The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1890-12-19
DR.. TaImage Travels Along
The Historic Roads in
Palestine.
He Continues His Review of
What he Saw and Heard
in P lestine.

10 90 that night, We must have persisted. A
violent storm had opened upon US it's volley
ot hail, and snow, md ruin, and wind, as il
to let US know what the Bible mems when
prophet and evangelist and Christ himself
spoke oi the fury Of the elements. The at
mosphefic rath broke upon US about 1
O'Clock in the afternoon and We were until
night exposed to 1t. With hands und
feet benumbsd and our bodies chill
to the bone, We made our slow
way. While high mp on the rocks,
and the gale blowing the hardest, sig-
nal of 'istress halted the party. Tor down
In the revines one Of the horses had falpn
and his rider must not be lett alone amid that
wilderness Of scenery mud horror oistorm.
As the night approached, the tempest thick.
ened and blackened and st strengthened. Some
Of our attendants going ahead Ind gained
permission for US to halt for the night in tho
mud hovel l speak Of Our first duty on ar
rival was the resuscitation OF the exhausted
Of our party. Ny room wns without a win.
dow, and an il IN stove without any top, in
the center Of the room the smoke selecting
my eyes in the absence OF u chimney
Through IN opening in the door, Arab taces
wore several times thrust up to zee how
was progressing. But the tempest ceased
during the night and before it was fully day
We vera feeling for the stirrups Of our saddled
horses, this being the day whose long march
will bring Us to that city. whose name can.
not be pronounced in the hearing Of the in.
teiligent or the Christian without making
the blood to tingle and the nerves to thrill
and putting the best emotions of the soul
into Observation-Disclosures!
During theday We passed Cnsarea Philippi,
the northern terminus ofChrist's t'sj journeying
North OF that He never went. We lunch ut
noon, seated on the fallen columns Of one of
Herod's palaces.
At 4 O'Clock in the afternoon, coming to
hilltop. We saw on the broad plain city.
which the most famous camel.driver of all
time, afterwnrd called Mohummed, thepropll.
ct and the founder Of the most stupend ous
system oferror thatihas evercursed the earth
refused to enter because he suid God would
allow man to enter hut one paradise and he
would not enter this earthly paradise lest lie
should he denied entrance to the heavenly.
But no city that ever saw 80 plays hide and
seek with the traveller. The air is SO clear
the distant objects seem close hy. You come
on the top of hill ami Damascus seems
only a iittle-way Off But down you go int
a valley and you see nothing for the next
hnlf hour but barrenness and rocks regur.
gitated by the volcanoes aud other ages.
Up another hill and down again. lip again
and down again. But after your pntience IL
almost exhausted you rench the last hill op
der the whole heavens, and built by NOuls
grandson, grows upon your vision. Every
mile OF the journey now becomes more solemn
and suggestive nnd tremendous.
This was the very road. for it has been the
only road for thousands Of years. the roni
from Jerusalem to Damascus, along which n
cavulcade OF mounted officers went, about
! $40 years ago, in the midst of them n
fierce little mnn who mnde up by magnitude
of hatred for Christianity for his diminutive
stature, md was the Leading spirit nnd
though suffering from chronic inflammation
of the eyes, from those eyes flushed more in
dignation against Christ's followers than
tie man, before his name was changed to
Paul. was called Saul. So many of the
migltiest natures of all ages nre condensed
into smallness OF stature. Tie Frcnchmnn
who was sometimes called by his troops
"Old One Hundred Thousand" was oten,
because Of his abbreviated personal presence
styled Little Mp" Lord Nelson. with ill.,
significant stature to start with, and one
eye put out at Cnlvi and his right arm taken
off ut Teneriile, proves himself ut Trafalgar
the miYhticst hero OF the English navy. The
grentest of American theoloyiana. Archibald
Alexander. could stund under the elbow Of
many of his contemporaries. Look out for
tlie little men when they start out or some
especial mission OF good or evil. The thun.
Well, that galloping group OF horsemen on
the rond to Damascus were halted quicker
than bombshell or cnvalry charge ever halt.
cd regiment. The Syrian MONDAY. Lecuuse
ol the clarity Of tho atmosphere is the bright.
est Of all mondays and the noon.iny sun In
suddenly that noon there flashed from the
heavens light which made that Syrinn sun
seem tame as star in comparison. 1t was
the face of the slain and uscen entled Christ,
looking from the heavens. aud under the dnsh
OF that overpowering light ull the horses
dropped with their riders. Human face and
horses name together in the dust. And then
two claps of thunder followed uttcring he
two words. the second word like the first:
saul! Saul" For three days that fnlrn
equestrian wns totally blind, for excessive
light will sometimes extinguish the eyesight.
And what corner and crystalline lens could
endure q brightness greater than the noon
day Syrian sun? | lIad read it hundred
times, hut it never so impressed ine l'e.orc
and probably will never 80 impress me
ngain, as l took my Bible rom tho
saddle bags and read aloud to our comruucs
in travel: "As he journeyei. he came near
Damascus and suddenly there shinrd round
about linn IL light from heaven aud he fell
to the enrtli and heard voice saying unto
mel and he said. who art thou, Lord?'
And the Lord said, ! an Jesus whom thou
ptrsecutest.'"
But We cannot stop longer on this road
for We shall see this unlorsed equestrian
later in Damascus, toward which his horses
head is turned and Mt which we must our.
selves arrive before night. The evening il
mon behind us and approach the shadow OF
the cupolas OF 200 mosques. we cut
through the circumference of many milca of
garden which embower the city. So luxuri.
ont are these gardens, SO opuient in colors.
SO luxurious o: fruits. 40 glttcring with
fountains. SO rich with bowers and kiosks
that the MOhRmmedan's heaven was fash
ioned after what are to he reen here of bloom
and irutngs. Here in Damascus at he right
seuson ars cherries, and mulhcriies, and
apricots, and almonds. and pistnrhos, and
pOmegranatss, md pears. and apples. and
plums, and citrons, AMI nll the richness of
the round worlds pomolosy: y" wonder
East" and that the poets of syrin have
styled it "the lustre on the neck OF doves"
aud histot ians said: at Is the golden rlnsp
which couples the two sides of the. world to.
gether."
Many travellers express disnppont ment
with Damascus, but the trouble is they have
carried on their minds from boyhood the
book which dnzzles so many young PEOPLE
the ARABIAN Nights" and they come into
Damascus looking for Allndin's lamp and
Alluiin's ring. and the genii which appeared
by rubbing them. But. ns have never read
the Arabian Nights such stuff not being
allowed around our house in my boyhood.
and nothing lighter in the wny oi reading
thnn Baxters Saints. Everlasting Rest, and
D'Aubignys History OF the Reformation.
Damascus appeared to me ns sncred and
secular history hive presented il. and 80 the
city was not disappointment, but with IL
few exceptions surprise
But ] must sny that this city OF Damascus
M ] see it now 10 not M absorbing ns the
Damascus of olden times. turn my back
upon the bazaars. with rugs fascinating the
merchunts from Bngdnd. and the Indian
textile fnbric of Incompatible make. and the
manufactured saddles and brides gay
enough for princes Of the Orient to ride and
pull. and baths where ablution Incomes an
inspiration. and the homes Of those bargain
makers uf to-day marbled and divnned and
fountained nnd upholstered md mosaiced
and arabesqued md colonnaded until moth.
ing can be added. and the splendid remoins
OF the great mosque of John, originally
built with gates SO heavy TINT It required
FIVE men to turn them, and columns Of r"r-
pliory and kne"ling. places framed in diamond
and "a stained glass windows md 600
Tampa of pure gold. single prayer offered
10 this mosque snid TO he worth 10000
prayers onersd 10 any other liace. ! turn
my back ON all these and see Damascus
- it was when thia narrow street
which tho Bible eulls Straight was
q g,eat wide street. a New York Broad.
way or o Parisian Champs Elysees, grent