St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1893-06-22
AT BEYROUT
The Journey of the Underclyfe Party
Interestingly Told.


noted throughout the East tor its
American College and the circle OF
distinguished missionaries and pro-
fessors who are devotlng their
energies to the elevation and civil
ization of the Orient We were told
by DR.. Daniel Bliss, president of the
college, that young men literally
from Dan to Beersheba' and all
parts Of the East, including Egypt
and Persia, were studying IN TINS IN
stitution. AS a former student OF
the St. Johnsbury Academy is pro-
fessor in the medical school, the
Underclyhe party had the double
pleasure of seeing familiar lace III
foreign land, and OF knowing
through DR.. Charles Bliss and his
friends what the American College IS
doing for the East A glimpse into
home life after so many weeks OF
hotels was most refreshing, and the
college settlement upon the bluti
overlooking the beautiful bay o.
Beyrout will ever be bright
memory.
From this seaport we started
early on the morning of April 10Th,
over the Lebanon mountains Tor
Baalbek and Damascus. Wecllmbed
the fine zigzag road built and con-
trolled by French company look
ing down upon the terraced gardens
on the steep sides Of the mountains
in which the fig, mulberry and vine
were bursting into leaf, and seeing
for many miles the city OF Beyrout
with the blue Mediterranean beyond.
Far upon the right was little vii
lage where many residents come
from the sea coast during the sum
mer and away on the left were
cluster of houses clinging to side
hill, made famous by brief so)ourn
of the French author Lamartine,
Soon the trees grew fewer and
rough, Jagged rocks took their place.
With only an occasional rest for the
horses we went further into the
clouds, until we were over 5000 feet
above the sea. Great snow banks
lined the road, and as we began the
descent on the other side, sharp
hail storm and cold wind reminded
us of northern Vermont. In half an
hour we were in bright sunshine
and descended rapidly to Shtoura,
the half way house between the sea
and Damascus. A company OF
French engineers surveying for a
railroad over the Lebanon range
filled the little hotel with an unusua
excitement. Soon after lunch We
took another carriage and drove
across the plain of Coelesyria tC
Baalbek. 1t was a long ride but
constantly varied by the beautiful
spring green, red and yellow soil o
the ploughed fields, grey rocks anC
wonderfully blue sky into which ros,
malestically the mountains of tn
Antilebanon before us and tn
snowy peaks of the Lebanon benin,
us, the two ranges seeming to NEE
and enclose us in the broad valley
As the sun set and the pink glow o
the clouds and the purple light o
the mountains frightened and paleC
the white road stretched endlessl
before us and we became weary an
cold before the regulation number
hours were over (every carriage
required to spend FIVE hours on II
road between Shtoura and Baalbe
distance OF about thirty niles ar
we reached the Hotel de Palmyre
The next morning as we lookC
from our windows, the six gre
columns of the Temple of the SUI
rose up against the mountain 90(
feet high, from which the cedars
Lebanon were probably taken a,
which though many miles aw,
looked near and distinct in the Gle
morning light. Guided by YOU
Syrian who had studied at Beyro
and spoke English well, we w,
taken across rushing stream to
entrance of the ruins. in VIII
Phoenician, Greek and Rome
Christian and Saracen traces
visible. In the dim ages
Phocnicians built a platform W
which the temples were erected q
in the foundation wall twenty
above the ground, can be seen II,
blocks oistone measuring respectiv
64 feet, 63 feet s inches, and GO
ID length and IL feet in hn;nht