The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-12-25
D1sPATcH RTcH.foND VA SUNDAY DECEMBER

ried Its own welcome all over the
earth; the only book that has ever
done SO, being the ground and pillar
Of the truth, inspired Of, and recording
not local, not temporary, not suited
to the learned only not unintelliglble.
not. embarrassing. the chart OF truth
and love. Of earth ~ heaven, Intended
all mankind and carry them safely
across the waves of this troublesome
world--next to Himself Gods great
est gift to us. There Is another fact
about the Holy Land that would seem
TO be not without spiritual signifi-
canoe Small as It Is. 1T is wonder
fully representative Of tho whole
world and It's products. The peaks of
Lebanon are snowclad the year round,
and every winter the central ridge OF
of the Jordan) is covered with Ice and
snow. In the valley of the Jordan
mere is IN summer, tropical heat,
within the extent OF single land
cold of Northern Europe to the heat
of India" The different parts of
Palestine, at different seasons and diff
ferent elevations, produce everything.
Every traveller on earth can find in
1t something that speaks to his heart
of his. own home. 1t is the home of
every heart on earth the birthplace of
Love Divine. Tile Saviour's land be-
longs to us all; and many creature
who has had only six feet of earth. on
earth, has had vast spiritual posses
stons In the Holy Land. and found
there those which make the pomp of
Emperors ridiculous" and which he
would not put in the balance against
all that therein Is, added. 1t seems
that the oak, the pine. the walnut, the
maple, the juniper, the alder. the pop
lar. the willow the Ivy, the ash, all
grow luxuriantly on tho hills of
Hermon Bashan and Galilee.
nortiierly lands find there their own
familiar vegetation; see pears, APP
pies, plums, wheat, barley, peas, pota-
toes, cabbage. lettuce. eudive, mus
tard An Englshman can find there
out of $500 flowers. 500 English ones
1T rejoices him to see the tulip. crocus
mlgnonette, rose, anemone, daisies,
dandelions, thyme, sage. blue and
white pimpernels, cyclamens sweet
majorams. mine: even the brambles.
nettles, duckweed, thistles, watercress
rushes of his native land. a Spaniard
West indian, Southerner, East Indian.
Italian. would be just as fortunate, and
delight to see fields of cotton. rice, to-
the tamarisk, the sycamore, the fig, the
olive, the date palm, the acacia and
All the tropical grasses--prickly pears
lines. oranges, almonds, bananas--felds
o'6dl Nti'iGt iIdiLc JiIilttH
melons, gourds. yams, pumpkins. Pal
esttne reproduceS climates and zones
which elsewhere are separated by hun
dreds Of miles. So far as nature af-
Scriptures appeal tenderly. because ia
mlllarly, to men all over the earth
the Land. the Book, chosen of God, are
for US all. Palestine" says one au
thority, is decidedly mountainous. In
tersected throughout its length and
breadth by rich. widespread lowlands.
The plain on the western side. with
only the interruption of Mount Carmel,
extends along the whole coast, under
different names, Acre, Sharon. Shefe
had the Philistines district), and
from there the country rises through
out into a tableland from 100 to u.
500 feet above the Mediterranean, the
general level being so even and the
hills so close together that seen from
the coast, the whole length of the
country looks like a wall rising from
the fertile plain at its foot. The gen
eral monotony Is broken here and
3.O29 feet above the sea: Jerusalem, o.
500: the Mount of olives, 2.724: Bethel.
400: Ebal and Gerizim, 2,700: Little
Hermon and Tabor, 1900 Safed. 2,775,
and label Jermuk, 1000. This long
sea of hills is full of valleys running
east and west, and forms so many arms
of torrent beds opening into the Jor
dan Valley or the Mediterranean. These
Valleys on the eastern SIDE or the
watershed towards Jordan are ex
tremely precipitous. Between Mt
Olivet and Jericho there is fall of
1000 feet in fifteen miles.
The western valleys slope more
gently, but the passes of both are very
difficult and made for the security of
Israel In ancient times. intrenched In
mountain businesses. which could only
be reached, at best, by rough mountain
passes. Hebron borders on the desert,
and Is all barren uplands. In Judah
and Benjamin there is more fertility.
and in summer beauty when there is
yerdure and bright flowers. and the
ravines are filled with torrents of rush
ing water. Dean Stanley says: Round
ed hills. grey chiefly from the lime
stone OF which they are formed, part
~ from tufts of grey shrub with which
their sides are thinly clothed, their
sides formed into concentric rings of
rock which must have served In an
Gent times as supports to the ter
races, Of which there are still traces
up to the very SUBMITS; valleys. or
rather, the meetings OF these long,
grey slopes with the beds of dry
water. courses at their feet, long sheets
of bare rock laid like tlagstones, side
by side, along the soil-these are the
chief features of the historical part of