Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-05-20

the Nile, the land of the river, the land
of the pyramids, the land of the sphinx,
the land of mystery.
shall have a good many things to say
| with reference TO IL. But let US take a
running start in order to approach ii
properly. My last article was about
Genoa. Leaving that city of palaces on
the afternoon Of March is we reached
/ Naples the next afternoon. The weather
was very bad. The famous blue Italian
skies" were leaden and sullen. l said to
! some friends that l had frequently read
| OF the blue Italian skies, but this was the
/ first time had ever seen them. The
rain was falling in a steady downpour.
A number of us visitors ventured ashore.
But we did not get far away from the
Arcade-some of us had occasion to be
sorry we went there-and were glad to
get back home" to the shop. AS l saw
very little of Naples. and as we are to
spend two days there on our return, and
I shall have occasion to speak of it again.
shall not discuss il now.
We left Naples early Sunday morning,
| March %. 1t was a beautiful day, at
1880 an enjoyable service was held on
shipboard, conducted by the captain, as
usual.
A SMOKING VOLCANO.
Early in the afternoon the announce
AlGnL was maze IudL We were dppTOdGAA-
ing a smoking volcano. All rushed on
deck to see the volcanic island Stromboh.
1t is a perpetual volcano, always emit
ting smoke, but never fire and lava-at
least not for many years. Where there is
so much smoke, though, there must be
fire. and IL seemed strange to see little
city of some 1900 or 5000 population on
the island. Though on the opposite side
of the mountain from that from which
. bar
are literally building their houses on a
volcano. But that is what a good many
people do, including some politicians.
A RAINBOW AT SEA.
And now we had the privilege of seeing
one OF the most beautiful sights my eyes
ever beheld-a rainbow at sea- There it
was, large and luminous, its seven col
ors clear and distinct In the bright, blue
skies of southern Italy, with no noun
tains, no hills, no houses, no smoke,
nothing to obstruct the view, it's base
resting in the sea, its top reaching up to
the heavens. The omen of hope and of
promise, it held out to us the promise
of prosperous voyage, an enjoyable and
prosperous visit to the lands of the east
and the hope Of a safe return home to
loved ones and friends in the now far
distant land of the west. And we needed
some such omen for we were approach
ing the most dangerous part of our voy-
age across the ocean and the sea. Was
it Cowper or Coleridge who wrote?
My heart leaps up when / behold
The rainbow in the sky.
So 1t was when my life began
So il was now l am a man
So viii it be when 1 die
II that be true of a rainbow on land,
il is much more true of rainbow at sea.
sCYLLA AND CHARYBDIS.
Soon after leaving Stromboh we came
in sight of Sicily, rounded the long, mar
row point and passed through the straits
of Messina. In doing so we literally sail
ed between Scylla-and Charybdis. 1t was
difficult to get accurate information with
regard to these, whether one was a rock
and the other a whirlpool, and If so which
was which, or whether both were rocks
or both whirlpools, and on which side of
the strait was Scylla and on which side
Charybdis. My recollection of mythology
was that Scylla was a rock on the Ital-
ian side and Charybdis a whirlpool on the
Sicilian side, and still think this is the
way mythology puts it, Captain Barr,
of the Carmania. told me. though, that
neither is a rock and neither a whirl-
pool, but both are swift currents, Scylla
on the Italian side and Charybdis on the
Sicilian side. AS a matter of fact,
am inclined to think that the swift cur
rents are caused by hidden rocks, which
may also have produced in ancient times,
IL not now, whirlpools on one or both
sides OF the straits. But whether rock,
whirlpool or swift current, both were
greatly dreaded by the ancients, who
with their small sailboats were liable,
when attempting to pass through the
straits of Messina, to be driven on one or
the other, and in trying to avoid one
there was imminent danger of destruction
by the other. This was why they had
so much TO say about Scylla and Charyb-
dis, which have ever since become the
symbols for alternative dangers. To our
big steamer though, there seemed to be
no fear OF Scylla and Charybdis. She
passed through the straits about mid
day in the most beautiful and graceful
style. And so il is with a man of char
acter and determination. For him Scylla
and Charybdis have no terror.
MESSINA AND REGGIE.
On the Sicilian side of the straits Mes
sina came into view, and Reggie just
across the italian side. You remember.
of course, the sad story of these two
cities. 1t is recent history. Messina
had a population of something like $780,,
600 and Reggie perhaps $4,000, when
little more Inan a year ago. LneT6 SUD
denly came an earthquake followed by
fire. and in a few minutes 100000 were
destroyed. Bishop Lanahan, of the Cath
, Ollie church, who was on board the Car
mania on his way to Jerusalem to spend
Easter, told me the following story: He
said that the morning before the earth
quake the infidel editor Of a paper in
Messina said in an editorial: eff there be
God. let him come down and shake us
up. and we will believe him." and that
when the earthquake came his family
was destroyed and he has ever since been
| in the insane asylum. This story, of
course. comes under the head of Inter
esting IL true" Bishop Lanahan told
me, though. that copies of the paper
have been preserved by the Catholics.
Both Messina and Reggie have been
rebuilt. and with their long rows of cleo
/ trio lights both presented a beautiful
picture as we passed them early in the
night of March goth. / stood on the
deck for an hour or more and watched
the lights gradually recede from view.
I do not know when have seen a pic
ture which charmed me more. BY the
way. you know that Reggie is the Rhe-
GUM of which Paul speaks (Acts 2S:13) ?
EGYPT.
| Two days more on the steamer-two
days pleasantly spent reading, writing,
4 uN-g.. 81.