Morning journal and courier., 1884-07-30
NO. 200.

raised, despicab1e modern village. with only l a single Latin convent to relieve itsr1nattrac ! tiyeness. These so-called eonvents of the l Catholics commemorate all of the most i'm | portant sites in the Holy Land. Here as 1 elsewhere, there was evidently demand l for a convent, there being population to I convert; but religious zeal takes this method of manifesting itself often. Endor, still so called by the Arabs, lay perhaps a mile to l the east around the base of the hill, and was 1 even less of place than Main. Indeed, there l were not dozen residents in the vicinity, I l should judge.
 I Four miles further brought us to the base l of old Tabor. We didn't ascend the mountain for the reason that we were bound to do two l days work in one by pushing on to Tiberias I So we passed through the village of Deburieh 1 at the west edge, so-named in honor of the 1 prophecies Deborah, and rode on the north l east through thicket of dwarf oaks a de- | cided relief after the treeless wastes encoun- 1 tered elsewhere Tabor is a single isolated l mountain, standing ,350 feet above the Plain l of Esdraelon, and by reason of it's isolation | commanding wonderful view of the whole country. It is as remarkably symmetrical in outline as Fujisan in Japan, though of course only paltry hill when compared with that noble mountain. Moreover, it is mound shaped from most points of view instead of conical. There are two convents, one of the Latins and one of the Greeks, at it's summit, where travellers frequently lodge. Certainly Tabor would make an ideal Mount of Trans fguration, but I have grave doubts as to whether it wac the actual peak which was honOred with that most sacred spectacle with which it's name has come to be common ly associated. I have not studied the uues- t1on much, but it seems to me evident that | Christ was on his way to Jerusalem from the ''coasts of Cesarea Philippi" via his custom ary route east of the Jordan; in which event 1t would have been a long, unnecessary detour O OO to Wa If mediately afterwards at Capernaum. As no definite information is given touching which mount it was, it seems to me far more natural to presume that it was some mount between the port of Cesarea Philippi and Capernaum.
 MT. Floyd Is strongly in favor of Mount Hermon, as being close to a possible route, and being the most conspicuous mountain by all odds in these parts Tabor and Hermon are both impressive theatres for such a grand spectacle, but I do not know that it was in accord with Christ's methods of manifesto tion to choose the most conspicuous site.
 But it matters little. Tabors claims to dignity do not rest solely upon this hypothet- ical basis. Hosea, David and Jeremiah ire quently wove its name into their poetic songs and prophecies, coupling it often with Her mon or Carmel' Being one of the most con spicuous landmarks in this region, it is al luded to again and again in typographical references. At its top Barak and Deborah assembled the hosts of NaphtaH in the cam paign against Sisera, the captain of Israel's cruel oppressor, King John. The sleeping army of the Canaanites was encamped on the plain back there in the direction of Taanack and Megiddo. You can see that large double mound at the entrance to the pass between the plains of Acre and Esdraelon? That is the Harosheth, toward which Sisera's dis ordered hosts retreated. The tiny thread of brook near by is the Kishon, ''that ancient river, the river Kishon, which, being natur- ally miraculously swollen, engulfed the tyrant's followers. We are often inclined to minify the importance of the role played in Israelitish history by this remarkable woman Deborah; tonee Joan of Arc, prophecies, poetess and competent judge. There has evidently been q reaction ill sentiment here on the woman question since the days of Deborah and Jael Such heroism would be impertinence now.
 The remainder of the journey to Tiberias did not include any places of special scriptural interest. The sun poured down his hottest blasts of furnace heat, and the way seemed very long. Here and there were the ruins of khans, caravanseries, and old Roman fortii- cations; but there was no modern village in all the distance. At length we stood at the top of the basin in which lies Galilee, and saw this faded old town ,500 feet below us. After a tedious descent of an hour, we reached our destination, a clean, pleasant Latin convent at the northern end of the town, where we are now stopping.
 EMILE.