Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1906-04-28

it many times. He must have enjoy
ed it too for it is wonderfully inn
pressive picture. Here at times the
elements must have been wild enough
to have produced a solemn awe in his
heart and here too he might well
have heard the still small voice. We
were shown over the monastery by
kindly monk and we obtained a glor-
ious view of the Carmel range and of
the bay of Haifa. Far to the north we
were told that ancient Tyre and Sidon
once stood. In the hush of sunset we
returned to our hotel to think over
the scene and let it sink into our
hearts.
Next morning bright and early we
set out in platform wagon with our
dragoman, George Hawa, and sturdy
German coachman. The road lay
along the base of Carmel and for some
distance was uninteresting. We had
time to remember about the ancient
time and the terrible devastations
which have swept and reswept these
plains. Here pagan, Christian and
Moslem armies have met and caused
countless massacres ana endless blood
shed. The Prince of Peace seems
never to have shed His divinest in
fiuence in the hearts of those who
have crossed these plains. For neither
among the Crusaders nor the Mussul-
men, was there much of peaceful de-
sire.
| We soon crossed the Kishon and
faced the battle fields where Debora
and Barah met the Syrian host and
! when Joel killed Sisera by driving the
nail into his head. Farther on we
reached an eminence and could see
the monastery on Carmel built to
commemorate the struggle between
Elijah and the priests of Baal. Ear
away to the left stretched the plain OF
Esdraelon, one of the most beautiful
| expanses of country [ have ever seen.
Toward the farther end rise Mt. Moreh
and Mt. Gilboa. where the contending
armies of the Philestines and Saul
were encamped. Here the guide
pointed out the position of the foun-
tain of Gideon where the testing of
his men was made, here were Shunem
and Main and Hefraim and score of
other ancient towns associated with
| the growth of the old religion.
Farther on Mt. Tabor rose into view
and we seemed to leave suddenly the
wild scenes of the ancient times and
to come into land made sacred by less
warlike, more divine associations.
Soon we turned a sharp curve in the
road and were face to face with MAJ
areth, the home of the carpenter and
the scene of the early years of the
Masters life. People do not change
much here, either in habits or appear
ance and so as we wandered about the
narrow streets we seemed to see the
very companions of the child Jesus.
You must go a far journey and visit
many peoples before you can hope to
tind fairer more bewitching child
beauty thau we saw at Nazareth. Alb
so1utely some of the most beautiful
ild-faces, have ever seen, were
here. They live in novels amid filth
and rags but the beauty persists. And
when the touch of the Christian
schools and hospitals is upon them,
one finds models by the score for
Madonnas and child. In Nazareth
one must not be taken only to tradi-
tional spots. There is SO much of ac-
crued superstition about most of the
places. It is better to think that
among similar surroundings at least
though far more clearly and more
nearly ideal, the Master grew to man
hood. The one absolutely sure spot
is the spring of water. 1t is the only
spring ever known in Nazareth and
undoubtedly Mary came here to get
the water jar filed and here she must
have brought the child. One longs
just to wander about the town and
among the hills. It is a wondrously
quieting place. AS l have intimated,
customs do not change here. We see
the one handled wooden pillow, the
same implements, the same head
dress, the same sort of huts with fat
roofs, which no doubt were common
two thousa nd years ago.
Another quiet evening at the Ger
man hotel and an early start for the
hard journey to Tiberias and the sea
of Galilee. We reached the height
above Nazareth before the sun was
visible. The village lay quietly be-
fore us, the hills were touched with
morning light and far away to
the north east, Mt. Hermon, snow
capped, was rejecting the first rays of
the rising sun.
Soon we reached the squalid, dirty