Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-06-22
REV. !. w. POTTER OF kEoKuk
ADDRESSES LEAGuERs ON
HOLY LAND.
AN ILLUSTRATED TALK.
Speaker Wildly Described the Scenes
Which Savior and the Disciples
Had Trodden Many
Centuries Ago.

the present condition Of this land OF
biblical history, the customs of the
people and the present environment Of
the places where Christ and his
diciples trod centuries ago, the lee
ture of Rev. J. w. Potter Of
Keokuk at the Willard Street Metho
dist Episcopel church last evening
proved to be one OF the most delight
full as we'll as instructive discourses
of the Epworth League convention. |,
was made the more pleasing by the
stereopticon views Of the places OF
interest. Mr.. Potter, whose subject
was "On Horseback in Palestine
proved himself an able lecturer and
his description Of the holy lands
which he has twice visited, was SC
vivid that many allowed their imagi.
nations to carry them across the
many miles to the wonderful land
and were lead to believe that they
were seeing what the lecturer was SO
clearly describing. Although the
evening was very warm. the op'
preSsiveness was forgotten because
OF the greater thought on the minds
of the audience.
Program Delightful.
The song service In which the en-
tire audience engaged was fitting
opening to the program Of the even
ing. Miss Fern Hartsuck of Abba
favored the delegates and visitors
with an excellent vocal solo, and Will
Lowry was forced to respond to an
encore since his whistling was so
pleasing to the ears of all.
Mr.. Potter's Lecture.
In beginning his discourse on the
holy lands, Mr. Potter gave briet
geographical description that his hear.
ers might picture the general out.
lines of the land. He stated that the
country was harly one-fourth as large
as the state of Iowa, but in history no
lands holds higher place He told
of the shelved conditions Of the hills,
which the Inhabitants have been
forced to make In order to raise
enough food supplies for their main.
'tenAnce. He spoke of the, richness OF
the soil in. the valleys, and stated that
the people do not have their respective
farms nor do they live, as Americans
near their fields.
They reside In villages at the foot
Of the hills as we'll as on the hills
and the ruler OF the village rents
as much of the fields as he has men
enough to farm. Two rich merchants
own the greater, part of the fertile
tracts and year by year rent them out
to the inhabitants of one and another
Of the villages. There is no such thing
as provate and personally owned
farm. True to biblical history the thorn
bushes may be seen In patches
throughout the valleys. The inhabit.
ants, stated the lecturer, farm around
them and let them grow, too lazy to
grub them out
Their Character.
Mr.. Potter stated that the inhab.
itants are an ignorant, hardly civilized
race. Their houses have but one open.
ing. little hole in the side through
which they crawl in and out. They
live in dirt and squalor," stated the
lecturer, Crawling in their shacks at
night to sleep in dust and dirt, issuing
forth in the morning, begrimed and
dirty, to rub their eyes and extend
their hands to ask aims. Everybody
begs in Palestine, men, women and
children. The women teach the little
ones to- beg when they can hardly
toddle about. Even when the little
ones are in their mothers arms, the
parent takes it's little hand in hers
and begs for aims for the baby. !
asked the guide whether or not they
were Trustworthy He told me that II
/ was to 20 through the land alone and
ar, o,I 4 Nd %I4 10
me-. the best thing i could do was to
give them whatever had. If they
asked for it. They would then not
modest me but If refused they would
kill me without hesitancy. They have
no schools OF their own, only the mis-
sionaries are their teachers. And in
my belief. as far as the Jews going
back to Palestine, it is nothing but
newspaper reports.
Work Of Missionaries.
THE work of our missionaries in
this land is wonderful Every one
who comes within the teaching goes
back among his own people to teach
them the methods Of civilization and
to instruct them to sew and read. and
above all. to know the great truths OF
the holy bible"
Mr.. Potter then told Of the super
stition Of the inhabitants and pic
tured vividly the beliefs which they
hold through this superstitution. He
told of the blessed window where the
people hung bits Of cloth to be blessed
by the sun as it rose in the morning.
and how they thought these bits OF
cloth would keep away sickness and
trouble when worn about the person.
Shows Views.
Mr.. Potter then went to his lantern
and showed seventy views OF the great
land. the points around which cen
tered the great happenings told of in
the bible.
The pictures were for the most part
taken by Mr.. Potter and his party and
their interesting features were fully
explained. The lecture as whole was
one that will cling to the memory OF
the delegates and visitors and in their
pursuance Of bible study they will be
more able to get the best out Of 1t
since this lecture has given them an
opportunity of viewing the very places
of which they are reading