Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1890-02-07
DIR. TALMAGES TRIP.
HE SUMS UP WHAT HE HAS SEEN IN
THE HOLY LAND.
The Journey in Palestine and SYRIA and
on Waters surrounded with Biblical
Associattons-Disco comforts of the
trip-Ready for his Life of Christ


CONSTANTINoPLE January, 1S90-On leav-
ing America ! addressed some words of fare
well to my sermonic readers, and now, on my
way home, write this letter of salutation
which will probably reach you about the
Monday that will find me on the Atlantic
ocean. from which cannot reach you with
the usual sermon | have completed the
Journey of inspection for which / came
OTHERS NAV write n life of Christ without
seeing the Holy Land | did not feel compe
tent for such work until had seen with
my own ewes the sacred places, and so | left
Lome and church and native country for
most arduous undertaking. ! have visited
all tho scenery connected with our Lords
history The whole journey has been to me
surprise, an anaZement, a grand rapture
or a deep solemnitv | have already sent to
America my Holy Land observations for my
Life of Christ, and they were written on
horseback, on muleback, on camelback, on
ships deck, by dim candle in tent, in mud
hovel of Arab village, amid the ruins of old
cities on Mount of Beatitudes, on beach of
Ctenesareth but it will take twenty years of
sermons 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 Atlantic,
and Mediterranean, and Adriatic, and -4Ege-
an, and Dardanelles and Marmora seas have
treated us well Since we left New York we
have had but a half day and one night of
storm and that while crossing Mount Her
mon. But let only those in robust health at
tempt to 90 the length of Palestine and Syria
ON horseback. do not think it is because
of the unhealth of the climate in the
ma have sir
died here or afterward as a result of visiting
these lands but because of the fatigues of
travel. The number of miles gives no indi-
cation of the exhaustions of the way. A
hundred and fifty miles in Palestine and
Eyria on horseback demand as much physical
;trength 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
60 us the more memorable. 1t was about
noon of Dec IS that the tempest struck
us and drenched the mountains. One
OF the horses falls and we halt amid
a binding rain. 1t 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-
days pilgrimage. 1t is, through the awful in
Clemency of the weather, the only dangerous
day of the journey. Slip and slide and
stumble and climb and descend we must
- sometimes on the horse and sometimes off
until at last we halt in the hovel of village
and instead of entering camp for the night
we are glad to find this retreat from the
storm. II is house of one story, built out OF
mud. My room is covered with roof OF
goats hair. A feeble fire id-foor, but ne
chimney. 1t is the best house of the village
Arabs, young and old, stand around in won
derment as to why we come. There is no win
dow in the room, but two little openings, one
over the door, the other in the wall, through
which latter opening | occasionally find
Arab face thrust to see how | am pro
crossing. But the door is open SO l have
some light This is an afternoon and night
never to be forgotten for its exposures and
acquaintance with the hardships of what ar
Arab considers luxurious apartment. | sa,
that night by fire the smoke of which find
ing no appropriate place of exit took lodg
nent in my nostrils and eyes. For the frs
time in my life | realized that chimneys wer,
luxury, but not necessity. The only
edornments in this room were representa-
tions Of two tree branches in the mud of thu
wall, a circle supposed to mean star,
bottle hung from the ceiling and abou
mantels for anything that may be place
there This storm was not a surprise. ThrouSi
pess,mistic prophets we had expected that a
this season we should have rain and snow anc
hail throughout our journey. For the mos
part it has been sunshine and tonic atmos
phere, and not moment has our jourue,
been hindered. Gratitude to God is with u
the dominant emotion.
Having visited the scenery connected witt
Christs life, was glad to close my journe.
by passing through the apostolic lands AM
seas. You can hardly imagine our feeling
rs we came in sight Of Damascus and on tn
very road where Saul was endorsed at tn
fash of the supernal light. We did not want
Ike him, to be flung to the earth but we di
hope for some great spiritual blessing, brighte
than any monday sun, and q new prepare
ton for usefulness. Our long horseback rid
was ended, for n carriage met us some mile
out and took us to the city. The lmpressio
one receives as he rides along the walled gal
dens of the place are different from those pre-
Guced by any other city. But we cannot do
scribe our feelings we entered the cit
about which we have heard and read S
much. the oldest city under the sun, an
founded by the grandson of Noah; nor OF
emotions u we pass through the street Gale
Straight, along which good Auanias went I
meet Saul; and by the site Of the palace
Mailman. the leper, and saw the river Aban;
as Yesterday we saw Pharpar, the rivers
Damascu, that Naaman preferred to wash
rather than the Jordan. Strange and uniql
Damascus. Ii is worth while to cross the A
lantic and Europe TO see it, Though 1t HI
been the place of battle and massacre, and
ancient atfiuence and splendor as well as 1t
of present prosperity to me its chief attra