The Iola register., 1890-10-31

mouth of his cave on the side of Cherith
waiting for his breakfast having drunk
his morning beverage from the rushing
stream beneath, than have been his but
lers and purveyors. But God compelled
them, as He always compelled and al
ways will compel black and cruel and
overshadowing providences, to carry
help to His children If they only have
faith enough to catch the blessing as it
drops from the seeming adversely, the
greatest blessings always coming not
with white wings but black wings.
But look! Look what at four o'clock
in the afternoon bursts upon our vision
the plain OF Jericho and the valley Of
Jordan and the Dead sea- We have
come to place where the horses not so
much walk as slide upon their launches,
and we all dismount, for the steep de-
scent is simply terrific, though Prin-
cess of Wallachia, who fell here and
was dangerously injured, after recovery
spent large amount of money in try
ing to make the road passable. Down
and down! till we saw the white tents
pitched for us by our muleteers amid
at the sound of poor music played on
rams horn" that ancient instrument
which taken from the head of the lead
er of the flock OF sheep, is perforated
and prepared to be fingered by the
musical performers, and blown upon
when pressed to the lips.
On the evening of December we
~ Irin NF
that shattered city, and / said to myself:
All this was done by poor music blest Of
God, for 1t was not harp or flute, or
clapping cymbal, or an organ played,
at the sound of which the city surren-
dered to destruction, but a rude instru-
ment making rude music blest of God,
to the demolition of that wicked place
which had for centuries defied the AL
mighty. And l said, if all this was by
the blessing Of God on poor music, what
mightier things could be done by the
blessing of God on good music, gospel
music. If all tho good that has already
been done by music were subtracted
from the world, believe three-fourths
of it's religion would be gone.
Seated by the warmth of our camp
fires that evening of December 8, amid
the bricks and debris of Jericho, and
thinking what poor music has done and
what nigh tier things could be accom-
plished by the blessings of God on good
music, l said to myself: Ministers have
been doing grand work. and sermons
have been blessed, but would it not be
we'll for US to put more emphasis on
music? Oh. for campaign of Old
Pisgshs! Oh, for a cavalry charge of
Coronations! Oh, for an army of Anti
ochs and St Martins and Ariels! Oh,
for enough orchestral batons lifted, to
marshal all nationsl AS Jericho was
surrounded by poor music for seven
days and was conquered, so let our earth
be surrounded seven days by Gospel
music, and the round planet will all be
taken for God.
While our evening meal is being pre-
pared in the tents we walk out for q
moment to the Fountain of Elisha"
the one into which the prophet threw
the salt, because the waters were pois-
onous and bitter, and 10! they became
sweet and healthy; and ever since, with
gurgle and laughter, they have rushed
down the hill and leaped from the rocks
the only cheerful object in all that
region being these waters.
Now on this plain of Jericho the sun
is setting, making the mountains look
like balustrades and battlements of
amber and maroon and gold and the
moon, just above the crests, seems to be
a window of Heaven through which inn
mortals might be looking down upon
the scene. Three Arabs as watchmen
sit beside the camp fire at the door of
my tent, their low conversation in
strange language all night long sooth-
ing thanrather an interruption. l had
dream that night never to be forgot
ten. that dream amid the CONF plete ruins
Of Jericho Its past grandeur returned
and I saw the city as it was when Mark
Antony gave it to Cleopatra and Herod
bought it from her. And L heard the
hoofs of its swift steeds and the rum
bling of its chariots and the shouts of
excited spectators in its amphitheater.
The region round about the city walls
seemed to me white with cotton such as
Thenius described as once growing
there, and sweet with sugar cane and
luscious with orange and figs and pome-
granates, and redolent with such fora
as can only grow where tropical sun
kisses the earth. And the hour came
back to me when in the midst of all
that splendor Herod died commanding
his sister Salome Immediately after his
death to secure the assassination of all
the chief Jews whom he had brought to
the city, and shut up in circus for that
purpose, and the news came to the
audience in the theater as some
one took the stage and announced
to the excited multitude: ''Herod is
dead! Herod is deadl" Then in my
dream all the pomp of Jericho van
ished and gloom was added to gloom,
and desolation to desolation, and woe to
woe, until, perhaps the rippling waters
of the fountain of Elisha suggesting it
as sound will some times give direc-
ton to dream-I thought the waters
of Christ's salvation and the fountains
"open for sin and uncleannesS" were
rolling through that plain, and rolling
across that continent, and rolling across
the earth. until on either side of their
banks ali the thorns became flowers, and
all the deserts gardens, and all the how
els mansions, and all the funerals bridal
professions, and all the blood of war
was turned into dahlias, and all the
groans became anthems, Dante's '1n-
ferno'' became Dante's "Divina Com
media" and Paradise Lost" was sub
merged by Paradise Regaine d." and
tears became crystals, and cruel swords