The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-01-30
Miss sibley at williston Church.

A large and delighted audience listened
last evening to Miss Sibley's thoroughly
ENJOYABLE, at all times INTEREST," ng, and
occasionally very brilliant lecture cover
the Hills Of Palestine on Horseback"
Williston church was well filled when
Rev. d. M. Pratt gracefully introduced
the speaker of the evening.
Miss Sibley has rare descriptive powers.
Her eyes were open, and every striking
bit of landscape, every historic spot in
all the Holy mountains, every group OF
half clad, but picturesque children, seemed
to have been sim ply photographed on
her mind, to be called up at will much as
duller people can turn the pages of a
book
She might have made one of that
bright party of Pilgrims of which Mark
Twain was the bright particular star, and
her sparkling wit would have rivalled
his. For example, Jonah, she termed,
that famous but reluctant revivalist !"
ages couldn't have added anything to
that description. The main industry Of
| one town was described and at the same
time the habits of its people pictured
when she said. Soap is manufactured
and exported.' The hope of the restora-
tlon of the Jews seemed to her to be dim
and far off as long as there are four
times as many Jews in New York. as
in all Palestine. While the 'sdews of
Hebron" closely resembling a Maine
storm, seemed to her. "Never likely to
| be mist
Some of her Illustrations were striking
~ bold. Miller, when he described Cali
fornia mountain as being as lonely as
God," said sufficiently striking thing,
but her description of a snow covered
mountain top touched by rainbow,
THAT recalled the great white throne,'
surpassed it.
| Her party declined to battle in the Jor-
dan and when one Of their horses and
donkey ventured in they all concluded
that the horse was donkey for doing
it,
But when her wit ceased to sparkle
ana she spoke in more serious strain
she grew eloquent. Her description of
| the gathering of the Jews to mourn over
the vanished glory of their nation was
brilliant bit of descriptive word painting,
and one could almost hear the pathetic
voices unite in mourning "for the palaces
that lie beneath, for: the walls chat are
overthrown, for our great men that are
dead, and for our majesty that is depart
ed. f" Her picture of Jerusalem was
brief but effective, and almost every place
of interest in all Palestine was touched
on.
| Step by step, not one incident following
another, but as city after olty was visit
ed, the events in the life of Christ were
| recalled, and while she admitted that
| in land where one Is asked to believe
SO very much, where legend touches
| legend, it is hard to believe anything
that is told you, still their party threw
doubt aside when they sat by the we'll in
the village where Jesus lived all his life
again when they stood by the well by the
side of which he sat when he talked
with the women who felt her sinful life
rebuked by his words. There, at least,
they had the great comfort of thinking
| that they we're looking off over scene
very like that He looked upon, and heard
as He heard the music Of birds and
streams.
| But the Maine girl couldn't after all
see fallen Palestine other than it is to
day. The guide showed them where
Jacob lay down to dream his marvellous
dream of an open eaven, and ascend
ing and descending angels, but when he
pointed to the rock that formed his pill
low, she could but reflect that he prob
ably had several other rocks for bed,
for it was hard to see where he found
ground enough to lie down on"
Miss Sibley has everything in her favor
To most charming personality, is add
ed good platform presence, and voice
that fills room while she is hardly ever
forced to raise it above an ordinary con-
vocational tone. She has when she
chooses to display it much dramatic
power, and her remarkable ooIn mand of
language never fails her. 1t was q lecture
| to which one would hardly feel like ap-
pyling the term good, it was far more, it
| was facinatiDg.
| AT the close Of her lecture Miss Sibley
held an informal reception, and was
presented by Mr.. Pratt to many of those
who had listened to her.