The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1888-07-27
". c. I. u. AND SUNDAY
. Q T. u NJ N
9 Peace on Earth and Good WiH 10
Men"
4 LErTEn FROM THE HoLr LAND.

JERUSALEM, March IL, 1888.
We arrived in Joppa Sabbath morn
ing, February 20. Approaching Joppa
from the sea one will be struck with
the beauty of the scene. The strange
sensation of looking upon land sacred
above any earthly place, the country
of jacob and David and Ruth and
Rachel, amongst which the prophets
of Israel taught, and the Savior of all
men lived and was crucified; the
stony hillside town of Joppa, to which
the cedar wood was sent for the tenn
pie, the port from which Jonah sailed
on his tempestuous voyage. Down by
the shore to the south Is the flat-roofed
house that tradition says is where
Peter slept and had his vision. The
rude stairway we assembled and which
led to n view which gives us all that is
needed for the hour-the wide heavens
above and in front the wide sweep of
the blue Mediterranean sea, its nearer
waves broken by the reefs. Fishermen
are standing and wading among the
rocks, such as might have been there
of old, recalling TO mind the apostles
and their long-forgotten nets by the
lake Genesareth, the first promise of
the future call to be fishers of men.
The town of Joppa is beautiful from
the sea, but the reverse of this is true
concerning its streets, which are dirty,
narrow and winding. The houses are
built promisenously, and although
looking picturesque from a distance
commands no admiration from nearer
view. Donkeys and camels heavily
laden may be met in the streets, but
no wheeled vehicles are seen. The
city until recently has been surrounded
by stone wall, which has been taken
down by the Turkish government and
the stone sold for building purposes.
We visited missionary school which
was established by an English lady
several years ago, and heard them re
cite scripture verses and sing, and they
seemed very bright children A very
interesting feature is the orange groves
in and around Joppa, which are very
extensive and the fruit is exquisite.
On the trees myFiads OF ripe luscious
oranges may be seen, oval in shape
and very large. Other fruit, too, lem
ons, pomegranates, water melons, figs
and dates also come to great perfection
For miles around the scene is of lux
uriant beauty. We saw the founda-
ton of the house where Peter raised
Doreas to life tsee 9th chapter of Actsl.
We left Jopila Monday morning
coming over TO Jerusalem in carriages.
We had a good dragoman with us WI o
could point out the places Of the Bible
and we would open our Bibles and read
right on the spot. We stopped at old
Ramreh, ascended tower from which
we could see the sea, the mountains
and many villages. We came through
the valley OF Ajalon tsee Joshua x:l2},
passed the traditional birthplace OF
John the Baptist, the sight of Emmaus
and the valley of Gihon in which Sol
Gmon was annointed king of Israel
and Mizpah and Kirjath Jearim, where
the Ark of the Lord rested twenty
Years (see lst Chronicles, xiii, 5-s.}
From thence our course leads us to the
top of q very high hill, with deep val
leys on one side as the wild, high table
land is approached, and we cannot
crowd out Of our thoughts the many
associations connected with the road
we are travelling. Along this highway
he Ark of the Lord was borne in tri-
umph to Jerusalem, and at some point
IN the line Of this route Christ Joined
the two disciples who were on their
way to Emmaus. From age to age
thousands of Israelites nave wended
their quiet way along this road in or
Ter that they might attend the feasts
at Jerusalem. After reaching the hill
top the Mount of Olives and a sight of
the city-the old .Ierasalem-bursts
upon our view II was about ) o'clock
IN the evening when we reached our
hotel, very weary and our eyes tired
from seeing the grand sights which
had greeted our vision during the dav
But the next morning we were thor
oughiy rested and ready 70 proceed on
our inspiriting march
Perhaps yoa would like to have me
describe my first impressions of the
Holy City. There is a stir and sound
of moving TO and fro, the buz and hum
IF multitude such as might have
been heard two thousand years ago.
looked for a city which even in hoary
age had some remains of its former
magnificence, and / looked also for
something that should remind me OF
ancient people and ancient worship,
!. e., venerable rabbis with long, gray
boards aud flowing robes, chanting
the psalms of David, but / found very
little to admire in its inhabitants. The
city itself is very picturesque in stu
alton, standing on the mountain heigh' !,
and when seen from distance witL
its walls and towers its appearance is
very striking, but when in its streets
/ it has all the unsightly features of an
oriental town with narrow streets
where there is no distinction between
/ the roadway for beasts of burden and
| the path for human feet. Men and
women are often crowded TO the wall
I by horses, asses and camels as human
/ ity strives 10 pick its way over u e
rough stones, nire and filth. Mole
than this, peep through the open
houses reveals the squalid wretchedncss
| of the people and makes it hard to re-
alize that tins is really Jerusalem. II
+ is about 5000 feet above the level of the
! Mediterranean sea and very compactly
built. The best way TO get general
] idea of the city is walk about Zion and
/ go about her. This we obeyed liter
ally, making a complete circuit of the
city inside and outside the walls. At
! ter visiting the Holy Scpu1chre, Da-
/ Vid's tomb, the house of Caiphas and
I many other sacred places in Jerusalem,
we made arrangements with our drag
oman for trip to the Jordan and the
| Dead sea, an excursion which con-
] sumed three days and which is full of
+ pleasant memories. There were four
4 teen of us all, mounted on horses, he-
/ sides our donkeys, muleteers, guide
and sheik, armed with sword and pis-
| tolls. We made very formidable
/ looking party. The day we went and
4 the day we spent at the Dead sea Were
/ beautiful, but we returned in a dread