The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1903-06-03
From Abroad.
~oScO0S0O0S0 90
LETTER XIV.
JACOBS WELL AND BETHEL.


vital city where tented last night
means Fountain of Gardens, and
the location fits the name. i rode
through many volumes of ancient
history in making the twenty-five
miles to Shechem and Jacobs Well.
Five miles from Engannim the val
ley under my feet and the village
of Dothan on the hill brought be-
fore me tragic episode in the one
faultless life between the Flood and
Bethlehem. Elisha, too, came back
to greet me, canopied by hosts OF
celestial warriors as he led the
hostile force of Syrians that sought
his life, straight into the impreg-
nable fortress of Samaria and de-
livered them to the King of Israel.
l followed the same path up the
Htll VI OdHdl ia anu IelIcSucu III
self with luncheon and a few min
ties sleep over the ruins of the
buried city, and under the shadow
of it's broken columns recalled the
history of 2 800 years. A ride of
six miles south brought me to a
valley of more wonders, luxuriant
verdure and enchanting beauty
than any yet discovered on earth
the vale of Shechem From the
streets of the city itself gushing
waters flow west through Sharon to
the Mediterranean, and east over
the plain of Mukhna to the Jordan.
Midway between Nazareth and
Jerusalem - thirty-one miles dis
tant, midway between Dan and
eersheba-Seventy-five miles from
each; almost Midway between the
Jordan and the Mediterranean, this
vale of Paradise has always been
considered the geographical center
of the Holy Land. With the COM
ing of Abraham 1000 years ago,
and the erection there of his first
altar, it became the historical CEN
ter. In far off Chaldea, and again
in Mesopotamia, God called him to
inherit this land and when he set
his foot in this superb valley, God
said to the weary pilgrim, "To thy
seed will l give this land" Near
ly tive hundred years later Jacob
returned from his exile with his
flocks and herds, and bought here
tract of land and dug the most
famous well known to history. The
most illustrious son of Jacob was
brought from Egypt according to
the oath exacted from his brethren
and buried only 400 yards from
Jacobs Well and here he lies to-
day in tomb venerated alike by
Moslems, Jews and Christians /:
He will yet arise and walk through
land with Abraham to see the oath
of God confirmed to the ransomed
children Of Jacob.
After the crowd passed on,
drank of the water, and taking a
seat on the great stone where Jesus
rested two thousand years ago,
l recited the story and sermon
found in the fourth chapter of
Johns Gospel. Half mile across
the valley, resting against the east
ern foot of Mt. Ebal is still seen
the village of Sychar, whence the
Samaritan woman came to find life
eteranl at the well. In this hos
pitaoie village Jesus spent two
days, although he was sent only "to
the lost sheep of the house of Is
rael."
The massive stone hard white
limestone) on which l sat is about
four feet long, two and half wide,
and one and a half thick. There
is circular opening in the stone a
foot and half in diameter through
which the water jars were passed,
and the attrition of ropes for two
or three thousand years, has worn
deep grooves in the hard sides of
the aperture. A thousand pages
of thrilling history that have passed