The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1901-06-05
Camping Through Palestine.
ATHENS, Greece, NAV Il, 1901.


ATHENS, Greece, MAY Il, 1901.
Dear EdioI%-
We had looked forward with consider
able pleasure to the camping tour through
Palestine. In the first place it was an
entirely new experience to many of us.
and in the second place we were to see
the hills and valleys the prophets trod,
and forever sacred in the associations of
memory because our Lord Himself once
looked upon this same landscape and
pressed the soil with His feet.
As we filed out from the hotel at Jeru-
salem we made rather an imposing show.
There were twenty-one of the party, the
remaining ones not thinking it suited to
their age and strength, and they were
right. Our hotel was near the Jafia gate
just outside the city wall. This was
practically destroyed few years ago,
when Emperor William was there, in
order to make a way for the grand pro-
cession. From a sentimental point of
view this is to be deplored as it destroyed
an ancient land mark to all those enter
ing Jerusalem from Jatfa, either by rail
or highway. Practically, however, it
was not much loss for the day of walled
cities is past.
Our first objective point was the Pools
Of Solomon. This led us south about s
miles on splendid macadsmized high
way along an elevation from which we
had a good view of the country on all
sides, the clear atmosphere proving
veey deceptive as to distances. This
section of the country is fertile, The
principal products seen were grapes and
olives, The whole country seemed de-
voted to the cultivation of these. The
olive trees were in full foliage, but it was
too early for the blossoms. The grape
vines are trimmed down to within about
four Il ct of the root leaving nothing but
the bare stump ofthe vine with no sup
port whatever.
These vineyards were very small indi-
vidually being separated from each other
by stone walls roughly laid, and al most
each e contained watch tower, little
round stone structure about Is or 70 feet
high. At first | wondered how these
trees and vines got earth enough to draw
subsistence from, the ground was so
stony. 1t was not far from this place
that the spies sent out by Moses from
kadish Barnea gathered the large
clusters ofgrapes by which they showed
the wealth of the land.
By the roadside is Rachel's tomb where
a large well of water is. On the west
side, mile or so from the road was
pointed out Moslem village said to
have been the home of Saul's father. To
the east, on an eminence, is situated
Bethlehem which we visited ON our re-
turn from the Pools, two miles further
on,
There seems to be no reason TO doubt
that these are the very Pools Solomon
built to furnish Jerusalem with water
and his own gardens which are spoken
of in the scriptures. There are three of
them lying quite near together but at
varying elevations. The second one is
10 feet below the upper and the same
which is the largest, is 1874 yards long and
4S feet deep. They are partly cut out of
the rock and partly built masonry and
very strong. There are several sources
ofsupply for these but in some manner
they were arranged by means of siphons
that they could all be kept full and when
needed drained out. The remains Of the
old aqudducts are still to be seen al
though repairs on them have been re-
Gently made to supply Bethlehem. At
Bethlehem, situated on high rock point,
the chief point OF interest was the church
Of the Nativity. Here we were shown
everything any could ask for, even to the
star that led the wise men, which is brass
but placed over the exact spot OF our
Lords birth.
Our course then lay eastward toward
the Dead Sea. We had felt jublant GO
ing out from Jerusalem over the smooth
hard road and thought an attempt had
been made to deceive us in regard to the
road. But this Illusion soon disappeared. !
No sooner had we mounted our horses
than we were brought up face to face
with the stoniest, steepest, narrowest
road | had ever tried to put horse over.
Shades ofMcAdam Like goats on the
side we followed each other
single file, holding on with both hands
and ready to jump at the first sign of the
horse disappearing from beneath over
the embankment or taking header down
the hill. But these patient creatures
know their business and when let alone
got along remarkably well. We soon
came to well of water where our lunch
tent had been pitched in an olive orchard
and tried to satisfy the appetite u mile
horseback ride had created. The effort
was limited only by our capacity.
We were now in the hill country of Ju-
dea where John the Baptist was brought
up on locusts and wild honey, and to our
eyes he was fortunate to get that much.
The character of a country has a great
deal to do with the character of its inhab-
itants and the strong, noble, unbending
John was the natural product of the hills
of his home land. Passing on down
through deep passes and wild gorges we
came to Mar Saba, a monastery built Of