The Forrest City times., 1890-02-08
UN THE OCEAN SAILING.
Letter cf salusatioi from R,v. T. Dc Witt
 Talmage.
Homeward Bound-Ihe Purpose of His Jour neying Ended, He Writes of Things in ra'estino and Apostolic Lands and on the 

A"-eseiA1 anu hPoStolc Lanus ana on tn0
 sess
 While on the Atlantic ocean homeward bound Dr. Talnage wrote tho following interesting letter in liou or the usual sermon; have completed the journey of inspection for which came. Others may write life or Christ without seeing tho Holy Land. l did not feel competent for such work until l had seen with my own eyes the sacred places; and so left home and church and native country Tor most arduous undertaking 1 have visited all the scenery connected with our Lords history. Tho whole tourney has been to me surprise, an amazement a grand rapture or a deep solemnity. have already sentto America my Holy Land ob- servations for my 'T.ife of Christn and they were written on horseback on mule- back, on camelback, on ships deck, by dim candle in tont in mud hovel of Arab village amid the ruins of old cities, on Mount of Boatitudes, on beach of Gene sareth, but it will take twenty years of sermons to tell what 1 have seen and felt on this journey through Palestine and Syria.
 All things have combined to make our tour instructive and advantageous. The At
 auhii anu aUu AuT huu
 Egean and Dardanelles and Marmora seas hlve treated us well. Since we left New York wo have had but half day and one night of storm, and that while crossing Mount Hermon. But let those only in TO. bust health attempt to go the length of Pal estine and Syria on horseback. 1 do not not think it is because Of the un- healthy climate in Holy Land that so many have sickeued and died here or after ward as result of visiting these lands, but because of the fatigues of travel The num- Der of miles gives no indication of the ex. haustions of the way. A hundred and fifty miles in Palestine and Syria on horseback demand as much physical strength as four hundred miles on horseback in regions of easy journey. Because of the near two months of bright sunlight by day, and bright moonlight or starlight by night, the half day of storm was 10 us the more memorable. IL was about noon of Dec Is that the tempest struck us and drenched the mountains. One of the horses falls and we halt amid binding rain. It is freezing cold. Fingers and feet like ice. Two bours and three quarters before encampment. Me ride on in silence. longing for the terminus Of to- days pilgrimage. 1t Is, through the awful inclemency of the weather, the only dangerous day of tho journey. Sip and slide and tumble and climb and descend we must sometimes on the horse and sometimes of, until at last VIC halt in tho hovel of a village, and instead of entering camp for the night we are glad to lind 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 f,af. G,-.,, ,,,ksl l<..t .kt is the best house Of the village, Arabs, young and old, stand around in wonderment as to why VIC come There Is no window in the room, but two little openings, one over the door and the other in tte wall. through which latter opening occasionally find an Arab face thrust to see how am progressing. But the door is open, so l havo some light, This is an afternoon and night never to be forgotten for its OK. posures and acquaintance with the hard ships Of what an Arab considers luxurious apartment l sat that night by fire, tho smoke of which, finding no appropriate place Of exit, took Judgment in my nostrlls and eyes For the first time In my ltfo l realized that chimneys wero luxury but not necessity. The only adornmcnts in this room were representations of two tree branches in tue mud of tho wall, a circle supposed to mean A star, a bottle hung from the ceiling, and about twelve fluctuations in the wall to be used as mantels for any thing that may he placed there, This storm was not surprise, Through pessimistic prophets we had expected that at this sea. son we should have rain and snow and hail throughout our loarncY. For tho most part 1t has heen sunshine and tonic atmosphere, and not moment has our journey boen h ~ sr .A dominant emotion
 Having visited tho scouerY connected with Christs life 1 was glad to closa my journey by passing through the apostolic lands and seas You can hardly imagine our feelings as wo came in sight of Damas- GUS, and oa the vory road where Saul was unhorsed al the Hash of tue snperna light We did not want liko him, to be flung To the earth. but We did hope for soma great spiritual blessing brighter than any noon day sun, and new preparation for useful ness. Our tong horsc back ride was ended, for q carriage met us some miles out and took Us to the city. Tho impression oue receives as he rides along the walled gardens Of tue place are different from those produced by any ether city. But we cannot describe our feelings as wo entered the city about which We have heard and read so much, Inc oldest city under the 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 tho site of the palace of Naaman tho lepcr, and saw the river Abaaa. as yesterday We saw Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus that Naaman preferred 10 wash in rather than tho Jordan. Strange and uniqe Damascus IL is worth while to cross the Atlantic and Europe to see 1t Though it has been tho place of battle and massacre, and of ancient afiiuenco and splendor as well as t Is of present prosper. lty, to me its chief attraction arises from thc taet that here the scales fell from Paurs eyes, aud that chief of apostles hero began that mission which will not end until heav- eA is pcopled with ransomed spirits So also saw day before yesterday Patmos, where John beard the trampets and the waves of the sea dashed 10 his feet re- minding him of the songs of heaven, like tue voieo of many waters
 But this letter car only give q hint of the things We mean to tell you when we get home, where We expect to Do before this month Is ended. baptized by immersion In the Jordan an American whom We met and who desired the solemn ordinance ad- ministered to him iu the sacred waters. 1 rolled down from Mount Calvary .or place of skull stone for the corner stone of our new Brooklyn tabernacle We bathed in the Dead Sea- and in 'sGideonts Fonntain,n where his three hundred men lapped the water from their hands as they passei through, and we sailed on Lake Calico and stood on Mount Zion and Mount Moriah and Mount Hermon. and l saw the place where the shepherps heard the Chrst- mas anthem tho night Christ was born, and have been at Nazareth, and Capernaum, and sat by Jacobs Welr'' and saw Tel -el. hehir Of modern battle and Meg iddo of ancient battle, and where the lsraelltes crossed the desert and slept at Bethel, where one ladder was let down into Jacobs dream, but tho night slept there the heavens were full of lad dcrs, first ladder of clouds, then ladder Of stars. and all up and down tho heavens were the angels Of beauty, angels of conso- ia,ion, angels of God ascending and descend ing and l was on nearly ali tho fields of Herodlc, and Solomonic. and Davidic, and Mosaic, and Abrahamio history. l took mi .fA4 sk