Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1908-04-29
IN The HOLY LAND

told you in my last letter to meet
me on Mt 0livet, you via the Testa-
ment, while | win govia carriage. We
leave the hotel near the Jaffa gate and
ride along outside the great massive
wall that is built around the city. We
pass the Damascus gate, go via Da-
maseus road, only half hour ride, and
are at Scopus, and little further on
we halt at Greek church and convent,
and before us is spread wonderful
panorama. This mountain range par
alelling the Dead Sea and Jordan was
known as the Wilderness. In the
days of Abraham, Damascus. and Jerl-
salem later, were the great trading
points for the Orient. Camel caravans
ca ne from India, Persia, via Babylon
and Palmyra with rich woven goods,
frankencense and spices, and street
fairs were the places of barter and
trade. From Damascus to Egypt one
route was beyond the Moab mountains,
via Petra; one route via Shiloh, Jeru-
salem and Hebron; while another route
was via Esdraleon and plain of Sharon,
all eonverging before reaching Egypt.
Abraham's favorite route was via Heb
ron, where he purchased the cave
Machpelah, then on to Jerusalem to
the upper country.
AS stand upon Mt 0livet today,
look back centuries and note the mighty
strife, the contest of nations, the bat
ting for supremacy, and | ask where
on this revolving globe has the strug-
gle and slaughter of mankind exceeded
in any land the carnage that has taken
place on the hills that my vision now
reaches? Joshua came to locate his
tribe that had jovrneyed from Goshen.
he spared no one. Every nation he
met was exterminated or nearly so,
and when his tribe had been allotted
their territory, strife still continued.
look to the east where the Dead Sea is
plainly visible from the confluence of
the Jordan to the south end of the sea.
The heavens above are clear and blue,
and rejecting its blueness on the wa
ter, the sea is made to look beautiful
from the hues of the sky, while the sea
reflects its color on the Moab noun
tains that skirt the sea, and the noun
tains tinted with blue make an ideal
picture of enchantment. To the north
is Nazareth, and there ON the Mount of
Beatitude He spoke to the people that
sermon, master piece and the prayer
so many million people have in public
and in closets repeated. To the west
the mountains extend to the plains IF
Sharon, which was the lar@ of tina
Phillistine, inhabited by people hard
to subdue. Looking south is Jerusalem
inside the wall; here domes, mosques,
synagogues of different religions rising
high above the walls. Down at the
foot is Gethsemane, beautiful little
walled garden enclosing the place of
the last meeting of Christ and his CO.
workers. The Russian Greek has a
beautiful church, dome gilded with gold.
where the monks hold perpetual mass
and are ever praying. Close by is the
leper hospital, the tombs of Absalom
and jeremiah, legion has located. At
the Greek church on Mt. Olivet, where
| spend an hour or more absorbed in
mighty history that has been made
within my vision, | felt thrill and de
sire to know more. Did He ascend
from this? Did He go to prepare a
way? By the chapel is rock enclosed
by an iron fence, and the good Greek
priest told me that from that rock
Christ assembled +" Am | on holy
ground, where from the cross, the Sc
pulchre, He went to prepare the way
for me? Just short distance down to-
wards Bethany is Latin church, where
go, and rock enclosed was pointed
out as the true place where Christ as
cended into the lofty heights and went
to prepare a place for me. But am q
heritic, only slender hold on my God
mother away in Los Angeles who bade
me kneel at the Episcopal alter and
fold fhof sof sn1 L..
meekly bowed and implored divine
grace But in the Latin and Greek
faith and teachings | am a heritic, and
while | have travelled so far to Mt.
Olivet, and while standing here | ask
Am | a heritic to be denied eternity
while that dirty band of Russians and
Greeks | mentioned in former letter
ere now immune from SIM" A people
! should shun on the highways ask
Quo Babis, whittier goeth thou? And
again from Olivet, before going down
to Gethsemane, is there no salvation
only via the Latin or Greek? | did not
see the heavens open, / did not see a
scroll nor did | see the "1n hoe signo"
in the heavens, but | hear an inner
voice say: go ahead young man, do
the best you can. Mohammedan, Shin
to, Confuscian, Methodist, Episcopalian
Congregationalist, or Salvation drum
mer on the streets of Milwaukee, | am
with you always" Good enough, and
with more hope | went down to Geth.
semane ana bought flower, returned
to the hotel After dinner, guests as
sembled in the parlor. the proprietor
sang the Holy City, hi" wife playing the
piano.
Now if you will read Kings, will
meet you on the temple site and tell
you of the inside of the walls. e. M. r.