Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-10-14
Blu EDGAR E. FOLK, DID,

cuts its way in a deep fissure calico
the Ghor. or gorge. through a valley
from four to twelve miles wide, aver
aging about eight miles in width. Tho
stream itself is from so to 100 feet
wide and from two to twenty in depth,
at its normal stage. Fed by the SHOWS
OF Lebanon and the "dews Of Her
mon." and by some springs and noun
tain torrents along its route, it is a
perennial stream. In March and Aprn,
when the SHOWS OF Lebanon and Her
mon melt, and in 'the time OF har-
vest" IN October, when the "early
rain" falls, II ''overfiows all its banks"
and is a rushing turbid stream. This
is called the pride" or the swelling"
OF the Jordan. At other seasons 1t
becomes less deep and less rapid. ana
can be forded in places. But 1T never
runs dry and always maintains its
average depth of from two to twenty
feet. and its average width of from
so to 100 feet. / have heard OF
preacher saying that he could stop
the Jordan with his foot" Now 1 am
not going to deny that statement.
should not care to deny outright any
statement that a preacher would make.
But after having seen the river Jordan,
and having observed its width ano
depth, 1 cannot helping saying that
II a preacher could stop IL with his
foot-what a foot!
UNIQUE HISTORY.
And yet this precipitous, crooked, mud
dy, narrow. turgid, turbid river has the
most unique and altogether the most in
teresting history OF any river in the
world, not excepting the Ganges, the Nile.
the Rhine. the Tiber. the Seine, the
Thames. the Mississippi.
Lying aolng the line Of travel between
the east and west. between the north
and south, between Assyria and Egypt.
II was crossed and recrossed In ancient
times probably more than any other river
in the world. Across Il flowed the tides
OF migration, OF commerce, Of war. 1t
was crossed and recrossed by many OF
the most famous persons both in Old
Testament and New Testament times.
We have no record that Abraham aver
crossed the Jordan. But he must have
done so in his migration from Ur of the
Chaldees on the east to the land OF
Canaan on the west. unless perchance
he went around its headwaters.
JACOB
Crossed it alone with his staff. on his
way to Padan Aram to visit his uncle
Laban. when fleeing from the wrath Of
hts brother Esau. After having lived IA
years or more in Padan Aram and hav-
ing married Leah and Rachel, Laban's
two daughters, he had increased so both
in the size of his family and in his pos
sessions that when he recrossed it on his
return home he had become two COM
panies'' as he gratefully acknowledges to
the Lord
THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL.
When some 200 years later. his de-
scendants, the Children Of Israel or
Jacob. came TO the Jordan after 40 years
o. wandering in the wilderness, after
their departure from Egypt on the way
to occupy the Promised Land"-the land
which God sware TO Abraham, to Isaac
and TO Jacob that He would give TO them
and their seed which should come after
them" they numbered, according to es-
Inmates, from 100000 to 10000 persons.
The question came, How could such a
multitude cross the river? There 1t lay
before them. On the other side was the
p omised Land. 10 the occupation OF
.shich they had been looking forward for
40 years. They sang, or might nave sung,
ION Jordan's stormy banks we stand
And cast a wistful eye
To Canaan's fair and happy land,
Where our possessions lie."