Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1890-06-03
HOLY LAND TOUR.
REV. HAYS AND PARTY AT LAST BACK AT
BEIRUT.
Tho Beauties Of Journey Across the Lebanons-
Noahs Tomb and the Length Of the Old
Gsntleman's Legs-A Few
Hints b Travellers.


Gsntleman's Legs-A Few
Hints ID Travellers.
Special Foreign Correspondence oJhs Register.
BEmorT. SYRIA, May 5.-My last letter
was written from Damascus.
Packing our traps and mounting our
horses. we took up our journey early Tues
day morning, April 29th. Our objective
point was Baalbec, two days distant, be
tween the anti-Lebanon and main range oil
the Lebanon mountains. Two OF our party
omitted this part of the itinerary, going di-
rect to Beirout by diligence. \ French
company has recently completed a good
carriage road between these two cities, and
by RELAYS every hour the siX-horse diligence
makes the distance of seventy miles In
about ten hours-remarkably fast time Tor
SYRIA. But swift flying stage coach is not
10 be compared with horseback riding,
given three things good horse, tolerable
road and interesting scenery. we had
these all, and our last week has been 10 me
the most enjoyable of the trip. The Leb-
anons, with their snow-covered SUBMITS
and cultivated slopes, are very beauti-
| full. Much of the scenery is rugged and
grand like that of Colorado, and in
the valleys are numerous fresh life giving
fountains. The people are courteous and
intelligent looking; a great advance on the
sour. suspecting Mohammedan and half
civilized Bedouin. Many Of the Syrian
women 20 unveiled, and their faces are
often pretty and expressive.
| Baalbec is a modest, growing village
nicely located at the head of the valley be
tween the two mountain ranges. Like the
majority of places in Palestine and Syria,
! it thrives on the historic past, and is chiefly
noted for its ruins These are far famed,
and are in some respects the most wonder
full in the world. There are twenty acres
of ruins-lOfty columns, stupendous walls,
and perfect masOnry-and nobody knows
who did the work, when il was done, or
how it came into such decay. There are
the remains of
FOUR HEATHER TEMPLES,
one for the worship of the Sun, one dedi-
Gated TO Jupiter, one to Venus and one to
all the gods called the Great Temple. The
outer court of the latter is large
enough to contain twenty-four mod
ern city churches. None OF our
modern buildings have anything to compare
with the work of these unknown workmen
of the past The Great Temple was origi-
nally surrounded by ffty-eight stone
columns, sixty feet high, and seven feet IN
diameter each, consisting OF but TWO or
three pieces held together by iron clamps
Six of these columns are still standing, I'M
posing sentinels high above the rest OF the
ruins. The outer and oldest wall contains
probably the largest stones ever used IN
any building-three of them sixty feet IN
length, thirteen feet high and about as
many IN thickness. The greatest marvel is
that they have been raised TO the top Of
substitution already nineteen feet high
BY whom and by what machinery they
were placed in position will never be known
The quarries are about mile from the
ruins. and there is seen another colossal!
hewn block, probably intended to be used
in the great work but never removed. By
actual measurement it is seventy-one feet
in length, fourteen feet high and
thirteen feet wide. A mathematician
can figure out its probable weight 1t IS a
mystery how such stones were transported
in early times, and makes one feel that after
all modern mechanics and engineers are not
much ahead of the ancients.
The ride from Baalbec TO Beirut is easily
accomplished in two days and half, and IS
! full of interest We camped one night at
Zahleh, where the Presbyterians have an
| important mission. 1t is busy, growing
town, high in the mountains, and one OF the
cleanest place we have seen. Gerald Dale
of the natives told me that the Zahleh
women weep whenever his name is men
toned.
VISIT TO NOAH's TOMB.
Near this is a Moslem burying ground,
where we visited NOah's tomb. Noah, like
Joseph and other ancient worthless S buried
several places in this country, and every
where the tombS are regarded with the
greatest veneration by Mohammedans. a
Moslcm mother cufTed her child in our pres
ence because the little one was so disre-
spectful as TO turn her back TO the prophets
supposed resting place instead OF Keeping
| her face towards it. The tomb is enclosed
| by four walls, makinga kind of chapel. is
a mound of masonry about the usual width
of a grave and one hundred and forty feet
Iona. Expressing surprise that our beloved
ancestor was so tall man, the native wo-
man who guided US assured us that that
| that was not his full length; that the tomb
only encased his body from the knees up,
| and that his feet hang over into well OF
unknown depth This was new light on
antedeluvian times and of Baalbec. If the
people of other days were all OF \ oah's size,
! they could easily handle those big stones.
But il spoils the Scripture account OF the
flood. for if Noah and his family were such
giants the Ark would hardly hold them.
''Noah's tomb is good example of Mos
lem ignorance and superstition.
Our last camp was on the western slope
of Lebanon overlooking the city of Beirut
and the Mediterranean. \ three hours
ride brought us TO our hotel, where we are
having a three days rest before sailing
Our campl Ife with its mingled delights and
| Inconvenience is at an end, and we are
congratulating one another on getting
through without sickness or serious accl-
dent.
After what have seen ! am prepared to
say To any who are contemplating TRIP TO
| Palestine, if YOU enjoy horseback riding.
are willing to rough it and are interested
in the Bible and historic places, by all
means go if you can. Otherwise
YOU will be like some misguided
| travellers have met-wom out
disappointed and disguised, mad at your
self and everybody else-you will wish you
had STAYED at home. To me the trip has
been ali that ] anticipated, and am al
ready repaid for all it has cost
WORD ABOUT BEIRuT.
II is the most civilized and prosperous
city of Syria, beautifully situated with the
mountains on one side and the sea on the
other. Fifty years ago its population was
less than 1000 Now il is 100000. 1t is
said that no city in the Turkish dominions
has grown so fast Probably none has a
brighter outlook. There is less beggary,
misery and filth, and more energy, enter
prise and thrift here than in any Oriental
city have seen. \ large number of Eng
| lish and American families have their res
idence here forming delightful social
circle An afternoon musicale at
DR.. Jessup's, where we met many OF the
English speaking residents, was Il refresh
ing oasis in our experience. Berut's best
institution is the Syrian Protestant Col
lege." established and endowed by Ameri-
cans for the education of native young
men. 1t has an able corps of professors,
most of them recent graduates OF our
American colleges, and literary depart
ment. medical school, observatory, library
and museum. There are now enrolled two
hundred and twenty-five students, as line
looking set of young men as can be found
anywhere. 1t is impossible to estimate the
influence which such an institution Will
have on the future of the Arabic speaking
people. =. - hAis'
FINANCE AND TRADE.