The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1890-10-30

than with one. But all through our journeys
in Palestine we required firearms. While the
only weapon had on my person was New
Testament we went through the region where
said to tho dragoman: David, are you
armedY' and he said "Yes" and said: "Are
th,se fifteen or twenty mueteers and bag
gage men and attendants armed" and he
said eyes" and felt safer.
On we roll through the plain OF Sharon.
Here grew the rose after which Christ was
named, Rose Of Sharon, celebrated in all
Christendom aud throughout all ages.
There has been controversy as to what flow
er it was Some say 1t was marshmallow
that thriveS here, and some claim this honor
for the narcissus, and some for the blue iris,
and some for the scarlet anemone, for you
must know That this plain OF Sharon is roll
ing ocean of color when the spring breezes
move acrossit, But leaving the botanists in
controversy as to what it is | would take tho
most aromatic and beautiful OF them all and
twist them into garland for the name
which Is above every name"
Yonder, little to the north as we move
on, is the plain Of Ono Tho Bible mentions
1t again and again. The village standing on
this plain of Ono is a mud village. Two
great basins Of rock catch tho rains for the
people. OF moro Importance In olden tiIr.s
than in modern time was this plain Of Ono
| DuU us Iue uIdSOulttu tUalt III Vt1O
Bible Tread of it was reminded of tho vast
multitude Of people who now dwell in the
plain Of Ono. They are, by their nervous
constitution or by thcir lack Of faith in God,
always in the negative Will you help to
build church, Oh, no! Will you start out
in some new Christian enterprise? Oh, mol
Do you think the world is getting any bet
teri Oh, no! They lie down in the path Of
all good movements, sanitary, political and
religious. They harness their horses with TO
traces to pull ahead, but only breeching
straps to hold back. For oil Christian work
I would not give for thousand OF them the
price Of clipped ten cent piece. They are
In the plain Of Oh, no! May the Lord multi
ply the numbers of those who when anything
good is undertaken ara found to live in the
plain of Oh, yes! Will you support this new
charity? Oh, yes! Do you think that this
victim Of evil habit can be reformed? Oh,
yesl Are you willing to do anything,
whether obscure or resounding, for the well
fare Of the church and the salvation OF a
world2 Oh, yes! But, l am sorry to say
that tho most populous plain in all the earth
to-day is the plain of Ono.
Here now we como whero stood the folds
into which Samson fired the foxes Tho
foxes are no rarity in this land. l counted
at oao time twenty or thirty of them in one
group, and the cry all along tho line was
Foxes. Look at tho foxesm and ut night
! they sometimes bark until all attempts to
sleep are an absuriity. Those 1 saw and
heard in Palestine might have beoa descend
ants of the very foxes that Samson employed
for an appalling incendiarism. The wealth
of that land was in the harvests, and it was
harvest time and the straw was dry. Three
hundred foxes are caught and tied in couples
by some wire or incombustibic cord which
the flames cannot divide, AMI frebrands are
fastened to those couples Of foxes, and the
afPrighted creatures are let loose and run
every whittier among tho harvests, aud in
the awful blaze down go the corn Shocks and
the vineyards, and the olives and all through
the valleys and over the hills and among the
! villages IS heard the cry Of "FireW Andin
the burnt pathway walk hunger and want
and desolation.
| All this for spite. And soma thcoloyians
learn one thing and soma another. But |
learn from 1t that great man may some
| times stoop to q very mean piece Of business,
and that If men would use as much ingenu-
ity In trying to bless as they do tu trying to
destroy, the world all the way down would
be in better condition. Yet the fire OF tho
foxes kindlcd that night In Palestine has not
gone out, but has leaped the seas, and the sly
foxes, the human foxes, are now still run
ming every whittier, kindling political fires,
fires Of religious controversy, fires of hate,
world wide fires and the whole harvest Of
Righteousness perish. 1t tool. the hard work
of multltudes on these plains Of Palestine for
months and months to rear the vine and raise
tho corn, but it took only three hundred
worthless foxes one night to blaze all into
ashes.
Brace up your nerves now, that you may
look while point them out. Youder IS Ktr-
jath-Jearim, where the ark Of God statd un-
I'll David took it to Jerusalem. Yonder John
the Baptist was born. Yonder Is Emmaus,
where Christ walked with his disciples al
eventide. Here are men blowing, only one
handle to the plow, showing the accuracy. OF
Christ's aliusion. When we plow in America
or England there are two hands on two
handles, but in Palestine only one handle.
And so Christ used the singular saying, mo
man having put his hand to the plow aud
looking back Is fit for the kingdom" The OK
Is urged on by q wooden stick pointcd with
sharp iron, and the OK knows enough not 10
kick, for he would only hurt himself instead
OF breaking the goad. And the Bible refers
to that when it says to Saul ut Is hard for
thee to kick against the goads."
Here is the valley OF Ajelon, famous for
Joshuas pursuit Of the five kings and tho
lunar arrest. And in imagination I see tho
moon in daytime halt. Who has not some
times seen the moon dispute the throne with
the SUM- But whsn the king OF day and the
queen OF night who never before JoSauaS
time nor since then stopped moment in
their march, halted at Joshuas command 1t
was O scene, enough to make the universe
shiver: Moon, stand thou still in the valley
of Ajalon~ At another time we will see the
sun stop above Gibeon. but now we have only
to do with the moon, and you must reInem-
bcr it was more Of an orb than it is now. 1t
\ a burnt OF world now, dead world cow.
an extinct world now, q corpse laid ont in
state In the heavens, waiting for the jUdg-
ment day to bury 1t. But on the day Of
which speak the moon was probably u lv-
ing world, yet it halted at the wavo Of JOSH
uas finger, Stand thou stiilp Do not bulge
an inch until Joshua finishes those five kings,
who are there tumblng over the rocks, sword
sky pelting tleln.
And there is the cavern OF Makkodah,
where they fed for safety, and where they
welo aftarward locked in. and from which
they were taken out to be slain, ani in which
they were afterwari buried, and you do
well to examine that cavern. for within 4
few hours it became three things which no
other cave ever was-fortrcSs, pr-5on,
sspulcher.
Now we pass the place where onco lived
ono OF the greatest robbers Of the c1urtry,
Abou Gosh by name. From this point You
see he could look over the surrounding coun-
try, and long before the travellers came ~ to
him the plan for taking of their money or
their life, or both, was consumated. He one
day found company of monks who would
not pay, and he sniothored them to death III
hot oven In his last days he livoi hero
like an oriental prince AMI had attendants
and admirers to whom he told his stories OF
brigandago and assassination. So lata rs
when our eminent and beloved American,
William G. Primo, passed through, A0ou
Gosh, the scounirelly Bedouiu, sat ct his
doorway smoking his pipe. His descendants
liveln this village, anl probably ar, no NOR
honest than their distinguished ancestor. but