River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1884-09-25
THE FAR EAST.
gcenes on the Way From Jaffa to Jerusa-
1em-The Plain of sharon-Ranileh-
Historic spots-The Holy City Poor Pill
grims-Ths Mount of olives-An Inter
esting supposition-The Valley of Je-
hogaphat

esting supposition-The Valley of Je-
hosaphat-
The journey from Jaffa to Jerusalem,
writes correspondent of the New
Haven Journal and Courier, has dis
gusted many an ardent searcher of the
word who came to Palestine to strength
en- his faith Having arrived at state
of mind, by reason of my Oriental ex-
periences, whereby | was prepared for
anything, and having been forewarned
as to the disappointing nature OF the
country, I was able to endure with con-
siderable composure the discomforts OF
the journey. At this time of the year
most people make the trip OF forty miles
during the night; but | wanted to see
the country, whatever the heat of the
sun, and SO went in the day. The
trip has to be made in rickety, UNI
covered wagon, drawn by three horses
harnessed abreast. Emerging from the
orange and lemon groves of Jaffa we
proceeded to cross the Plain of Sharon,
the greatest plain in all this country,
UNNECESSARILY superior to the plains OF
Tyre, Sidon and even Esdraelon. The
plain appeared to be quite fertile, and
wheat and barley fields stretch on eth
err side of the road as far as the eye
could reach. As the country grew more
billy we could see large focks of sheep,
goats, camels, asses and cows grazing
in the pastures, just as they are repre-
scented as doing in |. Chronicles, xvii,
20. In some places the fellahin were
ploughing.. A single man can carry on
his shoulders a whole set of those ma
tive farming utensils, including plough,
yoke, bows and ox-goad. The plough
is wooden, with the exception of a sin
gle iron point like the fiuke of small
anchor. 1t has but one handle, as an
ancient times Luke, tx, 62), and II the
man who is guiding the plough looks
around for moment the whole thing
f1ops over. The yoke is small,
straight, round pole, with straight
sticks in each end, which go down on
each side of the neck of the OK, and are
tied with small string under the throat.
The ox-goad is from eight to ten feet
long, armed with sharp piece of iron
at one extremity which is used for
cleaning the plough, and spear at the
other extremity for prodding the OK.
In time of riots the natives use the OK
goad as a weapon just as they did in the
time of Shamgar; but | have not heard
of anybody's doing as much mischief
with the goad in these modern times as
Shamgar did.
We met great cavalcades of ragged
looking camels ON the way, and over
took some bound for Jerusalem loaded
with American coal-oil. / saw one poor
camel loaded with heavy stoves. For
the first twelve miles [ counted the cam
els, and then stopped because it was too
hard work henumber was above 300.
Twelve miles out of Jaffa we reached
Ramleh, an enterprising modern village
of about 1000 inhabitants, by all odds
the largest town between Jatfa and DE-
rusalem. Owing to the constant inter-
course with pilgrims and European
travellers, the village has assumed
more modern metropolitan aspect than
any other town of its size in Palestine.
Most of the European countries have
ertheless, there is tremendous amount
of filth lying about in the blind alleys,
just as there is in all these cities of the
Holy Land. In the suburbs [ inspected
some miserable mud novels, and Won
dered if it were such as those in which
the apostles were won't to dwell Each
house consisted of one room, made out
of plaster and sticks, without windows.
The whole family dwells, eats, cooks
and sleeps in this single unsavory apart
ment. In winter manure is heaped
about the hut to keep it warm, and the
cattle are admitted to the interior. The
floor which the family then occupies is
something like two feet higher than
that upon winch the cattle stand, the
managers being constructed along the
separating line. 1t thus happens that
q manager is very convenient place III
which to cradle an infant, and people
here tell me that it is quite a common
things to see infants thus Graded.
At regular intervals on either side of
the road, perhaps three or five miles
apart, were barracks where Turkish sol
diers were stationed to guard the high
way. Palestine is full of robbers. The
Bedouins, or wandering Arabs, are pro-
fessionals. The Turkish soldiers and
officials are worst of all.
We rode on through country bar
rem of everything except scriptural as
sociations, though rich indeed in them.
Our last halt for resting the horses was
made in valley at the foot of the last
mountains prior to reaching Jerusalem.
The remaining distance was about five
miles, but the climb was a severe one,
and it is always thought best to rest.
On all sides we could see historical spots
of which | shall have occasion to speak
again. Away to the right, was Ain Kar
i'm, the home of Zacharius and Eliza
beth, and consequently the birth place
of John the Baptist. The village was
quite decent one from the point where
we surveyed it, but perhaps it was the
distance that lent the enchantment to
the view. Two birthplaces are shown,
one under the rich altar of a convent,
and the other in grotto fully a quar-
ter of mile away. The only satisfac-
tory theory which has been advocated
for counteracting this discrepancy is
that Elizabeth divided the time between
the two places, in order to multiply the
number of sacred sites and thereby in
crease the piety of future generations
We toiled slowly up the long zigzag
ascent and were at length at the sum
init. Surely now the Holy City would
loom up grandly, for had an idea that
Jerusalem was built in the crater of
some extinct volcano, and that when
perched on any side of the basins rim |
could see every pinnacle, dome and
pavement stone Alas for the fraility
of human anticipations The Mount of
Olives could be seen on the east, with
Scopus as tie northern terminus of the
range; but Jerusalem itself kept persis
tently out of sight. And so it did until
we were almost under its very walls.
The truth is that the elevation of the
hills about the Holy City is so slight,
and so many objects intervene, that the
view is altogether INSTRUCTED.
"As the mountains are round about
Jerusalem. The comparison is not
founded upon any very striking sem
blance, and yet it is fact that the
ground is elevated a little on all sides
of Jerusalem. Even the summit of the
Mount of Olives is only about twenty
feet higher than the highest point of
Zion.
To the right we saw the convent of
the Cross, a substantial establishment
down in the valley, kept by some we'll
fed Greek priests. Here is pointed out