Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1911-03-10

TO us as Samson cave. All the
hills and mountains ON either side
OF the railway are terraced from
bottom to top, sometimes from
~ to 100 terraces on a single
mountain. These terraces are moi
only planted with trees, such as
olive, but many of them are also
sown with grain, just think of
planting grain on terraces made
of stone and covered with soil.
carried up from the valley below,
yet such is the case, that thous-
ands of miles of these terraces
are utilized in the land of Pales-
tine. The cars we rode in and
composing the train was of very
poor class it took us over four
hours to do the AZ miles between
Jaffa and Jerusalem. On our ap-
prOach to Jerusalem, l kept strict
watch to get a glimpse of the
Holy City, and when it came |
was somewhat, disappointed for
| had always the impression that
Jerusalem was separated from
the surrounding mountains by a
continuous valley, and that its
walls could be seen on every side
On approach, it is not so, for we
were in the new portion of the
town before we were aware of
the fact, there were so many new
buildings and old that the old
city was quite hid from us, amid
the motley crowd of hotel run
nerS, men and boys, cab drivers,
lOungerS, and the shouting, we
secured a cab and were driven to
the hotel NOrte Dame, which is
ON the outside of the wall. It is
a very large building of white
limestone and is conducted by
the Monks of st. Francis. Be
fore l m. we had engaged a car
riage and a guide, and as soon
as We had lunch started for the
town of Bethlehem. which is
about six miles north east of Je-
ruSalem. On our way there we
had a good view of Mount Olives,
and Sion. On the road there our
guide Ointed out to us the bring
from which the WSemen who
came from the East to find the
New Born King, drank when they
saw the reflection of their guild
ing star in the water. On the
right side of the road he pointed
out the rock in which there was
a deep depression about the
length of a mans body in which
is said Elijah rested when flee
ing from the wrath of Jezabel,
and on the other side of the road
just opposite the rock is the Mon
aStery of Elijah. We could see
the snow topped mountains of
Moab far away to the North. We
also passed Rachel's tomb, the
hospital of the Knights of St.
John. We admierd the wild land
Scape, with the rugged hill, SlOp,
ing deep glens; the HerOdian or
Frank mountains rising in the
distance, with the cave of Adult
lum at its foot, and hidden from
view, and Bethlehem just coming
into sight, situated on the white
chalky ridge. Eastward stretch
ed the wilderness of Judea. Beth
lehem is placed on the brow of
a narrow hill, and is probably
very much like what it was in the
time of David. The inhabitants
of the town are Christians and
they cultivate the soil with great
diligence and perseverance, quite
unknown to their MoSlem neigh
bOrs. Here it was that Ruth
stood in the fields of BaOz among
the corn and CLEANED. There at
the Eastern gate is a well, a deep
cistem hewn out of the rock; to
obtain water from which for the
king as he was hiding in the cave
of Adullum, David'S three mighty
men broke through the hosts of
the Philistines at the peril of
their lives, and succeeded in their
heroic attempts, bearing it in tri-
umph to their chef, and David
not to be OutdOne in chivalry,
poured the water on the ground
as an Oblation to God, saying,
"Shall l drink the blood of these