Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1891-11-14

SaracenS. by Tile Crusaders ana l;lst Oh
all, not by sword, but by pen, and that
the pen OF the keenest diplomatistof the
century, Lord Beaconslleld, who, under
a lease Which was as good as Il pur.
cliase. set Cyprus among the jewels OF
Victori;t's crown.
We went out into the excavations
FROM which Di Cesnola has enriched
our American museums with antiquities
and with no better weapon than our
foot we stirred up tile ground deep
enough to geta tear bottle in. which
some inourncr shed Ills tears thousands
of years ago and lamp which before
Christ was born lighted the feet of some
poor pilgrim on his way. That island
of Cyprus has enough to set an anti
quarian Wild The most of its glory is
the glory of the past, and the typhoid
fevers that sweep its coast. and the
clouds of locusts that often blacken the
skies Though two hundred thousand
dollars were expended by the. British
empire in one year for the extirpation
of these inoxious insects, yet failing to
do the work., aud the frequent; change
of governmental masters hinder pros
perity.
But when the islands OF the sea come
to God, Cyprus will come with them,
and the agricultural and commercial
opulence which adorned it in ages past
will be ecipsed by the agricultural and
commercial and religious triulnphs OF
the ages to come Willy is the world
SO stupid that it cannot see that
nations are prospered in temporal
things in proportion as they are
prospered in religious things. Godli-
ness is profitable not only for individ-
uals but for nations Questions of tariff,
questions of silver bill. questions of re-
public or monarchy have not so much
to do with nations temporal welfare
as questions of religion. Give Cyprus
to Christ, give England to Christ, give
America to Christ, give the world to
Christ, and lie will give them all apros-
pcrity unlimited. Why is Brooklyn
one OF the queen cities OF the earth3
Because it is the queen city of churches.
Blindfold Inc and lead lie into: any
city of the earth so that cannot see a
street or IL warehouse or a home, and
then lead me into the churches, and
then remove the bandage from my eyes.
and will tell you from what see, in,
side the consecratcd walls, having seen
nothing outside, what is that city 'smer-
chandise, its literature, its schools, its
printing presses, its government, its
homes. its arts, it's sciences, its pros
perity or its depression and ignorance
and pauperism and outlawry.
The altar of God in the church is the
high water mark of the worlds happi
ness. The Christian religion trium-
plant, all other interests triumphant.
The Christian religion-lo low down, all
other interests low down. So | thought
as on the evening of that day we
stepped from the filthy streets of Lar
naca, Cyprus, onto the boat that took
us back to the steamer Minerva, which
had already begun to paw the waves
like courser impatient to be gone, and
then we moved on and up among the
islands of this Gospel archipelago.
TIE SEA PoPULoUs WITH THE PAST.
Night came down on land and sea
and the voyage became to Inc more and
more suggestive and solemn. If you
are pacing it alone, a ships deck in the
darkness and at sea is IL weird place.
and an active Imagination may conjure
up almost any shape he will and it
shall walk the sea or confront him by
the smokestack or meet him under the
captains bridge. But here | was alone
on ships deck in the Gospel archipel-
ago. and do you wonder that the sea
was popuIous with the past and that
down the ratlines Bible memories de-
scended2 Our friends had all gone to
their berths.
Captain" said, when will we
arrive at the island of Rhodes2" Look
ing out from under bis glazed cap, lie
responded in sepulchral voice, About
midnight Though it would he keep
ing unreasonable hours, concluded to
stay on deck, for Unjust see Rhodes,
one of the islands associated with the
name OF the greatest missionary the
world ever saw or ever will sec. Paul
landed there and that was enough to
make it famous while the world stands
and famous in heaven when the world
has become clarred wreck.
This island has had wonderful his
tory. With six thousand Knights OF
st. John, it at one time stood out
against two hundred thousand warriors
under "Soylnan the Magnificent. , The
city had three thousand statues, and a
statue to Apollo called Colossus, which
has always since been considered one
of the seven wonders of the world. 1t
was twelve years in building and was
seventy cubits high. and had a winding
stairs to the top. 1t stood tifty-six
years and then was Frustrated by an
earthquake. After lying in ruins for
nine hundred years, it was purchased
to be converted to other purposes, and
the metal, weighing seven Hundred and
twenty thousand pounds, was put on
nine hundred camels and carried away.
We were not permitted to go ashore,
but the lights all up and down the
hills show where the city stands, and
nine boats come out to take freight and
10 bring three passengers. Yet ;'!I tfc
thousands of years of its history arc
eclipsed by the few hours or days that
Paul stopped there. As / stood there
on tbe dock of the Minerva. looking