Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-11-09
HALF HOURS IN HOLYLAND.
Another Interesting Lecture by the Rev.
w. II. Bainbridge, in Delaware Avenue
Baptist Church.

tSS'O ~ f-'''|s
Another Interesting Lecture by the Rev.
w. Il. Bninbridge, in Delaware Avenue
Baptist Church.
Sunday afternoon the Rev. w. +.
Bainbridge delivered another of his in
tercstng half-hour lectures on themes
OF the Holy Land. His special subject
was Visits to the Dead Sea and the
Cave of Machpeleh." A synopsis Of the
discourse follows;
Following in his journeying with the
book of Genesis the pastor observed:
The general appearance of the Dead Sea
and its surroundings is desolate and
dreary, especially in its southern dis
trict, and yet by not few travellers and
imaginary DISORDERS the picture has
been overdrawn. The water is pleasant
to the sight, though so offensive to the
taste. One-quarter of its weight is
matter in solution, of which nearly
third is common salt, nearly two thirds
chloride of magnesium, and about one
sixth muriate of lime. II is easy to be-
lieve that in this neighborhood the lin
gering wife of Lot could have been suf-
located, and then quickly so incrusted
as to be "a pillar of salt"
~ &c q AhlotAhb W shHPO0O NhAe w w
the safest body of water in the world.
Both the lakes, Elton and Urumia con-
tain larger proportion OF salty matter;
the former, in the steppes east Of the
Volga, holding 30 per cent, while the
Dead Sea has but got per cent at the
most. The Red Sea, near Perekop in the
Crimea, contains 1929 per cent Of
solids, principally saline. Frequently
we stumble upon Jumps of asphaltum,
or bitumen. They are dry and hard upon
the shore, but semi-liquid upon the
water. l have seen large bitumen-pits in
Assyria, and upon the Tigris have ridden
in boats that were made of wickerwork,
and then covered with a mixture of
bitumen and tar. The preparation
renders impervious to water, and was
used with tine papyrusark or coffin in
which the infant Moses (perhaps Egyp-
tian mesu, SONY was placed.
1t has been noticed also, and sugges-
lively too, that the stratitied moral upon
the top of Usdum corresponds with the
adjacent deposits, AMI that there are
some fresh water shells along the shore
Of the sea. The latter, it is true, are
like those upon the Jordan banks, but
the presumption in favor of their trans
| portation, is less than of a former fresh
water lake. The southern quarter OF
the sea is a very shallow lagoon, ford
| able across its northern limit, and almost
divided off by the peninsula of Lessan,
reaching out from the eastern coast.
If the salt alone could be removed
| from the sea, the surface would fall
| one-tenth the volume of water, or from
10 to 10 feet, and this lagoon would be
uncovered and, being again far better
watered from the surrounding southern
rivers, than the upper district between
Jericho and Nabo, be very fertile
| plain. Scripture tells us that this, or q
portion of il, which was probably the
Vale of Siddim, contained "slimepits,
or rather "wells3' such as we shall NEE
at Hasbeiya. These were probably
worked for mortar as at the city anC
tower of Babel, and as an article of ex
port for embalming purposes in Egypt
The lecturer then led his audience
into southern Philistia, and thence Il
the Cave of Machpeleh. AL the scrip
ture details Of the purchase Of this rest
ing place of Abraham and Sarah, Isaat
and Rebekah, Jacob and Leah, are tru
to present Oriental custom.
Speaking of the ordinary native con
versation, he said: eve are reminde'
every day that the language of Orienta
courtesy is very profuse with compli
mentary terms and religious references
To western ears it sounds very profan
and blasphemous. 1t is well that til
ordinary traveller is entirely unac
quainted with Arabic, Turkish an
Persian, for thus he escapes an almos
incredible amount of profanity an
obscenity."
The haif-hour lecture next Sunda
afternoon, at $50, promptly, will illu:
trate Rebekah's courtship and betrotha
| and other domestic customs. No cor
densed report can do. justice to these IL
, | structive lactnPes