The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1882-05-27

touch the feecy clouds. The weather all
day was fine, and as our ills were over we
| thought of the classic lines of Virgil
Il 1Forsitan haec ohm meminisse juvabit y
4 (Perchance, it will delight us to recount
Il these misfortunes.)
Next morning, the fourteenth day out,
/ We had a long, wearisOme ride over bleak n
desert until we came to where the old RO-
man road leads to Damascus. Before us
was the great plain of Damascus, a sea of
verdure In the distance we saw the white
minarets of the city. On our left were
the magnificent slopes of Lebanon; around
streams of water We went on through
groves of olive and apricot trees in blossom,
and finally entered the gate of Damascus,
the oldest city in the world. The city is
most famous in sacred as well as prOtane
history 1t has gone through wonderful
series of vicissitudes and wars 1t was the
seat of mercantile greatness in days Of old,
as is indicated by the prophet Ezekiel. In
modern times it became the metropolis of
the Mahomedan world. Even within the
present age and generation it has given evil
dence of the darkest fanaticism and horrors
Of Mahomedanism. Many of our readers
may remember the horrible accounts of the
massacre of 6.000 Christians in 1860
The entire Christian quarter of the city
was burnt. was at the scene of the mas
sacre and had TO shudder when the details
of that horrible butehery were told me by
an cve-witness One can hardly realize
that mankind could become So brutal, Out
of population Of 10000. only $4,000
arr Christians; the rest are all Mahomedans
and fierce devils they seem.
Damascus is the true type Of an oriental
city. There Is mixture of the European
and Oriental in Alexsndria; there Is a va
riety Of people in Cairo. and there is no
unity Of class at Jerusalem; but in Damas-
Gus the tourist viii find no trouble in call
Inc it purely Oriental. The strangest and
most curious scenes viii burst upon the
vision Of the traveller He can scarcely
believe his eyes when he goes through TIN,
city He viii be especially interested in
the ba1iars which arc celebrated all the
world over No one can dream or picture
to himself what autlandish things are made .
and sold here. The richest Damaseene 4
silks As wcll A. che dirtieSt second.h hand
clothes arc sold here The noise. hustle
and confusion are simply indescribablc
The shops are no less curious than the ba-
.lar<. Here III kinds If things are made
"a the street. The baker nlakcs fat bread
snd cikeS an the strcet--hut not 20 invite
.hc appetite The butcher cuts up meai
,ud handles IL ia a gay 20 make you resolve
- b,-come q vegetarian The shoemaker
.iis m the sidewalk mrnding shoes and
u.is In woui. ~ pursuits are carried
- IN long avenues rs,ted over Among
h. curious thing, ! Observed in these aar.
'w ssrert> i plau,ain tryc, supposed tn
,e over =. Ono years old II u 81 t,gt in
irruiaitrence The tire books vcry much
IKE q syCan8on. IL seemed strange tn ne
ha, this tre shuald have b,,en lcit staad-
ae IN the very hear; uf this city far "a
aany ceuJuries No duubt It was held "a
MI by ghc Muslin
wall end thss lesgcr hy stating that We
save row travelled gu horcback 2i6 miles
lroagh Palestine and Syr'a aud found che
.sintry Interesting l,y Fy1sup II the s,eresl
Fruts that iook plsc, here But the god
sar,i Jsy7s.ve ulr gT,.m ever living in thi.
I'D SWIFTLY and smns such hartarou>
co4,le