Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-10-14

(Continped from page sevsn-)
double ranks of armed horsemen on
either side of the hosts, careering In
genuine Arab style, and plunging with
fearless impetuosity through the grass
and bushes to drive out any Bedouins
that might be lurking there. The gov
ernor, with his body guard, brought up
the rear. and thus we we're defended on
all sides Nor was this caution mis-
placed. One poor fellow from Poland,
having fallen behind, was attacked rob-
bed and stripped naked. After two
hours ride over an uneven plain we
reached the Jordan as the sun rose
over the mountains Of Moab. Imme-
diately the pilgrims rushed headlong into
the stream, men, women and children
in one indiscriminate mass. The naughty
Turk sat upon his horse and looked with
seorn upon this exposure of the Chris
tian dogs. The pilgrims however. were
highly delighted with the bath. The
men ducked the women somewhat as
the farmers do their sheep, while the
little children were carried and plunged
under the water, trembling like so many
lambs
1T is part OF the tradition that our
blessed Lord was there baptized and
the ruins of an old convert near at hand
determine the exact location to the per-
feet satisfaction OF the devout pilgrim.
The Latins, however. maintain that the
event took place higher up the stream,
and hence they battle there. The banks
are nearly perpendicular, and very mud
dy. while the current Is astonishingly
rapid, and the river is at least ten
feet deep. It requires the most expert
swimmers to cross II, and one less skill
ed would be inevitably carried away, as
we had melancholy proof. Two Chris
tians and a Turk who ventured too far,
were drowned without the possibility OF
rescue, and the wonder is that more
did not share the same fate where null
titudes were bathing at once. This sad
accident, which should have cast a shade
over the whole assembly, produced very
little sensation among the pilgrims. In
fact. the pilgrimaging seems to obliterate
every benevolent period from the
heart"
We were at the Jordan a little be-
fore the Greek Easter. and did not have
the opportunity of Witnessing any OF
these scenes In view of all the sacred
associations of the river, as indicated
above, a visit to the river Jordan was
a matter of the deepest interest. We
reached II at a joint just below the
traditional place OF baptism. The date of
our visit was April u. 1910. Owing to re-
cent rains and to the melting of the
SHOWS on Lebanon and Hermon the
river had "overowed it's banks" and left
them very muddy. In trying to cut some
sticks on the banks for friends at home.
stepped in mud to my shoe tops and
had difhculty in getting out. The stream
itself was also quite muddy. / had in
tended going bathing in 1t. But the mud
in the river and the mud on the banks
were too much for me, and | concluded
to forego the privilege. a number of
us, however, got in a boat and were
rowed up the swiftly flowing stream TO
the traditional place of baptizing. To float
on river Jordan, 10 sing while floating
on 1t, ION Jordan's Stormy Banks l
Stand" to view the place where the
Saviour of the world is thought to have
been baptized-this of itself was an expert
ence worth crossing oceans to enjoy. For
the sake of other visitors l should
state, though, that it is necessary to
have the water boiled TO kill out the
animal matter with which II abounds.
otherwise, II would become very offens-
I've il a short while.