Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-02-22
DIR. TALMAGE'S TRIP.
Interesting Final Letter, Covering
Damascus and Other Cities.
GREAT DIFFICULTIES In SHOPPING.
Devotion and Camel's Meat, and Moody and
Sankey in Modern Greek.
EPHESUS AND ITS WONDERFUL RUINS


LIVERPOOL, January 25.-Dr. Talmage
in a recent letter to his multitudinoul
friends, has described in his own peculiar
style our strange and interesting experience
while sheltered from the Snclemency of tn,
weather beneath the roof of one of the many
mud houses that constitute the ambitious
Bedouin settlement known as ''The Village
Of the Sum-"
Early dawn the next morning found us in
our saddles ready for the journey to Damas.
Gus, the most ancient city on the face Of the
earth. We were on the most ancient of all
highways, once the scene of the pursuit by
Abraham of Chedorlaomer, and many cen.
turies after of Saul's memorable journey
while on his bloodthirsty mission to perse.
cute and extirpate the early Christians.
We ascended a shoulder of Mount Her
mon, 5000 feet above the Mediterranean
Sea, and near the reputed site of the scene
of TRANSPORTATION. From this great eleva-
tion we enjoyed the command of our best
view of Palestine. The Jordan and the
Dead Sea were plainly visible, while before
us in the distance lay Damascus, shaped
like spoon, and surrounded by those beau
tiful olive and orange gloves which give
color and substance to the claim that the
garden of Eden occupied that very site. At
our right Mount Hermon continued to rise
5000 feet higher than the place on which
we were standing.
A NOVEL KIND OF ICE CREAM.
A large portion of the snow crowning its
summit finds its way daily to Damascus
there to be favored with lemon and orange
and pineapple and melon, after which it is
served in the daintiest Of dishes to the in
mates of innumerable harems Nowhere in
all Syria are the inhabitants more intolerant
than in the villages that lie between Mount
Hermon and Damascus, or more devout In
their religious duties. The sight of a
Christian Immediately results in all manner
of manifestations of displeasure and con-
tempt, and any expression rejecting on Mo-
hammedanism is sure to result in an explo-
sion Of wrath.
As it appeared quite evident that we
could not reach Damascus travelling at the
customary gait, we wired for a carriage to
come and meet us at Katana, near which,
the inhabitants insist, is the site of Saul's
marvellous vision and miraculous conversion
to Christianity.
While the setting sun was gliding the
housetops and minarets we rode along the
banks Of the ALBANIA, that divides Damascus
its entire length. The first impression one
gets of Damascus is an exceedingly favora-
bic one, and the principal approach to it is
perfectly beautiful. Even in December the
luxuriance of the foliage OF the gardens
along which we passed to enter the city de-
fes description, and the deep glades with
their pretty houses, the roofs of which are
below the level of the we'll graded road,
which is completely shaded by majestic
trees planted on either side, present q scene
that an abler pen than mine may shrink
from describing.
1t was already quite dark when we en-
tered the city, and within a few minutes
thereafter we found ourselves comfortably
housed in the finest hotel Damascus can
boast of. And no mean hotel it was. In
fact, it was the first hotel since we landed
at Joppa that had a comfortably warmed
dining room. After sumptuous dinner we
fingered while at the table and engaged
with the host in a most interesting CONVEX
sat on, in the course of which he vehement
ly expatiated on the intolerance of the
Turks.
DAMASCUS A DIRTY CITY.
Although the largest of the cities of Tur-
key in Asia, Damascus is likewise one of
spite of its filth, it is very attractive, Its
b3zaars are wonderful, and contain the most
beautiful fabrics in bawildering profusion.
But shopping is not ENJOYABLE, as in our
American cities. The ladies of our party
were spit upon and frequently treated with
other expressions of marked contempt be-
cause they appeared unveiled on the streets.
Even the Turkish women Join the men in
these demonstrations, and visit to any of
the shops was sure to draw a curious crowd,
Naturally the ''Street called Straight"
which is said to be the Oldest street known.
interested DR.. Talmage greatly and thither
we drove the morning after our arrival. It
never was very straight street, but re-
Gently it has actually been Strengthened out
and now deserves its name. A large Dor
ton of it is devoted to the use of shops.
which form part of the bazaars, and is COW
cred in order to make shopping practicable
and comparatively pleasant during the
rainy season. There, also, we found the
house on the wall, from a window of which
Paul was let down in basket to escape the
wrath of the unbelieving Jews. The house
of Naaman the leper, on the site of which
there is now house of lepers, is not far
distant. Opposite the house on the wall is
the tomb of George, the porter who abetted
Paul's escape, as tradition says, at the ex-
pense of his life.
No Eastern city can boast OF more min
arets than Damascus, and five times daily
the cry resounds from each: God is God
and Mohammed is his prophet" which con-
stitutes a call to prayer to all faithful Mos
lens. Near every minaret there are shops
for the sale of camel's meat, of which every
devoted follower of the prophet makes a
meal once each year The Koran prescribes
the use of camels meat, because Mohammed
when a shepherd frequently subsisted on it.
1t is very popular with the poor people on
account OF its exceeding cheapness, and it is
said to be as tough as it is cheap.
WHERE CAIN SLEW ABEL.
We remained in Damascus three DAYS and
then lett for Beyrout, the most Christian
city in Asia, passing on our way out the
spot where the Moslems claim that Cain
slew Abel, and also the hill from the dust
of which God is said to have made man,
after consulting Mohammed as to the ad-
of so doing, project TO which the
prophet certainly must have been quite
agreeable, as present circumstances seem to
indicate.
Probably the swiftest and pleasantest dill
gence service in the world is that from Da-
mascus to Beyrout. A French company
owns and manages it, and it would be need
less to say that this enterprise is In striking
contrast to any enterprise conducted by the
Turk. The road between the
two cities is in excellent condition and is
marvellous bit of engineering, crossing the
mountains Of Lebanon at height of 1000
feet. Six horses are harnessed to each con-
yeyance, and these are changed every hour.
The trip is of IA hours duration, so that "a
horses are brought into use before its COM
pletion.
The gas jets Illuminating Beyrout were
the first we had seen since leaving Athens.
They afforded expectations of its appearance
BY daylight, which happily we found to be
=. "a