The Newtown bee., 1895-04-19
Affairs About Town.
IN LOVELY LANDS.

THE POWER OF THE SULTAN A CURSE l
 MOUNT THERMOMETER AMERICAN col
 LEGE IN BEYRoUT.-THE PERsUAsIv
 wARsHIPs OF JOHN BULL.-ANCIEN
 EPHESUS AND ITS RUINS.-TOURNG I
 THE MODERN sTYLE.-ATHENs, I'll
 CITY OF cULTURE.-BEAUTIEs TIA
 TIME HAS LEFT UNToUuHED.-AN OIL | THEATRE.-MARs HILL AND THE APos TILE PAUL.
 The last point we touched in the Holy Land was Beyrout. It was in striking contrast with the other cities of Pales tine that we had passed through, for al though in very true sense to many 8 devout pilgrim it ever must be the land that is. holy in his thought, there are many things about it that are decidedly unholy, and this mainly because of the government of "the unspeakable Turk This is the thing we had noticed every where, the miserable poverty and wretched destitution of the vast majority of the people: and the sadder thing is that there is absolutely no hope for these people while the Sultan continues to exercise his despotic power. When I tell you that have looked into a home of one room, its walls made of stone and mud, no window, the only entrance an apology for door about four feet high, the floor the common earth, and that into this one room, eight by 10, 10 hu- man beings were crowded of all ages, of both sexes, you would not believe it true simply because you had not seen it with your own eyes:
 BUT SUCH HOMES
 make up the villages of Palestine. What Palestine and all countries over which the crescent flag still floats, need is that the crescent shall wane into a mere film of light and at last go entirely out, and the blaze of a more humane and christian power rise in it's place. and France rendered the world service when they joined Tur- key in fighting the battles of the Cri- mean war.
 But Beyrout is not city of the Sul- tan it is cosmopolitan city whose in- habitants are gathered from every land. One sees here the wealth of the Occi. dent meet the curious life of the Orient, and the two join hands. Beyrout has a beautiful situation. It juts out so far into the sea that it almost becomes an island surrounded by a silver band. Be hind it rises the range of Lebanon, and at this season of the year the range is a great white bank of snow. 1 do not know whether ever again this side the vision of the shining parapets of Heaven shall see any prospect more splendid than that which greeted my eye as, in going back to the ship at evening, I be- held beyond the city lofty Lebanon nd hofh in furt light glow; but surely sight of more exquisite beauty I never beheld before. THE ONE THING THAT INTERESTED US Americans most in Beyrout was the Syrian Protestant College, which has been established through the Presbyter- ian Board of Missions in our own land. It is natural everywhere for us to seek those things which speak to us in the language that we love, the language of our country and our home; and, there fore, especially pleasant it was to meet friends who had come from our own shores. The American College in Bey- rout is doing more lasting good for this country than all the great Powers of Europe combined. America has no "Eastern policy" Since the days of Monroe she has held to the notion that it is better to make no active interference in foreign affairs; but by earnest mis- sionary endeavor and through the Christ ly character of noble men, America has achieved an influence ln the Orient of which we as Americans may well be proud. The corner stone of this college was laid 20 years ago by William E. Dodge, of New York; and to-day this institution ranks with any of equal age in our own land and surpasses many of far older growth. Dr Bliss is now it's president, and he has surrounded him. self with faculty of eminent men who would place any college upon high plane. Dr Van Dyck is the greatest Arabic scholar in the world; his transla- tion of the Bible into the Arabic lan- guage is one of the very best translations ever made into any tongue.
 WHAT INTERESTED ME AS A COLLEGE
 MAN
 was the fact that several of the profes- sors came from my Alma Mater, Am- herst college in Massachusetts. Icalled upon the younger Dr Bliss in his home and found it a most delightful Ameri- can home in this Eastern land. Potted plants, song birds, brilliant portieres and curtains, and bright fire in an open grate made a home in which one would love to stay. Dr Bliss graduated from Amherst in the class of 1886.
 Mohammedans, Greeks, Jews and Christians attend this college. Belief in the Christian religion is not made re. auirement for admission, but the Bible is not negiected. Three times weei the English Scriptures are read. an6 three times week the Arabic Scriptures There is 8 large chapel with beautiful organ where all the students assemble daily for prayers. verily believe tha it is this college which has made Bey rout largely what it is to-day, and it is 1 fruitful vine whose roots extend out int all the country round. If any Chris tian at home does not believe in foreigl missions, in ''sending away millions t, convert the heather when there are g, many heathen at home, l" let this one eros the sea and study this object lesson il l what missions can do.
 Two days our vessel sailed througl the Aegean sea among the islands of tn Archipelago, which stretch
 LIKE STEPPING STONES FROM ASIA Minor to Greece. In the early morning of March IA we had the island of Cypru on our right. Our thoughts at ono
 went back to Paul, how his vessel saile
 ssunder the lee of Cyprus, because tn
 winds were contrary" how near here b was tempest tossed when, as prisoner he was going to Rome. Further on W came to Patmos. It is little more than I great mound of rock rising from out th sea. It is seven miles long, four and
 half wide, and 7S4 feet high; it support
 a small population along it's sides an
 base, who live by boating, fiahing. raj ing 8 few goats and making cloths an
 mats. Somewhere upon the rocky sloI
 (though of course, we could not see th exact spot from the ship) the place pointed out where John saw the curtai
 of the skies for brief while drawn asid
 and the eternal glories fell upon hil from the celestial world. This is bl another illustration of how God selec
 out-of-the-way places in which to man Hest His most marvellous works.
 Friday morning, March 15, found o,