Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1890-12-08


so opulent in coloTs, so luscious of
fruits. so glittcring with fountains SO
rich with bowers and kiosks, that the
Mohalnnedan's heaven was fashioned
after what are to be seen here of bloom
and fruitage. Here in Damascus at
the right season are cherries and null
berries and apricots and almonds and
pistachios and pomegranates and pears
and apples and plums and citrons and
all the richness of the round world S
pomology No wonder that Julian
called this city 1.-The eye of the east, >
and that the poets of Syria have styled
it 1.-The luster on the neck of doves, y
and historians said, ''It is the golden
clasp which couples the two sides of
the world together
Many travellers express disappOint-
ment with Damascus, but the trouble
is they have carried on their minds
from boyhood the book which dazzles
SO many young people-''The Arabian
Nights, p" and they come into Damascus
Looking for Aladdin's lamp and Alad-
din's ring and the genii which appeared
by rubbing them. But, as l have
never read THE Arabian Nights. such
stuff not being allowed around our
house in my bOyhood, and nothing
lighter in the way of reading than
'Baxter's Saints Everlasting Rest"
and D'Aubigny's History of the Ref
ormation, - Damascus appeared to me
as sacred and secular histories have pre-
sented it, and SO the city was not dis
appointment, but with few exceptions
a surprise.
THE RUSH OF THE RIVER ALBANIA.
Under my window tonight in the no.
tel at Damascus | hear the perpetual
ripple and rush of the river ALBANIA. Ah
the secret is Outl Now | know why
all this flora and fruit and why every
thing is SO green, and the plain one
great emerald The river ALBANIA! And
not far off the river Pharpar, which
our horses waded through todayi
Thank the rivers, or rather the God
who made the rivers Deserts to the
north, deserts to the south, deserts to
the east, deserts to the west, but here a
paradise And as the rivers GihOn and
Pison and Hiddel1el and Euphrates
make the other paradise, ALBANIA and
| Pharpar make this Damascus a para
disc That is what made Gen. Naaman
of this city of Damascus so mad when
| he was told for the cure Of his leprosy
! to go and wash in the river Jordan.
The river Jordan is much of the year
a muddy stream, and tits never SO clear
as this river ALBANIA that | hear rum
bling under my window tonight, nor as
the river Pharpar that we crossed to-
day. They are as clear as though they
| had been Sieved through some especial
sieve of the mountains Gen. Naaman
had great and patriotic pride in these
two rivers of his own country, and
when Elisha the prophet told him that
if he wanted to get rid of his leprosy
he must go and wash in the Jordan he
felt as we who live on the magnificent
| Hudson would feel if told that we must
60 and wash in the muddy Thames, or
as if those who live on the transparent
Rhine were told that they must go and
wash in the muddy Tiber So Gen.
Naaman cried out with a voice as loud
as ever he had used in commanding his
| troops, uttering those memorable words
which every minister of the gospel
sooner or later takes for his text: Are
not ALBANIA and Pharpar, rivers of
Damascus, better than the waters of
Israel? May I not wash in them and
be cleanY
Thank God we live in a land with
plenty of rivers, and that they bless all
our Atlantic coast and all our Pacific
coast. and reticulate all the continent
between the coasts. Only those who
have travelled in the deserts of Syria or
Egypt, or have in the oriental cities
heard the tinkling of the bells of those
who sell water, can realize what it is to
have this divine beverage in abund
ance Water rumbling over the rocks,
turning the mill wheel, saturating the
roots of the corn, dripping from buck
cts, filling the pitchers of the house
hold rolling through the fonts or bap-
tistries of holy ordinance, filling the
reservoirs of cities inviting the cattle
to come down and Stake their thiSst,
and the birds of heaven to dip their
wing, ascending in robe of mist and
falling again in benediction of shower
water, living water, God given water!
AWAKENED BY SONG.
We are awakened in the morning in
Damascus by the song of those who
have different styles of food to sell 1t
is not a street cry as in London or New
York, but a weird and long drawn out
solo compared with which a buzz saw
is musical. 1t makes you inopportune-
ly waken and will not let you sleep
again But to those who understand
the exact meaning of the song, it be-
comes quite tOlerable. for they sing:
''God is the nourisher, buy my bread; ;"
''God is the nOurisher, buy my milk )"
''God is the nOurisher. buy my fruit. !"
As you look out of the window you see
the MOhammedanS, who are in large
majority in the city, at prayer And if
| it were put to vote who should be king
of all the earth, fifteen thousand in that
city would say Christ, but one hundred
| and thirty thousand would say Moham-
med
Looking from the window you see
| on the housetops and on the streets
Mohammedans at worship. The mu-
ezzin, or the officers of religion, who
announce the time of worship appear
| high up on the different minarets or
| tall towers and walk around the NINA
ret, inclosed by a railing, and cry in
sad and mumbling way: God is
| great bear witness that there is no
| God but God. | bear witness that
Mohammed is the apostle of God.
Come to prayers Come to salvation!
| God is great. There is no other but
God. Prayers are better than sleep. y
| Five times day must the MOham
medan engage in worship, AS he be
| gins he turns his face toward the city
! of Mecca and unrOlls upon the ground
a rug which he almost always carries.
With his thumbs touching the lobes of
his ears and holding his face between
his hands he cries, GOD is great"
Then, folding his hands across his
girdle. he looks down and says: ''Holi-
ness to thee, . God, and praise be to
thee Great is thy name. Great is
thy greatness. There is no deity but
thee" Then the worshiper sits upon