Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-08-09

vices known to civilized countries. NO
tan, for the Mohammedans abstain from
wine and all other Intoxicating liquors:
They do not steal from each other, excepi
cattle and goats, and that is capltai
offense. punishable by death on sight.
Ordinary stealing is practically unknown.
There are no locks on the doors OF any
of the houses and the curtains OF the
tents are always loose, for several ,,e peae
haven't anything worth stealing Ihey
never have money and carry on their
backs everything of value. Mliilons oi
dollars worth of merchandise is carried
over this trail by camel caravans every
year, yet nothing is ever lost ...,.
The same is true in South America,
where the transportation Is done py
mules and lamas over the mountains
Cargoes of bullion are carried regularly
every day, yet guards are unnecessary
and burglar-proof safes could not pc
used. The mule drivers are perfectly
trustworthy, and occasionally when some
foreign adventurer organizes a raiI, IKE IKE
one of the train robberfes in the United
States, they Will die in defense OF their
cargoes.
The construction of the railways to
Damascus and Jerusalem has diverted
much of the commerce from TINS OLD roau,
but formerly all of the products or lndla
and Egypt went this way to the sea coast
for shipment to Genoa, Venice and Mar
seilles where they were distributed
through Europe and the rest Of the world
Abraham went over this trail when he
came from the north toward Hebron and
he halted at Shechem, under the noble
groves. 1.-The terebinths of Moreh," which
have since been displaced by more use
full and quite as beautiful olive trees.
From his time caravans of camels have
passed along this highway daily. The
earth has trembled under the hoofs OF
Saladins stations, and the chariots Of
the Assyrians and the Romans have cut
this turf with their wheels The prodl-
gal son followed the same trail when he
came home from The far country, and
many of Christ's parallels were told here.
Historical memories surround every
name upon the map, scenes identified
| with the lives of the patriarchs, the
prophets, the kings, are in range of the
vision on every side; Deborah, one of the
| this country; the vineyard of Naboth:
which caused SO much trouble to several
people, was just a little distance to the
west of us as we passed along; Elijah
along this road often and again. 1t was
| the scene of Johns furious driving, and
every mile is connected in some way or
another with the lives of Ahab and JezH-
| bel. Judith and Holofernes. We pass
| what is said to be the tomb of John the
Baptist, which is vouched for by st. Jer-
| ONE. 1t is small chamber hewn in the
rocks in the crypt of a little church. The
same chamber contains the tomb of Oba-
diah, governor of the palace of Ahab, and
the Moslems believe that it once con-
| ldlUeu TIE DOIltS VI
| This was the Grown of Ephraim, 1.-THE
| flower of his glorious beauty, which is on
| the head of the fat valley" The Emper-
| or Augustus gave Samaria to Herod, who
| fortified and embelilshed it and trans
formed a temple to Baal into a temple to
Caesar. Herod was a great builder. He
erected splendid palaces, gateways and
colonnades, and after he had built Sama-
ria he called it Sebaste, the Greek for
Augustus. The Crusaders built a great
cathedral at Samaria, whose roofiess
walls frown upon the columns of Herod.
In his time Samaril was a fortress, and
before the invention of gunpowder was
| invincible, but it's glory has departed, and
| it is now nothing but a miserable and
filthy village, and defaceS a lovely land
scape. The ruins of Herods temple and
the collonnade which surrounded it lie
strewn upon the ground. There has been
| little demand for building material in
| this part of the country, hence the carved
| marble and granite has not been dis
| turbed. 1t must have been a beautiful
| building. The colonnade was a double
series of pillars sixteen feet high with
| Corinthian capitals and extending 1900
yards. Here king Omri slept with his
| fathers, and Ahab, his son, reigned in his
stead, who did more to provoke the Lord
God of Israel to anger than all the kings
of Israel that were before him. And his
cruelty and crimes come back to US with
vivid pictures as we enter the gates of
Samaria, where Ahab drew his sentence
of death from the prophet of Jehovah
| and where dogs licked the blood that
| trickled from his chariot.