Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-11-16
In THE HOLY LAND.
REV. A. C. HERRICK DELIVERS AN
INTERESTING LECTURE.
The Wonders of the Dead sea-Ruins of
the Temples of the Sun and
Jupiter.

Cavalry Baptist Church was crowded
again last evening, another illustrated lee
ture on the Holy Land by Rev. A. c. Her.
rick being the attraction.
As a prelude TO his lecture Dr. Her
rick first gave brief history of Christie
pher Columbus and the Pilgrim Fathers,
accompanied by some excellent pictures
! from the stereopticon. The new monu-
ment dedicated in August last at Plymouth,
Mass, to Columbus was shown for the first
time by stereopticon in the United States.
The speaker then went over briefly the ia.
miliar history of the trials and fluctuations
of Columbus before Queen Isabella finally
fitted him out for his trip across the Pacific.
Pictures of the D. o. Mills statue in the
Capitol and of the Capitol itself were shown
during the recital.
The next picture shown was beautiful
representation of landing of the Pilgrim
Fathers at Plymouth Rock. The speaker
referred feelingly to the hardships borne by
these seekers for freedom. The magnificent
monument which now covers Plymouth
Rock to mark the historical spot was
tains the bones of some of the Pilgrims who
persisted shortly after the arrival of the
Maydower.
From Plymouth the lecturer took the
audience suddenly with him to the Holy
Land, which, he said, is about equal in size
10 Sacramento county. A trip from Jeru-
salem to the Dead Sea was undertaken, and
the audience found it full of interest Pass
ing out of st. Stephens gate they traversed
the terrible wilderness OF Judea, rough and
rocky as it was, and also the plains of
Jericho. They were accompanied by guide
or protector" who was supposed to pos
sess the power of staving off the ravages of
the thieving natives. You might be travel
ing through the Holy Land, interrupted
the speaker, "but you will not find the
tourists, and if they catch them asleep,
they will rob them OF everything movable
including their horses and provisions"
The river of Jordan-'the crookedest river
what is" as a writer of the thirteenth
century put it, was reached, and its course
followed to the Dead Sea. The water
of Jordan is delicious, and a rich
vegetation lines the banks. A brief
halt was made at the spot where
the priests take their annual plunges. The
Dead sea- $500 feet below the level of the
Mediterranean sea, presented an interest
lag sight. Its waters were exceedingly blue
and inviting, but the fact that for miles
around it not shrub could thrive exposed
the deception. The ground for consider
able distance from the shore was composed
of salty incrustation which cracked and
Welded to the hoofs of the pack-horses.
It was summer time and intensely hot
The shore reached, a halt was made
and the speaker proposed a
swim, but first cautioning the audi
ence against permitting any of the
brine to get in the eyes or mouth. Its an
excellent place to learn to swim, said DR..
Herrick, "but poor place TO commit sui
eide" One of the tourists drives horse
into the water, and everybody was surprised
to see the animal roll over and over on the
surface, so buoyant was the water.
The tourists then entered and en-
joyed the bath hugely. But everybody
looked as pale rs death upon emerging.
This was not from fright, though, nor
was it the first stages of a picking
process. 1t was simply the salt which had
adhered the skin. A gallon of Dead Sea
water will yield quart of salt. 1t was for
long time believed that no animal life
could exist in the Dead Sea, but this has
been proved not so. Some of the very
lowest forms do exist. The prevailing idea
that birds which attempt to fly across the
sea fall dead into the water was also found
to be hallucination.
From the Dead Sea, Jerusalem was again
headed for, and after a rest, various excur-
sions were proposed and made to historical
points. The Mosque on Mount Moriah, was
visited. So was the famous Weeping
Court, where the Jews congregate every
Tuesday and weep for the day when Jeru-
salem will be restored though the stone of
which this court was built was quarried in
the days of King Solomon, it still stands.
Jacobs well was journeyed to, and the
travellers drank of its waters. The natives
pointed out to them the Identical stone
upon which Jacob pillowed his head-it is
about thirty five miles from Jerusalem.
The ancient town of Shechem where the
Children of Israel came up from the Jor-
dan three million strong, and held the
greatest camp-meeting the sun ever shone
upon, was inspected, and then beautiful
Nazareth, surrounded by it's eighteen or
twenty hills-the home of Him who was
the greatest friend of humanity. Hours
could have been spent in the magnificent
and awe-inspiring ruins of the Temple of
the Sun and the Temple of Jupiter the
architecture and designs of which are stud
led by the artists of to-day.
From Jerusalem Dr.. Herrick conducted
his audience to Athens for q briefinspection
of the wondrous ruins of the Parthenon,
and after they had Toasted their eyes upon
the magnificent and ponderous columns
some minutes, the scene suddenly van
ished and in its place stood Sacramento's
famous ruins-Sutters Fort. May the
old building be saved 10 us" was all that
the speaker said, and his audience APP
plauded wildly.
This concluded the programme which
had been announced, but before dismissing
the audience DR.. Herrick, by request. re-
produced his celebrated views of the hor-
rors of the Johnstown food.
Another lecture is announced for next
i1o1