St. Landry democrat., 1890-03-01
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
He Writes a Letter of Salutation

He Writes a Letter of Salutation.
WHAT HE HAS SEEN ABROAD-H1S JOUR-
NEYINGs IN PALESTINE AND APOs-
TOLIC LANDS AND sEAs-A ROUGH
NIGHT ON MOUNT HERMoN.
CoNsTANTINOPLE, Jan. Is, 1890.
On leaving America | addressed some
words of farewell to my sermonlc readers
and now, on my way home, | write TINS
letter of salutation, which will probably
reach you about the Monday that will ma
me on the Atlantic Ocean, from which
cannot reach you with the usual sermon.
l have completed the journey OF lnspec-
ton for which l came. Others may write
life of Christ without seeing the Holy
Land. did not feel competent for such
work until had seen with my own eyes
the sacred places; and I left home and
church and native country for mos st ar
duous undertaking. l have visited all the
scenery connected with our Lords history.
The whole journey has been to me sur
prise, an amazement, grand rapture or
deep solemnity. l have already sent TO
America my Holy Land observations for
nv Life Of Christ" and they were writ
ten on horseback, on muleback, on camel
back, on ships deck, by dim candle In tent,
in mud howell of Arab village, amid the
ruins of old cities, on Mount OF Beatltudes,
! on beach of Genesareth, but it will take
| twenty years of sermons to tell what nave
seen and felt on this journey through Pal-
estine aud Syria.
All things have combined to make our
tour instructive and advantageous Inc
! Atlantic and Mediterranean and Adfl-
attic and Fpean and Dardanelles and Mar
mora seas have treated US well. Since we
left New York we have had but half day
| and one night of storm. and that Whlle
crossing Mount Hermon. But let only
those 10 robust health attempt to go the
length of Palestine and Syria on horseb&ck'
do not think it is because of the unheaLtE
of the climate in Holy Land that SO
many have sickened and dls here or s-lter
ward as 8 result of visiting the7S lsnas'
but because of the fatigues OF f-aveI' nc
number of miles gives no in cation OF Inc
exbsustious of the way a hundred and
ffty miles in Palestine and Syria on horse
hack demand as mush physical strength
50 four hundred miles on horseback in
rapions 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 to us the more
memorable. It was about noon of Dec. le
that the tempest struck us and drenchec
the mountains. One Of the horses fall anc
We halt amid binding rain. 1t Is freez
ing cold. Fingers and feet like ice. 1--WE
hours and three-quarters before encamp'
ment. We ride on in silence. longing To-
the terminus of to-dsys pilgrimage. ills
through the awful inclemeney of the
weather the only dangerous day OF 1ht
Journey. Slip and slide and tumble ane
climb and descend we must, sometlmes oi
the horse and sometimes eff, until at las
we halt in the howell of village, and In
stead of entering camp for the night w
ara clad to find this retreat from the storm
1t IS a house of one story, built out
mud NV room is covered with roof o
| coats hair A feeble FIRE mid-foor, bu
no chimney. 1t is the best house OF IN
, village. Arabs, young and old, STAN
around in wonderment a. to why we come
There is no window in the room, but wv
| little openings, one over the door and tn
) other in the wall, through which latte
| opening occasionally fad an Arab lac
thrust to see how am progressing. Blu
! the door is open, so | have some lgh'
4 This is an afternoon and night never 10
3 forgotten for it's exposures and acqualh,
t ancs with the hardships of what an ara
considers luxurious apartment. SAT Ina
: night by fire, the smoke OF which, nno
t ing no appropriate place of exit, TOO
9 Judgment in nv nostrils and eyes. Fo
: the first time in my life l realized this
f chimnevs were luxury but not neces
= sity. The only adornments in this rool
;, were representations of two tree branche
e in the mud of the wall, a circle suppose
9 to mean a star q bottle hung from ti
d csiling, and about twelve indentatlons
# the wall to be used as mantels for anythln
j. that NAV be placed there. This storm WI
9 not a surprise. Through pesslmlst
r prophets we had expected that at this SEES
II son we should have rain and snow an
n hail throughout our journey. For IL
= most part it has been sunshine and ton
k atmosphere, and not moment has OF
Is tourney been hindered. Gratitude to de
Q is with us the dominant emotion.
j. Having Wis. ted the scenery connecte
l. with Christ's life, was glad to close n
q iourpev by passing through the apostol
+ lands and seas. You can hardly imagil
n our feelings as we came in sight OF ID
10 mascus. and on the very road where Sa
" was endorsed ct the flash of the supern
light. We did not want, like him, to
flung to the earth, but we did hope
some great spiritual blessing brig liter TN
auy noonday sun, and new preParati'
7, for usefulness. Our long horseback ri
ie was ended, for carriage met us soI
> miles out and took us to the city II
ut impressions one receives as he rides slo!
r, the walled gardens of the place are dltfe
SO ent from those produced by any other Cit
But we cannot describe our feelings as
IN entered the city about which we ha
is heard and read so much, the Oldest CT
1e under the son, and founded by the gran
o. son of Noah nor our emotions as we pa
ne through the street called Straight, alo1
ID which good Ananias went to meet Sau
IS, and by the sight of the palace of Mama
ch the leper, and saw the river ALBANIA,
Yesterday we saw the Pharpar, the rive
70 of Damascus that Naaman preferred
D, wash in rather than the Jordan. Stran
lls and unique Damascus! It is worth VIII
or to cross the Atlantic and Europe to SEQ
OF Though it has been the place of battle a
u massacre, and of ancient sfhuence
es splendor as well as it is of present pre-
n perity, to me it's chief attraction arls
'er from thes fact that here the scales
so from Paui's eyes, aud that chief OF ape
X ties here began that mission which "
not end until heaven is peopled with r.
as somed spirits. So also saw day beft
eli Yesterday Patmos, where John heard
rs, trumpets, and the waves of the sea dash
'as TO his feet, reminding him of the songs
a. heaven, "like the voice of many water
;es But this letter can only give hint
he the THINGS we mean to tell you about WI