The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1902-09-18
MODERN LEBANON CEDARS.

Survivors of the Groves That Are Cele-
brated in Biblical History.
At an elevation of about 5000 feet
above the sea, on the left Of the road
to Baaelbek, is a group of the noblest
specimens of the vegetable kingdom
in the East, which are believed to be
thousands of years old and the rem
nant of the far-famed cedars OF Le-
banon, of which David and Solomon
sang, and from which came the tim
bers for the temple.
Djebel-el-Arz (the mountains OF the
cedars), which rises ITO feet, is gen.
orally covered with snow, and today
is draped in a mantle OF unusual
thickness, which trails way into the
forest and the foothills; for there were
a heavy rain and sharp frost last
night AS l have explained before,
the term Mount Lebanon is mislead-
ing. There is no peak of that name,
which is applied to a lofty range with
several conspicuous SUBMITS extend
ing about one hundred mnes from the
neighborhood of Damascus TO the sea
and being about 25 miles broad
from base to base. The most
elevated peaks are those that I have
just named, Mount Hermon, 1888
feet; Daharel- -Kudhib, 1O,020 feet; Je-
bel-Makmai, 10,016; Ell Misl1ysch, TO-
O37; Fum-el-Mizab, 5000; Sannin, 8
900 feet. These peaks are broken by
rugged ridges, precipitous cliffs and
deep gorges. A parallel range, which
does not reacn so great aaheight, is
known as the anti-Lebanon.
OF all the mighty forests which for
merly covered the slopes Of Lebanon
only five remain today, and they are
limited in area. The loftiest trees
end those most celebrated fer their an
tiquity are found near the town OF
Becherre at an altitude Of $500 feet.
and are known as "The Cedars of
God"-"The Cedars of Lebanon which
He hath planted;" and, according to
the botanists who count their age by
the circles in their trunks, they are
5000 or 1000 years old. Like the i'm
mortal cliffs that tower above them,
they have watched the passage OF a
procession of kings down the centu-
ries led by David, Solomon and Hiram,
with a rearguard commanded by Kai-
ser William II of Germany.
They are not SO large nor so lofty
as the great trees OF California, but
their antiquity and associations make
them the most interesting groves in
the world, and pilgrims come here to
worship them. The best authorities
are sure that we make no mistake
when we revere them as the surviv-
ors of that forest whence -4.ram OBJ
tanned vie timber for Solomon's tenn
pie. The logs must have been carried
down to the coast by hand. conveyed
by sea in rafts to Jaffa and thence
carried over the mountains to Jeru-
salem.
It is said that 10000 men were at
work in the forest for 12 years and re-
lieved each other every month in bod
les of 10000 men, who were organized
and managed like an army. David
obtained here the timber for his pal
ace, and Zerubbabel in constructing
the second temple. The timbers in
the temple Of Diana at Ephesus and
in the temples at Baalbek came from
the same forests, and we know that
the Phoenicians shipped much cedar
to Greece, to Egypt, and to other
places on the coast of the Mediterr-
anean, not only before but for
centuries after the days Of Hyram, the
mighty King of Tyre.
The remaining forest consists OF
about 400 trees. The tallest exceeds
100 feet and the largest is Sc feet in
circumference.
In the midst of the forest is small
chapel in which the Maronites worship
and where they hold great feasts on
the anniversary of the Transfigura::
ton and other ecclesiastical holidays.
Below the forest Is beautiful lake
about half a mile in length, and a
quarter of mile in breadth, fed by in
Vulnerable springs that gush from the
surrounding rocks. Upon the bank
was once a temple to Venus, and &C.
cording to mythology (and the same
story is told of the Egyptian goddess
Isis), that amiable lady took refuge
here when she fed from tie Tphon
who had killed Adonis, and trans
formed herself into a fish. Her daugh-
ter. Dercetis, was her companion, and
suffered a similar fate.-Chicago Rec
ord-Herald.