The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1905-06-21
Mrs. Wheeler Writes Entcrtainingly Of
the Holy Land.


The following letter was written by
Mrs. n. p. Wheeler to the Shakespeare
Club, of Tidioute, of which she is
member:
My DEAR FRIENDS :-According TO
promise shall try 10 send you greeting
from this land Of Syria, as a very poor
apology for not fulfilling my duties in
preparing my papers to be Iead in the
Club. We left Egypt with regret, and
awaited anxiously the moment of land
ing from the ship which bore us from
Port Said to Jaffa. We had heard of
travellers not being able 10 land at the
latter port for twenty days. The rocks
are very numerous and the harbour very
insecure, but we were favored with
bright skies and sea as calm as a mill
pond, and our gallant crew carried the
Crosley party in, triumphantly passing
Cooks tourist boat on the way, much to
the chsgrin of the latter's passengers. AS
it was the 22d of February, we Americans
all felt that it was in honor of the day we
nOh NlNNOi1s n oOOue Vaha
gave us glimpse of the orange groves
and pretty gardens, and also took us out
TO see Tabitha's house and tomb. How
surprised the faithful Dorcas would have
been could she have looked forward down
the long ages and haye seen the stream of
pilgrims visiting the old site of her house
and picking up pebble near her tomb.
We also walked to Simon the Tanners
home, and the filth and squalor through
which we passed is totally indescribable.
Our pigs in America inhabit much clean
er habitations than some we saw and we
wondered how Peter could have had any
heavenly visions in such a spot. But
when our dragoman had dispersed the
crowd of beggsrs with his whip and we
had ascended to the house top, then the
view before us was enchanting-the blue
Mediterranean, the red rooted houses, the
graceful date palms, the charming Orien-
tai atmosphere. We could see why peo
pie go to the house tops for prayer and
meditation. We took the train, funny
little affair looking like a ten cent tin toy
train, and went through an interesting
country up to Jerusalem. We made ten
or twelve miles an hour which gave us
time to view the landscape DER. We
spent busy day and happy week in Je-
rusalem, visiting the sacred places with
Bible in hand, trying to locate the various
sites of tomb and temple, and always
with the feeling that although we may
not have seen the exact spot, yet we
knew that our dear Saviour walked these
same streets, looked on these same hills
and wept over this very city of Jerusalem
nineteen hundred years ago. The Jews
of old have left few traces of their lives
in stone. This is in such marked con-
trast to the way in which the Egyptians
wrote their histories in enduring tablets
as plain to-day as they we're five or six
thousand years ago. 1t was doubtless
this custom of carving the gods on so
many temples that was the reason for the
second commandment being so strongly
enforced. / never knew the meaning Of
craven image until went to Egypt. l
was not pleased with either the places of
Christs birth at Bethlehem or His sepul-
chre in Jerusalem. The tawdry altars of
Greek and Armenian churches take away
the selemnity. felt as if / would like
10 sweep away all the discordant signs of
the various sects who quarrel over these
revered places and set up plain granite
cross or d simple paw ilion to protect and
point out the spot.
] cannot tell you Of our trip to Jericho,
or the long morning spent on the Temple
area. should like 10 describe the fasci-
mating bazaars teening with olive wood
aud mother OF pearl souvenirs. should
like 10 describe the Beduuin sheikhs. the
closely yeied women, the queer hated
Greek priests, the long locked Jews with
fur hats the crowds OF every nationality;
one lot Of Russian pilgrims came 10 the
church Of the holy Sepulchre and kissed
eyoEy object Of yeneation with an air OF
absorbed devotion. But ] must hasten
on or even Mrs. Dawson will De ready to
20 home before pay tale is ended.
We returned TO Jdna, sailed for Haiia
aud drove lfy-two miles TO Tiberias on
line Sea Of Galilee, staying over night in
Nazareth. Oh, my friends, ] "ish you
could have seen tho flowers on the Plains
OF Esdraelon. Cyclamens growing wild
as common as our dandelions, suemones,