The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-05-24

! tine today than it was twelve years ago
Then the Philistine plain was overrun
with Bedawin, and it was dangerous TO
! cross il without an escort. East of the
! Jordan one could only travel by special
| arrangements with Arab chiefs and the
payment of a considerable price for pro-
lection. l was at that time unable to go
! farther south than Madeba and Main
even with such protection No one had
/ visited Kerak, in the old land of Moab,
near the southern end of the Dead Sea,
and come out without paying ransom.
with the exception of one American,
| Capt Lynch.
! Even the road from Jerusalem TO Jer-
icho was considered unsafe. and one was
| obliged 10 pay the chief of the little town
/ of Abu-Dis for protection in that journey.
( Now the Turks have occupied with mill
( tary posts the whole of The east OF the
/ Jordan and the foreigner may go 10
/ Kerak with perfect safety. The PILLS
/ tine plain Is as safe as our own country,
J end the Turks have even esta blished
military post at Bir-Saba, the ancient
| Beersheba. at the extreme southern end
/ of western Palestine. to control the Be
! found the country safe In the neighbor-
! hood of eJrusalem 1 wandered over the
hills for miles on foot. quite unattended,
and nowhere last summer did 1 need
guard. Here and there one meets with
/ fanatical Moslem populations, as at He
brCn or outside of the David Gate at
! Jerusalem, where the boys take delight
! in stoning the unprotected foreigner; but
all in all, the foreigner is no more likely
! to meet with such experiences in Pales-
! tine today than any foreigner in unus-
ual dress would Be in this country
1t is said that the Turkish government
/ is losing grip and that the country is
steadily growing poorer. So far as Pales-
une is concerned that GOES not, outward
| " at least. appear to De the case. Wheth-
CT this is due to the fact that foreign
influence is particularly strong in Pales-
tine and that foreign money flows into
| this part of the country l do not know;
but the fact remains that, comparing
! conditions now and twelve years ago, the
! government seems stronger. as judged by
! the security and quiet of the country. and
| the people. wretched as the conditions
are in comparisons with those in this
country. seems more prosperous.
Travelling in Palestine is cheaper in
| summer than during the winter or spring,
| which is the tourists season, when prices
rise and guides horses, and donkeys are
! harder to obtain. In summer man can
obtain at a very reasonable price an eX-
! ceIlent guide and muleteer combined in
one person. who can in an emergency do
] nd a guide
and two horses, traveller of some ex-
/ perience can go very comfortably from
one end of the country 10 the other at
| a cost of about three dollars day. AT
some points. as at Jaffa, Ramleh. Jeru-
salem. Ramallah Mt Carmel, Haifa and
! Nazareth there are admirable hotels.
Al other places there are hospices and
converts which serve the same purpose.
| At one or two places like Beisan, the
! Jewish town of Sammarin and Sidon
| there are native hostelries which are at
! least as comfortable Of our small coun-
try hotels. At other places one may Sc
! cure lodging with the priest of the place,
| if there be one II he be a Latin priest
| the lodging will at least be decent; II he
be Greek or Maronite there will be dis
| comforts in the way Of dirt and Vermin.
! Where there are no priests one can find
| lodging in a native house OF garden.
sometimes for pay and sometimes as
| guest. In such lodgings strong flea pow
| der and a linen or cotton bedbag are
| rather necessities than luxuries.
There is considerable diversity in the
climate of different parts of Palestine in
| summer as in winter. as also in the beau
80 1f he ~
of Judea proper, in the immediate neigh
borhod of Jerusalem, are wild and bar
rem Some one has wittily remarked that
| this part of the country looks like the
moon as seen through telescope. There
! is more WEAKNESS Than beauty in the
| landscape The attraction is one Of his
! tcrical and religious association, not of
| picturesqueness; and yet even from the
| side of physical beauty such views as
one NAV obtain from the summit Of the
Mount of Olives or still better. when
/ ii is not too hay. from the Russian t1w
| er on the Mount of Olives. strange and
weird as they are. cannot be despised.
Jerusalem is the natural center at which
! TO equip and from which to make ex-
petitions In a two hours drive over
| good road one can, in case of need. reach
| the little town of Ramallah 10 the north
| ward on the borders of the old Kingdoms
| Of Israel and Judah. where there are
/ summer camps and hotels This is so
| high and so exposed to the wind that
on one of the hottest nights last sum-
mer l slept with comfort with every win
! dow closed and a blanket on the bed
| From the top of the little hotel in which
| I lodged that night there was wonderful
view. including the Phiiistine plain and
the plain Of Sharon almost from GAIA
/ to Mt Carmel Here one is on the very
roof Of Palestine. Close at hand is Bee
roth. with its fine old ruined Templars'
church and the remains OF a huge hospice
| OF the same period. a little farther, but
stin in easy walking distance from Ram
allah lies Beitin the ancient Bethel. and
up above Il at a point from which one
| can look north south. east. and west
/ is a marvellous stone field full Of huge
stone columns looking as though they
were built By the hand Of man giant
/ stone set on slant stone II is only by
a careful examination that ones mini
is disabused Of the idea that It is some
artificial creation. II was evidently these
wonderful stone columns which gave rise
10 the Bible story % Jacobs pillar At
Bethel. which he set up ~ the point
where the ladder Joined heaven and
! earth He who stands on this stone fed
ard sees himself raised above all the
reirhbo-ine world readily realizes vhy
! the ladder vas set W ~ this point and