Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1895-08-08
ONE VISIT THERE SEEMS TO BE
QUITE ENOUGH.
ROCKY, TREELEss COUNTRY
Primitive Plows Used Gardening
Done Under Difficulties -Damascus
Pretty from Affair." but Disappointing
ut Gl9se Range Great Wisdom Dis
played ~ Mohamned.

| we left Jerusalem the last TIME the
party consisted Of some twenty-five
tourists, mostly Of the United States
persuasion, some English and one
Hebrew. About onc-foErth Of the
party were preachers of nearly as
many different persuaSions as they
were in num3er, hut everything
passed off very pleasantly in social
way aud l believe all parted with the
best Of feeling towards each other.
have stated that the tourists nuhl-
bered some twenty -ilye, but the at
tendants, cooks, muleteers, dragoma /,
etc, ctr, were some thirty or more ANA
there were sixty 10 seventy horses and
mules. About fifteen tents We're re-
quired to cove the party at night.
Beds, bedding, chairs. cooking utensils
and provisions had to be carried on
horses ard mites, except vegetables.
fresh meat and eggs, Which Were par
chased from the natives as we mean
dered on along the rough and often
dangerous-n rolds, but trails. We
sometimes had to diSnleunt FOR fear
that both man and beast would come
t6 an untimely end, but the native
horses are remarkably sufe-fo0ted and
all got through safely. l did not hear
of any OF the tourists who expressed
amy desire to repeat the trip from
Jerusalem to Beyfouth but they We're
perhaps all glad they Lad made IT.
| think | have in a former letter
mentioned that the country, Palestine,
is very rocky au1 urlnviting which
by the way, was 10 disappointment to
me, as | was prepared for II. | think
l ann safe in saying that ! did not see
a tree growing n "a wild state from
the time we left Jaffa till we reached
the upper end of the waters OF Merom
around the sources Of the Jordan ana
along the slopes of Mount Hermon,
where some rather scrubby oaks are
growing. but which by writers of
guidebooks are called majestic. | will
make one or two exceptions. The old
oak, So-called, at Mamre (and a few
younger ones at the same place, near
Hebron may be native and probably
is, but it is not at all likely to be the
one seen by Abra ham. Also along the
River Jordan were seen some rather
feeble looking trees, that is, If they
can be classed much above bushes.
On the plain of Jericho We're growing
quite number OF thorntrees. or,
rather, bushes. producing long and
very sharp thorns--said to be the va
riety from which was made the crown
with which our Savior was crowned
in derision at his cricitiXion. The
same variety is also growing in and
around Jerusalem, so that the suppo-
sition is probable enough. Olive and
tig trees, as well as grapevines, are
quite numerous and they seem to en-
joy growing in many places, as nearly
as may be, out Of the solid rock. The
soil, what there is of 1t, and even the
rocks, when crushed, are fruitful both
being Of a calcareods nature. No fer
tilizers are used, which was evident
from the large manure heaps seen in
every village we passed through aud.
on questioning our dlGgoman on that
point. lie said the people We're too lazy
to carry them out, but when they be-
came large enough they would Use
them as foundations for houses.
We often laugh at people in the east
for still using their crude and old
fashioned ploHs and other agricul-
tural tools, but l can assure you that
the best plow ever turned out or ever
will be produced by the noted Fuller
& johnson works, would In most places
here he at heavy discount, as per-
fectly useless. The most moi
ern pillow ever made can not
work up solid rock, nor turn
furrow in soil, say a couple of
inches deep. AT Bethlehem | saw
them actually blast rock out of the
solid mountain and crush il for gar
den purposes. This considered as
gardening under difficulties.
Notwithstanding the general dreari
ness of the country as a whole, it is
evident that the northern portion must
in early times have been more prosper
Gus anu lne peDplS uiDlt Wtadbus am
independent in sentiment, which may
account, at least in part. for the re-
ftlsal of the ten tribes to submit to the
prospective iron scepter Of the son of
| solomon. or the former glories Of the
country or Of it's noted cities-except
Jerusalem and one or NO others-and
even these, at least the buildings, are
comparatively modeIn--there Is moth
| ing left but heaps OF ruins. The Jews
were not builders II tho same sense rs
the Romans, Creeks OF Egyptians.
They left no enduring monuments Of
that kind, though II Is claimed that
part Of the wall under the temple
area In Jerusalem, is from the lime Of
! King solomon. King Herod the great
was d builder. but be was not He
brew nor did his work endure, About
the only remnants left worth mention
Ing. is at Samaria AMI Caesarea PHIL
ippl where a large number If widely
| scattered marble columns are found.
4 good deal more might Of course be
written about the trip through Pales-
tine and the country, bur must pass