Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-02-03
DR.. TALMAGE WRITES
A Letter From COnstantinOple to Take
the Place of His Sermon.
WHAT he Has ENJOYED ABROAD,
His JOurneyings in Palestine and Apostolic
Lands and Seas.
HIS DESIRE on THE EVE Of RETURNING
CORRESPONDENTS OF THE p1sPArcHI

NEW YORK, February 2.-As Rev. DR.
7. De Witt Talmage is now, as had beer
anticipated, on an ocean steamship en- routt
back to America, he has furnished, by ad
vance mail from Constantinople, the follow
ing characteristic letter, to take the place o
his usual Sunday sermon for publication:
On leaving America addressed some words
of farewell to my sermonic readers, and now
on my way home, l write this letter of saluta
tion, which will probably reach you about the
| Monday that will hnd me on the Atlantic
| ocean, from which cannot reach you with the
usual sermon, have completed the journey
of inspection for which l came, Others may
write life of Christ without seeing the Holy
Land. l did not feel competent for such
work until HAD seen with my own eyes the
sacred places; and SO left home and church
and native country for most arduous under
taking. have visited all the scenery connected
with our Lords history. The whole journey
has been to me a surprise, an amazement a
grand rapture or deep solemnity. Ihave
already sent to America my Holy Land OBJ
servations for my Life of Christ" and they
were written on horseback, on muleback, on
camelback, on ships deck, by dim candle in
tent, in mud hovel of Arab village, amid the
ruins of old cities on Mount of Beatitudes. on
beach of Genesareth but it will take 20 years
of sermons to tell what have seen and felt on
this journey through Palestine and Syria.
All things have combined to make our tour
instructive and advantageous. The Atlantic
and Mediterranean and Adriatic and Egean
and Dardaneles and Marmora seas have
treated us well. Since we left New York we
have had but a half day and one night Of
storm, and that while crossing Mount Hermon.
But let only those IN robust health attempt to
go the length of Palestine and Syria on horse
haa IL IL fc asaF ThoT
health of the climate in Holy Land that so
many have sickened and died here OF after
ward as a result of visiting these lands but be-
cause of
THE FATIGUEs OF TRAVEL.
The number of miles gives no indication of
the exhaustions of the way. A hundred and
fifty miles in Palestine and Syria on horseback
demand as much physical strength as 400 miles
on horseback in regions of easy journey Be-
cause of the near two months of bright SUM-
light by day, and bright moonlight or starlight
by night the half day of storm was to us the
more memorable 1t was about noon of De-
cember Is that the tempest struck us and
drenched the mountains. One of the horses
falls and we halt amid binding rain. 1t is
freezing cold. Fingers and feet like ice. Two
hours and three-quarters before encampment
We ride on in silence, longing for the terminus
of to-day's pilgrimage. 1t is, through the awful
inclemency of the weather, the only dangerous
day of the journey. Slip, and slide, and tumble,
and climb descend we must sometimes on the
horse and sometimes of, until at last we halt in
the hovel of a village, and instead of entering
camp for the night we are glad to find this re-
treat from the storm. 1t is house of one story,
built out of mud. Ny room is covered with
roof of goats hair. A feeble fire mid-hoor, but
no chimney. 1t is the best house of the village.
Arabs, young and old, stand around in wonder
ment as to why We come. There is no window
in the room, but two little openings, one over
the door and the other in the WALL through
which latter opening l occasionally hnd an
Arab face thrust to see how am progressing.
But the door is open, so have some light. This
is an afternoon and night
NEVER TO BE FORGOTTEN
for its exposure and acquaintance with the
hardships of what an Arab considers luxurious
apartment. sat that night by fire. the smoke
of which, finding no appropriate place of exit,
took lodgment in my nostrils and eyes. For the
first time in my life realized that chimneys
were a luxury but not a necessity. The only
adornmeuts in this room were representations
of two tree branches in the mud of the wall, a
circle supposed to mean a star, bottle hung
from the ceiling, and about II indentations in
the wall to be used as mantels TOR anything
that may be placed there. THIS storm was not
a surprise. Through peSsimiStic prophets we
had expected that at this season we should
have rain and snow and hail throughout our
journey. For the most part it has been SUM-
shine and tonic atmosphere, and not moment
has our journey been hindered. Gratitude to
God is with us the dominant emotion.
Having visited the scenery connected with
Christ's life l was glad to close my journey by
passing through the apostolic lands and seas.
You can hardly imagine our feelings as we
came in sight of Damascus, and on the very
road where Saul was unhorsed at the flash Of
the supernal light We did not want, like him,
to be flung to the earth, but we did hope for
some great spiritual blessing brighter than any
monday sun, and
A NEW PREPARATION
for usefulness. Our long horseback ride was
ended, for a carriage met US some miles out
and took US to the city. The impression one
receives as he rides along the walled gardens
of the place are different from those produced
by any other city. But we cannot describe our
feelings as we entered the city about which we
have heard and read so much, the oldest city
under the sum- and founded by the grandson
of Noah; nor our emotions as we pass
through the street called Straight, along which
the good Ananias went to meet Saul; and by
the site Of Naaman the leper, and saw the
River Abana, as yesterday we saw Pharpar the
rivers of Damascus that Naaman preferred to
wash in rather than the Jordan. Strange and
unique Damascus! 1t is worth while to cross
the Atlantic and Europe to see it. Though it
has been the rlace of battle and massacre and
of ancient afhuence and splendor, as well as it
is of present prosperity, to me its chief attrac-
tion arises from the fact that here the scales
fell from Paul's eyes. and that chief of apostles
here began that mission which will not end
until heaven is peopled with ransomed spirits.
So also l saw day before yesterday Patmos,
where John heard the trumpets and the waves
of the sea dashed to his feet, reminding him of
the songs OF heaven, like the voice of many
waters"
MUCH MORE TO FOLLOW.
But this letter can only give hint of the
things we mean to tell you about when we get
home. where we expect to be before this month
is ended. l baptized by immersion in the Jor-
dan an American whom we met, and who de-
sired the solemn ordinance administered to
him in the sacred waters. rolled down from
Mount Calvary or place of skull" stone for
the cornerstone of our new Brooklyn Taber-
nacle. We bathed in the Dead Sea" and in
'Gideons Fountain" /" where his 300 men lapped
the water from their hands as they passed
through; and we sailed on Lake Galllee and
stood on Mount Zion and Mount MOriah and
Mount Hermon, and saw the place where the |
heard the Christmas anthem the |
night Christ was born: and have been at Naz- |
areth, and Capernaum, and sat by Jacobs |
Well, and saw Tel-el-Kebir of modern battle, |
the Israelites crossed the desert, and |
slept at Bethel where one ladder was let down |
into Jacobs dream, but the night slept there |
the heavens were full of ladders: first ladder |
Of clouds, then ladder Of stars and all up and |
down the heavens were the angels of beauty, |
angels Of consolation, angels of God ascending |
and descending; and was on nearly all the |
fields of Herodic, and Solomonic, and Davidic, |
and Mosaic, and Abrahamic history. took !
Rome, and Naples, ana Athens, and Alexan-
1ria, and Cairo on the way out, and take the |
Greek Archipelago, and Constantinople, and |
Vienna on the way back. What more can God |
in His goodness grant me in the way of natural |
scenery. and classic association, and spiritual
opportunity3 Ah, yesi l can think of some
hing gladder than that He can grant me. Safe
return to the people of my beloved flock, the
ield of my work, and the land where my
fathers died, and in the dust of whose valleys l |
pray God may be buried.
7. DEWITT TALMAGE.
Relative Cost of Gas and Electricity.
innnirH Is often mada M 70 thn rnIati,rn