Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1890-02-08

EpR. TALkiAGE WRITES or. HIS Pill
.sS GRlhAGE TO The HOLY LAND.
4 he Considered n Personal Visit to tho rlis.
,storlcai,s Spots Necessary In Order to Carry,
ont Ills Proposed Literary wors-A
ysn,nmhrysof His Experiences.
i GoNsgANTlSopLE, January, 1890. -
4 On cavin America | addressed some
words of farewell to my sci1nonic
srcatlers:Eand7now. OH M way home, 1
write this letter of salutuLion, Which
.awilEprobab Nrcacll youabout the Mon.
Isdaysthat swillsfiMd me on the. Atlantic
oceans froniaSliich [scannot reach you
lSwitli 4tlieEuslal sermon. Ihave:com-5
lplefed tic journey of inspection for
lAvEichgsI cainc. Others may write a
life Of Christ without, seeing the Holy.
EEalMEs,s1:tlid: snot fec sconipetentsfor
lisncllfa Work until 4 had seer wstli MY.
Isnwnseyes tile sacred places dndTsoI
JTeft5llomcale cliurclland native coun-:
Try folsa most arluous undertaken gil
5iiaxe visit eclsal j tliess scenery Connected
liiisto The whole:
iiourney las been-to me ~ surprise, an
l;inlazenicllt, n grand7rapture or Il deep
Esd :einnity + have already sent TO
| slmelica my Eoly Land observations
lsfor my Life of Christ" and they
iswere written on horseback, OH mule
[bacll, OH camelhack, on ships deck. By
Idim candle in tent. III mud hovcl of
Arab village. amid the ruins of old
.ciiics, on Mount OF Beaiitudcs, on
Ebcach of Gcnesarcth. but ii will take
Etwci:ty years of sermons to tell villa.
II have seen and felt OH this journey
Through Palestine and Syria.
= All things lave combined to make
Our tour instructive and advantageous.
The Atlantic and Mediterranean and
Atlriatic and Agean and Dartanelles
and Niarnora seas have treated us
we'll Since we left New York we haze
HAD but half day and one night OF
storm. and l!rt while crossing Mount
Hcrmon. But lei only those III robust
health attempt 10 go the length Of Pal
estinc and Syria on horseback. do
not think ii is because Of the unhealtl
OF. the climate in Holy Land that 50
many lave sickened and died here or
afterward as u result Of visiting these
lands, but because Of the faLgues OF
travel. The number of miles gives no
indication CT the exhau>t!ons of the
way. A hundred and fifty milcs-in
Palestine and Syria on horseback de-
mand as much physical strength as
four hundred miles on horseback in
regions OF easy journey. Because of
the Near two nonthsof bright sunlight
by day. and bright moonlight or star
light by night, the half day of storm
was to us the more memorable. 1t was
about noon Of Dec Is that the tempest
struck US and drcrched the mountains.
One Of the horses falls and we halt
amid binding ly.ili. 1t is freezing
cold. Fingers and feet like ice. Two
hours and three-quartcrs before ell
campment. We ride on in silence.
longing for the terminus Of today's
pilgrimage. It's, through the awful
inclemency ofatbe weather, the only
dangerous day of the journey. Slip
and slide and tumble and climb and
descend wssImust, sometimes OH the
horse and lnetimes d. until at-last-
instead of entering camp for the
night we are glad to find this retreat
from the storm. It is a house Of one
story, built out OF mud. My room is
covered with roof OF goats hair. A
feeble fire niid.[oor, but 10 chimney.
II is the best house of the village.
Arabs. young and old, stand around
in wondermcnt as to why we come.
There is no window in the room, but
Two little openings, one over the door
and tile other III the wall, through
which latter opening l occasionally
find an Arab face thrust TO see how lam
progressing. But the door is open, so |
have some light. This isan afternoon
and night never TO be forgotten for its
exposures 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 lodg-
ment in my nostrils and eyes. for
the first time in my life realized that
chimncys were a luxury but no. a nc
cessity. The only adornments in this
room were representations OF two tree
branches in the mud of the wall, a cir
Gle supposed to mean star, bottle
hung from the ceiling, and about
twelve indentations in the wall 10 be
used as mantels for anything that may
be placed there. This storm was not
a surprise. Through pessilnistic proph-
els we had expected that at this season
we slload have rain and snow and
hail throughout our journey. For the
most part it has been sunshine and
tonic atmosphere. and notsa moment
has our journey been llindered. Graft
tude to God is with us the dominant
emotion.
Having visited the scenery connected
with Christs life was glad 10 close my
journey by passing through the apos-
tolic lands and seas You can hardly
imagine our feelings as we came in
sight of Damascus, and OH the very
road where Saul was endorsed at the
fash 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 carriage met US
some miles out aid took us to the city.
The impression one receives as he rides
along the walled gardens of the place
arc different frcol those produced by
any other city. But we cannot de-
scribe our feelings as we entered the
city about which we have heard and
read SO much, the Oldest city under
tic sun, and founded by the grandson
OF Noah nor our emotions as we pass
through the street called Straight,
along which good Ananias went to
meet Saul; and by the site of the pal
ace of Naaman the leper, and saw The