The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-12-20

proach the long fringes Of thicket
which border the river. There Is more
vegetation as we near this and we go
Through the bushes until we come to
a creek. which is no wider than the
average street ~of an American city.
It looks like many Of the small
streams OF our central States. l know
Of such in Indiana, Illinois and Ohio.
and there is one OF just about the
Goose creek in Loudoun county, Va.
The Rhine and the Hudson. the Pc
tomac, or even the Shenandoah.
could swallow the Jordan without
bulging, and just now it Is so small
that in the United States it would not
be known as a river.
Nevertheless. the current is swift at
his place and We hire a fisherman to
take us across. He charges rs cents
for the boat. and for this rows us up
and down stream for an hour. He
stands up as he rows and leans on the
oars. We go to the other side Of the
Jordan and climb out through the
willows. How quiet it is! The only
sound is the ripple OF the stream as
it washes the banks and the sweet
voiced birds which sing In the trees
at our left. AS We return we lean
over and battle our hands III the Jor-
dan. The water Is cold. 1t looks like
w Shh LII Z t0nS11 Up ~ q Julie
We taste it. It Is acrid and salty
and we spit it out in disgust.
Baptizing the Pilgrims.
It IS at this SPOT that Christ Is said
to have beer baptized OF John In the
Jordan. The place Is about three miles
from the Dead Sea, where the water at
ordinary times is -four or five feet deep
! 1t is the principal place of pilgrimaeee
70 the Jordan, and Is h scene OF tens
OF thousands Of baptisms d year. The
chief time for baptizing is Easter, when
! the Russians come by the thousands
! and hen other members OF the Greek
church unit with them in q great
caravan which comes here and camps.
At thai time the water is blessed by
the high priest Of the church, and
there are many priests here to baptize
the faithful. The women and men
the water together. They change
their clothes on. the shore. The gar
ments they wear in the water are
usually s~hrouds, which they nave
brought from home with them for this
and which they intend to
take back to be used at their burlals.
The scenes OF these baptisms make
one hin OF a picnic. The men, wo-
men and children rush about. some
laughing and screaming and other
quietly talking. The priests dip each
three times in the Jordan and give him
lllciI DitSSlnS- Alter DdDlISf1 SOM
soak other shrouds in the river TO con
secrate them that they may Garry
them home to their friends. They
also drink OF he dirty water and bot
tie it up to take home. Some Of tn
pilgrims are old aud have to be lifted
in and out OF the river. The curren,
is swift, and men are frequently
drowned.
The Dead Sea.
Leaving the Jordan. We make our
way down the valley to the Dead Sea
The road goes through the thorn
bushes and winds about through dry
thirsty hills. The land is salty and
alkaline and all nature is dead. How
hot the sun is. and how glaring! Oul
eyes smart. and horrid flies crawl with
legs Of glue over our faces. We TRY
to brush them off, but they aligh1
again. and bite as they crawl.
Now we are on the shore OF the sea
It Is covered with pebbles and drifts.
wood. It looks more like a axe tina
a sea, and It is just above the size OF
Lake Geneva in Switzerland. It j:
only fifty miles long and ten miles il
width, and We can see from one enc
} of it to the other.
The sea is bounded by stony noun.
tains. On the east are the desert hill:
of Moab, where Ruth we born anl
Moses is buried, and on the west liz
those of Judea, where the children O
Israel came after Moses had pointed
out the Promised Land to them. Their,
are openings at the north and south
and away at the southwest are work.
where the Turkish government i
eVaporating the water to make salt 70
>, sale.
i The Dead Sea has no outlet. A mis-
t usually hangs over it, which come
| from the evaporation, which il enor
! nous. 1t is tina over 5000
600 tons of water flow into it dailv
ana nevertheless it's level changes oni,
| . ME the year, and tina
t at the times of the food.
l One-Fourth Salt.
3 NOW dip up some of the water j,
l your hand and taste it. It burns yo,,
. tongue and your lips. I. is as bite
1 as gan. ana II you drank a glass O
;. L0c SalTieSt water