The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1908-03-20
THROUGH GALILEE TO SAMARIA.
Another Large Audience Greets DR..
Lewis at the Reformed Church.

Interest in DR.. Lewis lectures
showed no abatement Monday night
when every seat in the Reformed
Church was filled by an audience
eager to hear the third of his series
on Palestine. The subject on this oc-
casion was Through Galilee to Sa-
maria" and the lecture dealt princt-
pally with the latter city and the his
toric towns between that point and the
Sea of Galilee-Capernaum Main and
Nazareth. All these places are famil-
lar in name to students of Bible his
tory and closely associated with the
life of Christ. The scenes and Incl
dents narrated in Scripture were trac-
ed through these different localities,
and a description given of them as
they appeared at the time of the Doc
tors visit A vivid picture was drawn
of the broad and barren plain where
the Crusaders were time and again
defeated by the hosts of Mohammed,
who still rules that country, with the
result that there has been no progress
whatever, the same manners and GUS
toms being in vogue and the same
tools and implements used that were
employed two thousand years ago.
However, from an extract which we
print below as of interest in connec-
ton with DR.. Lewis lecture, 1t appears
that what the Crusaders failed to &C
complish will be brought about by the
American inventor through the trolley,
the telephone, the monograph and
other evidences of civilization. The
fourth and last lecture of the series
will be given in the Lutheran Church
on Monday, March 80.
"The passing of the Palestine of
the Bible is an event in which the
Twentieth Century has a greater in
terest of sentiment, perhaps, than In
any other, If, indeed, it is now taking
place with no possibility OF stopping
it. Conquests by Babylonians, Greeks,
Romans, Arabs, crusaders and Turks
left it Palestine still-still Asiatic,
with customs which. go back of writ
ten history, remaining fixed through
centuries of change. With the open
ing of the first railroad, remarks the
st. Louis Republic, the interest of
Europe and America in Its ancient
life showed itself in making it part
of the contract with managers of spec
tally conducted tours who guarantee
the comforts of civilization to their
touring parties. Naturally, the mod
ernism thus brought to bear was ex-
pected to put the ancient life of Pal
estine to the test, but there was a
possibility that the immortality OF
Asia would sustain itself in spite OF
this continually growing pressure.
The possibility no longer exists.
according to specialists who return
to America after studying popular
manners in Palestine, as they are
now changing. AS the "land of the
Bible" with the life of David and Sol
ONION, of Job and Abraham still sur
viving in its everyday customs, Pales-
tine is soon to be no more, unless
those who see what they think the
worst of the present are mistaken
in concluding that it must soon mean
the worst possible. This, of course.
is modern Improvement, with tele-
phones in the houses, talking and
singing machines grinding American
music, and moving picture shows, un-
der French and American manage
ment in every village. All other con-
veniences IF civilization will follow
in due course as the results of modern
education overcoming antique sim
plicities."