Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-06-02
lREcoRD-UNIoS Special Correspondence. !
VALLEY OF AJALoN, Syria, I

| DNNOAAAN
| pie. To this land" that vast throng now
in the Sahara of Arabia are slowly but
surely coming. This is the promised
Land and they are the " chosen people"
Thus much Of the far-distant past.
We left Port Said on the evening of
March 3lst, and in the morning had our
first view of Palestine. / rose before it
was day and went on deck, and as soon as
the early twilight appeared began to no.
tice the low shore lines of the coast of
Phillistia. Presently the sun rose over
the Judean mountains and brought Jaffa
to view. The ship is filled with excur-
slonists and pilgrims to the Holy Land.
The steerage passengers are motley
crowd. There are Russians, Turks, Greeks.
Egyptians and Arabians among them.
Their dress is unique. There are men,
women, children, young men and young
women all crowded about the lower deck
ways; the Turk with his baggy pants; the
Greek with his quilted stubby suit the
Russian with his waistabout Jacket with an
attempt at square tail; the Egyptian
with his flowing gown, and the Arabian
with his bare limbs and half-clad form.
The women look like so many bundles of
colored cloth on exhibition and for sale.
They are going to Jerusalem to attend the
Easter services. Some of them are now at
worship. They are Mohammedans. Their
faces are turned towards Mecca. They are
devout, but the sword that propagated their
religion still begets the fear that perpetu-
ates it.
Jatia Is now near and it seems the
waters, as well as the shores, are inhabited.
Jaffa has no harbor, and both passenger
and cargo are taken ashore in small boats.
thus giving employment to scores of men.
The boatmen have on red shirts. and
across the breast, in large type, we read,
Rolla Floyd" Mr.. Floyd is an Ameri-
can, and loves the old flag now with more
intense fervor than twenty years ago,
when he first settled in Palestine 1t has,
indeed, been to him the insignia of the
| liberty purchased with the price of blood.
| lie Is our dragoman, and that flag will
| float over our tents through Palestine and
Syria into Beyroot
We had no trouble in passing the Gus
tom-house officials here Backsheesh here.
like IN America, does great things without
| authority. We are at the hotel OF Mr..
and Ms. Floyd. Their house, doors.
Windows and all, was shipped here from
America.
No one visits ,afia without seeing the
traditional house of " Simon the tanner by
| the seaside" a walk down the hillside
| slope on which the city is principally
| built and the site of the tanneries was
shown, and we were conducted into stone
| building and shown the room where Simon
lived, and also on the top of the building
where Peter had the vision that gave the
| Gentiles access to the gospel of Christ
If | believed this house to be the one
spoken of in Acts x. 23, I would describe
| 1t. but who that knows how often .Taffa,
! the beautiful" has been "overthrown.
sacked piIlaged and burned" until the
ancient city wall itself has disappeared.
believes that this house escaped the
destruction of those about it?
But near here is where Peter received
the message that God had made of one
blood all nations Of men, and that they
were to dwell together upon earth; and
that whoever feared and wrought right
eousness was accepted by Him. Every
| consanguinous preferment; every national.
political and sectional difference: every
religious caste and traditional custom. cir
cumcision or uncircumeision, was made
secondary and subordinate to that grand
principle. No republic on earth preced-
ing that period had approximated it either
IN principle or practice; and none since
then so fully as the republic of the United
States of America. Truly has it been said
that the American Declaration of indie
pendence is the greatest and best docu-
ment of independence declared ever
framed by men. Were men everywhere
to put its golden principles into the oper-
atoms Of their lives, both religious ana po-
litical, we should soon redeem the king
doms and peoples Of this benighted orient,
and enjoy the highest benedictions that
result from duty well performed and serv-
ce fully rewarded.
Jatfa is of interest to the biblical stu
dent, and with it he will associate the
history of Jonah, who served great part
in the redemption of shat great city,
Ninevah." The cedars of Lebanon were
sent here in floats for the temple of Solo
lion; also the materials of the second tenn
pie sent to this port. Jaffa was in the Ter
ritory of Dan, and was the principal
seaport of Palestine in the time of David
and Solomon. 1t suffered during the Mac
cabean wars. 1t was held from time to
time by the Syrians and Jews. Pompey
incorporated it with the province of Syria.
Julius Cesar restored it to Hyreanus II.
Herod later possessed it; also Archelaus.
Cestius Gallus laid it in ruins. Later it
became nest of sea robbers, and was de-
stroyed by Nespasian. Napoleon |. did
himself no credit by the inhumanity he
practiced here toward his own men, as
| well as toward the natives. A century ago
Jaffa was almost deserted, but to-day it is
city of 10000, and so filthy that words
can hardly describe it.
From JafIa we went to LYDIA. It was
known as Lod in old Testament times, and
later the Romans called it Diospolis. 1t is
now known as Lydd or Judd. Here St.
George was born, and the Greek Church
erected over his tomb bears his name.
The Episcopal Church has labored in
Lydd for twenty-four years with good sue
cess. The population of the town is above
1000.
We are now on the plains of Sharon,
and have already passed over miles of
Sharon" spoken of by Solomon and Isaiah,
excites thequery of the traveller. Writers
differ as to what it was. There is no indi-
genous plant here now that satisfies the
mind as being the rose mentioned.
At Ramleh we took lunch under the
shadow of the beautiful Saracenic tower,
and then assembled it and had such view
of grandeur and beauty as is not often the
privilege of mortals to see. The tower,
and an old carayanseria near it, have been
the objects of very severe disputes. The
ruins were said to be those of Christian
Church, dedicated to the Forty Martyrs
of Sebaste. That was IN the sixteenth
century. In the eighteenth it was
ascribed to the piety of Helena. A cen
tur.- later, even now, it is still ascribed to
the Crusaders, and thought to have been a
, church of the Knight Templars. DR.
Robinson finally settled the claim of the