Evening journal., 1893-11-06
TRAVEL THROUGH BIBLE LANDS.


lie Takes His Glass Through the Ruino
cities Of sodom aud Gomorrah.
Or. cambridge gave another Of his
interesting Bible talks yesterday after
noon. Following in his journey with
the book Of Genesis. the pastor Of the
Delaware Avenue Church observed the
general appearance of the iEaad Al Ned
It's surroundings Is desolate tffd NffBary,
especially in It's southern district and
yet by not a. few travellers and imagi nary
DISORDERS the picture nas,been over
drawn. The water is pleasant TO the
sight, though 80 offensive TO the taste.
One quarter of It's weight Is matter in
solution, OF which nearly third is com
mon salt, nearly two thirds chloride Of
magnesium, and about one sixth muri.
ate Of lime IL Is easy 10 believe that in
this neighborhood the lingering wife oil
Lot could have been suffooated, aud then
quickly so incrusted as TO be "a pillar Of
salt 10 Is a mistake TO suppose this to
be the safest body Of water in the
world Both the lakes Elton aud
Urumia contain a larger proportion of
salty matter; the former, In the steppes
east Of the Volga holding 30 per cent,
while the Dead Sea has but 264 per cent
at the most The Red Sea" near
Perekop, in the Crimea, contains 81 %
per cent. Of solids, principally saline.
frequently we stumble upon Jumps of
asphaltum. OF bitumen They are dry
and bard upon the shlre, but semi.
liquid upon the water.
have seen large btumen pits IN
Assyra, and upon The Tigris have rode
in boats that were made of wickerworx,
and then covered with a mixture of
bitumeu and tar The preparation rem
ders imperviOus TO water and may be
used with the papyrusark on coffin in
which the infant Moses perhaps Egyp-
tau Mesu, "son') was placed. 10 has
been noticed also. and suggestively. too.
that the stratified mail upon the top of
Usdum corresponds with the adjacent
deposits, and that there are some fresh
water shells along tho shore OF the sea.
The latter, 10 Is true. are like those upon
The Jordan banks, but the presumption
IN favor Of their transportation is less
than Of former fresh water
lake. The southern quarter Of
the sea is very shallow lagoon.
fordable across its northern limit.
and almost divided of by the peninsula
OF Lessan reaching ont from the eastern
coast. If the salt alone could be re-
moved from the sea the surface would
fall one tenth the volume OF water. or
from 10 TO 10 feet, and this lagoon wonld
be uncovered and, being again far better
wateIed from the surrounding southern
roads than the upper district between
Jericho and NebO. be a very fertile plain.
Scripture tells us that this, or q portion
of 10, which was probably the Vale Of
Siddim, contained "slime pits, or rather
wells, such as we shall meet at Has
beiya These were probably worked for
mortar as at the city and tower of Babel,
and rs an article Of export for embalm
ing purposes in Egypt. The lecturer
then led his audience into Southern Phil
istia. and thence to the Cave Of Mach
pelch.
All the Scripture details Of the purchase
OF this resting place of Abraham aud
Sarah, Isaac aud Rebekah Jacob and
Leah, are true to present Oriental custom.
Speaking Of the ordinary native CONVEX
sation, he said, 1--WE are reminded every
day that the language of Oriental cour-
tesy is very profuse with complimentary
terms and religious references To
western ears it sounds very profane aud
blasphemous. 10 is we'll that the ordinary
traveller is entirely uuacquaiuted with
Arabic, Turkish and Persian, for thus he
escapes an almost incredible amount Of
profanity aud obscenity' The half hour
lecture next Sunday afternoon, at 80.
promptly, will lustrate Rebekah' court
ship and betrol hal aud other domestic
customs