The Russellville Democrat., 1890-02-13
Travelling in the Holy Land Not All Ac- oo,nplished Without Hardship, But the Results Are Cornpen-
 sating to tho Tourist.


 out seeing the Holy Land I did not 1 feel competent for such work until
 had seen with my own eyes the sacred places; and so 1 left home and church
 and native country for most arduous | undertaking. I have visited all the | scenery connected with our Lords his. 1 tory. The whole journey has been to | me surprise, an arnazement a grand rapture or deep solemnity I have al 1 ready sent to America my Holy Land
 observations for my "Life-of Christ, ! I and they were written on horse back, l on mule. back, on camel back, on ships deck, by dim candle in tent, in mud
 hovel of Arab village, amid tho ruins oi old cities, on Mount of Beatitudes, on | beach of Genesareth, but it will take | twenty years ofssermons to tell what have seen and felt on this journey
 through Palestine and Syria.
 All things have combined to make our
 tour instructive and advantageous The l Atlantic and Mediterranean and Adri- atic and Egean and Dardanelles and Marmora seas have treated Jus we'll. | Since we left New York we have had but half day and one night of storm, and that while crossing Mount Hermon. 1 But let only those in robust health at tempt to go the length of Palestine and 1 Syria on horseback. do not think it l is because of the unhealth of the climate in Holy Land that so many have sick ened and died here or afterward as re- suit of visiting these lands, but because of the fatigues of travel. The number of miles gives no indication of the ex- | haustions of the way. A hundred and l fifty miles in Palestine and Syria on | horseback demand as much physical | strength as four hundred miles on horse | back in regions of easy journey. Be- | cause of the near two months of bright sunlight by day, and bright moonlight | or starlight by night, the half day of storm was to us the more memorable. 1 It was about noon of December IS that the tempest struck us and drenched the mountains. One of the horses falls and we halt amid blinding rain. It is freezing cold. Fingers and feet like ice. Two hours and three-quarters before encampment. We ride on in silence, longing for the terminus of to-day's pill grimage. It is, through the awful in- clemency of the weather, the only dam gerous day of the journey. Slip, and slide, and tumble, and climb, and de- scend we must, sometimes on the horse and sometimes of, until at last we halt in the hoyel of village, and instead of entering camp for the night we are glad to find this retreat from the storm. 1t is house of one story, built out of mud. My room is covered with a roof of goats hair. A feeble fire mid-hoor, but no chimney. It is the best house of the village. Arabs, young and old, stand around in wonderment as to why we come. There is no window in the room but two little openings, one over the door and the other in the wall through which latter opening I occasionally find an Arab face thrust to see how I am progressing. But the door is open, so l have some light. -.~..-
 That is an afternoon and night never to be forgotten for it's exposures and ac- luaintance with the hardships of what an Arab considers luxurious apartment. l sat that night by fire, the smoke of which, finding no appropriate place of exit, took lodgment in my nostrils and eyes. For the first time in my life I re- alized that chimneys were a luxury, but not a necessity. The only adornments in this ,oom were representations of two tree branches in the mud of the wall, a circle supposed to mean star, bot tle hung from the ceiling, and about twelve indentations in the wall to be used as mantels for any thing that may be placed there. This storm was not surprise. Through pessimistic prophets we had expected that at this season we should have rain, and snow, and hail throughout our journey. For the most part 1t has been sunshine and tonic at mosphere, and not moment has our journey been hindered. Gratitude to God is with us the dominant emotion
 Having visited the scenery connected with Christ's life l was glad to close my journey by passing through the apostol ic lands and seas. You can hardly im- agine our feelings as we came in sight of Damascus, and on the very road where Saul was unhorsed at the flash 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 use fitness. Our long horseback ride was ended, for carriage met us some miles out and took us to the city, The impression one receives as he rides along the walled gardens of the place are different from those produced by any other city. But we can not de- scribe our feelings as we entered the city about which we have heard and read so much, the 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 the site of the palace of Eaa- man, the leper, and saw the River Abana, as yesterday we saw Pharpar the rivers of Damascus that Naaman preferred to wash in rather than the Jordan.
 Strange and unique Damascusl It is worth while to cross the Atlantic and Europe to see it. Though 1t has been the place of battle and massacre, and of ancient afiluence and splendor as well as it is of present prosperity, 70 me its chief attraction arises from the fact that here the scales fell from Panrs eyes, and that chief of Apostles here be- gan that mission which will not end un- til Heaven is peopled with ransoued spirits So also I saw day before yes terday Patmos, whoro John hcad the trumpets and tho waves Of tho sea dashed to his feet, reminding him Of the songs of Heaven, ''liko the voice Of many waters
 But this letter can only give a hint Of the things we mean to tell you about