordan-which
disappointed me sadly. At the place
where the lSraelites crossed and our Lord
was baptised it is about 120 feet wide; ii
flows rapidly and in "a turbid current of
light stone color. In size and appearance
it Is the perfect counterpart of the Mus
kingum, a few miles above Zanesville.
It's useless waters ought to be turned off to
irigale its barren valley, when it would be
changed into garden. For beauty the
Jordan will not compare with Eliiah's
Brook Cherith, whose bright sparkling
stream went flowing past our lodging place
at Jericho. We lodged over night in a
Greek convent (very smalD, and rode
next morning to see the ruins of the town
made famous by Joshua, Elijah, Zaccheus,
and the restoration of Bartim' us to sight. |
Sbualid Arabs haunt the sacred spot.