Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-05-18
RARE TREAT
REV. J. W. POTTER OF MuscA
TINE, DELIVERED LECTURE
LAST NIGHT.


ION Horseback In PALESTINE" Was the
Subject of Muscatine Dlvinc's In
terestins Discourse - lecture
Opened m. e. Conference.
Marked with a deep historical inter-
est, and given in a manner that called
forth the rapt attention of every audi
tor, Rev. ]. w. Potter, pastor of the
First Methodist Episcopal church of
Muscatine, delivered a lecture ION
Horseback in Palestine" last evening
IN the auditorium of the First Metho-
dist Episcopal church The lecture
opened the sixty-second annual session
of the Iowa conference of the Metho-
dist Episcopal church.
"On Horseback in Palestine" as
given by Rev. Potter was most inter
esting lecture. Perfectly familiar with
the subject because of his recent visit
to the Holy Land, Rev. Potter's talk
was filled with historical facts, and the
manner in which he delivered the
truths to his audience held its closest
attention throughout. Occasional in
terruptions of humor in the lecture
gave it an irresistible flavor.
The Lecture.
Impressions of the Holy Land or
any other land depend upon the per-
sonality you bring to that land. Your
previous education, the environments
in which you have moved all tend to
figure in your impression. am always
reminded of the story of the
three men who stood at Niagara
Falls ard wondered at that
mangiflcent water fall. When discuss
ing the place, the first man said, What
sublime spectacle, here is natures
grandest exhibition The second one
said: There is power enough here
going to waste to run all the factories
and mills in my state The third one,
with hands in his pockets and a broad
smile playing on his face, looked at in
this manner: What place for wash
ing Sheep So impressions of travel
and sight seeing depend upon the dom
inant influence of your life, be that
commercialism or stock raising or up
lifting ideals of the beautiful and sub
lime
Palestine is miracle Of geography
as Christ is the miracle of history. It's
position, size, relation to the ancient
world are all unique, and make up a
most interesting study. A narrow strip
of land whose boundaries were never
fixed by war or conquest but by the
hand of Jehovah when he gave 1t to
Abraham for an inheritance. 1t is
about the size Of Maryland, or one.
fourth as large as Iowa. Yet for place
dignity and dominant influence upon
all races in all times, this lands stands
in the lead.
All Palestine is Begging.
"The religion of the Jews was the
leaven of the ancient world. They be
came the depository and dispensary
of spiritual influences which are or
dained to lead men into right relation
with God and into ways of happy and
successful accomplishment of tasks Of
| life. But they failed and we're driver
out to become wanderers and aliens
and their land was left desolate, theil
cities in ruins and only broken col
umns and fallen walls left to tell the
traveller Of it's former glory. The coun
| try is now occupied by Beduoins OF
nomadic shepherds and Fellaheens Oh
the farmers living in villages. They
are low, ignorant, superstitious, dan
gerous class, with no schools, no so
cial or religious privileges and in dir
and filth, wretchedness and squalor
they lead a miserable shiftless life
Children come crawling out of mut
huts, dirty and begrimed by the sol
and rubbing sore eyes, to beg. Moth
ers' hold up little babes and beg. AL
Palestine is begging. No country ex
cept Egypt can compete with Pales
tine for begging. No nation can brins
up generation Of beggars and hope
for the spirit or the experience of lib
erty and freedom. But there seems tt
be CLEANS of light. There are the mis-
sion schools, all doing good work ant
there are those natives who have beer
converted, doing good work. Colonies
of French, German and American
are doing much to introduce a nev
| life. More Of the western enterpris
and thrift is needed in Palestine.
| About the Sea Voyage.
Now a word about the voyage.
was on Tuesday afternoon, March s
we babe our friends goodbye on tn
| pier at Hoboken and climbed the gang
plank to the main deck Of the goo
ship 'Grosser Kurfurst.' This vessel i
600 feet long. equal to two ordinar.
blocks, and has tonnage of 1900
4 tons. We had BIT delegates in tn
party. The crew was composed of 81
beings, making a total ship inhab,
tants of 1,187.
i ITO show you that we were not &c
ing out to starvc, we carried the fol
lowing provisions out of New York
143,000 pounds of potatoes, $500
pounds of flour; $1,000 pounds o
meat; $4,000 pounds Of vegetables; 81
900 pounds Of butter; $4,000 pounds O
sugar; $4,000 pounds Of poultry; 1s
600 pounds of fresh fruit; 1900
pounds of fish: 100000 of ice. 1900