The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1903-04-22
} From Abroad.
SeNcGOO0 GO00 900 e
LETTER 3.
Beirut. SYRIA, !
Wednesday,. March 4 1903. (

DEAR JUDGE: Monday we passed
in sight of ancient Troy, steamed
30 miles up the long gulf of Smyrna
and dropped anchor in front of the.
beautiful metropolis of Asia Minor
the venerable city of Smyrna,
that has survived the ravages of
$500 years, and leans white and
gray against the emerald hills, the
home of 100000 people.
As we pushed into the smooth,
blue harbor. the first thing that
arrested my gaze and moved my
heart, was the little white tomb on
the crest of Mt. Pagus, behind
which two great cypress trees stood
sentinel; for knew that there
slept the ashes of the Christian
martyr Polycarp. He was deci
pie of the Apostle John, and was
burned to death in the exulting
joys of the christian faith, because
he was faithful to his Lord. His
tomb is held in reverence by the
entire population, Moslem as well
as Christian. He suffered about
the year tee A. D.
The special train took us to the
site of Ephesus, a distance of AS
miles, in one hour and a half. The
tourists were informed that they
would not have time to visit any,
thing more remote than the TEN pie
of Diana, which was near the sta
ton. But in company with DR..
Buckner and Bro. Crabtree, of San
Diego, California, / mounted lit
tie Syrian pony and, against the
vociferous protests of the guides
shrieking after us, made straight
for the mouth Of the valley, mile
and half distant, between Mounts
Prion and Coressus. There in the
side of Prion we found the great
Stadium, and a few hundred yards
farther, the magnificent ruins of
the marble theater where the labor
union of Ephesus met 1900 years
ago to boycott Christianity and stop
the preaching of Paul Fully thir
ty thousand people screamed out
in this theater two hours: Great
is Diana of the Ephesians." Cir
cular row of seats are still in
place high up in the rock of the
mountain, and infinite variety of
marble columns, pillars, cornices,
capitals, pedestals and mosaic floors
meet the wondering eye everywhere.
From beneath the arches and out
of the caverns came an Italian
brigand, with three confederates,
girded with belt of 40 cartridges
and big knife. He seemed dis.
posed to cultivate our friendship
to an unnecessary degree until 1
drew out my patent bicycle whistle
and blew blast that almost par
alyzed him.
The moments spent here were
inspiring and instructive. | deep
ly regretted the misfortune of the
other preachers who are still
lamenting their failure to see these
eloquent ruins. Fields of wheat
and barley grow fifteen feet above
the mosaic streets of this great old
city, OF whose church Jesus said in
his last message: "Thou didst
leave thy first love. repent and
do the first works. else l will
move thy candlestick out of it's
place, except thou repent"
i have never seen a more fertile
and beautiful valley than that
watered by the Cayster and the
Meles, through which the railroad
runs for AS miles, between silent
and buried Ephesus and bustling,
busy Smyrna. l counted train
of 78 camels led by one donkey
towards Smyrna, each one loaded
with about 1000 pounds of produce.
For the last message of Jesus to
Smyrna read Revelation, 2 chapter.
From Smyrona We sailed by rock
ribbed Patmas whose fadeless glory
is that it was the prison of John