The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1901-11-12
alley Of
JOrda
Especial letter.

The worlds most historic valley Is
that through which the river Jordan
winds its tortuous course. From its
narrow defle where the headwaters
Of the river gush in a thousand bub-
bling rills from among the stones of
the cave of Pan, through marshy plains
to its wide stretches of land around
the Dead sea, it is replete with names
familiar to every one who has read
history. either sacred or profane.
On the mountains, whose shadows
fall over the valley, Moses received the
law from God and centuries later
Christ passed through it's highways
and its byways, through its populous
cities and fertile fields. preaching and
teaching the lessons with which all the.
civilized world is now familiar 1t is
the scene Of the lifework of the great
est teacher and leader of men that
humanity has ever known. Herein He
was adored and worshiped, scoffed at
and ieered at, tempted and threatened.
In this valley, He cured the sick, raised
the dead TO life, made profound think
ers of humble fishermen, sti,led the
tumu1tuous waters OF the sea with His
footstep and wiped cut the stain of
original sin with the agony of Geth-
semsne and the darkness which closed
around the tragedy of Calvary fell
upon the winding Jordan.
Long Before the Coming of Christ,
even before the prophets told of the
future advent of the Messiah, events
which make history were transpiring
along the banks of the Jordan. Wars
ragsd. cities rose and fell, and gov
ernments were established and shat
tered, The soil was fertile and the re-
/ gion rich and populous. Phoenecians,
Greeks and Romans came and con-
Quered at different times and the hosts
OF the Persiaps and the Syrians spread
1t with waste and desolation. But 1t
always recovered from the attacks of
the invaders and during the life of
Christ teemed with humanity and
hlossomed with fertility.
Now there is little Of the old life in
the valley. A scanty supply of fish
would reward the fisherman who
might cast his net, the focks are few
and scattering, the fields are barren
of the lilies end. there are but few evil
dences that this was once a garden spot
OF the world. The mountains still rise
I'm their majestic splendor, the Jordan
dashes as of yore over precipices and
rolls sluggishly through marches, Cali
lee often lashes into fury as it did
when the Master babe it be quiet and
the Dead sea shimmcrs in the sunlight
but the spirit and the life of the val
ley are gone. War, pestilence, earth
quake and time have contributed tt
the surrounding scenes of ruin.
The valley of the Jordan stretches
from north to south in the eastern part
of Palestine The river is formed from
the waters of springs
Gushing From the Labanon Mountains
and Mount Hermon. For number Of
picturesque country. Mountains tower
above either side and the stream
dashes over dizzy precipices ant
through deep and rocky chasms. i
varies greatly in width and depth Ii
some places it is not more than fifty
yards wide and from three to sever
feet deep. Its source is about 1,70t
feet above the Mediterranean sea
but where it flows into the Deat
sea it is 1876 feet below this
level. In a direct line from it.
source to its mouth it is 100 fee
miles long, but its course is SO wind
ing that within space of sixty miles
long and from four to five miles
broad 1t traverses at least 200 miles
and during this time plunges ovel
twenty-seven formidable rapids. Be
fore 1t spreads into Lake Meron, now
called Hulch, 1t struggles through 6
morass which is thickly overgrowr
with papyrus On leaving this lake