El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-01-28

AMASCDS, Jan 10--7oeaHo 49,
me on the slope Of the Lebanon
- mountains and take look over
Damascus. We have climed the road
which was cut out for kaiser Wilhelm,
emperor Of Germany, when he visited
this region ten years ago; and are now
On a bare lofty hill which the Mohem-
medans consider one Of the holy spots
of the world. It is where the prophet
Mohammed stood and gazed at the
magnificent town which Damascus was
In his day. He stayed here for hours
and then, turning away with a sign
said:
Il dare not so in. Man can enter
paradise but once, and If go into
Damascus, this paradise on earth,
shall not be able to enter the para
disc of the hereafter in heaven
The Oldest City Of the World
According to the Mohammedans,
Abraham first received the divine reve-
latiou of the unity OF God in Damas-
Gus: and Josephus says that the town
was founded by Uz. the great-great-
grandson Of Noah. The bible tells US
that Abraham had 8 steward who came
from Damascus, and we know that King
David besieged and conquered the
place. There IS no doubt that II is
one Of the oldest, II not the very old
tstence before the days Of Rameses'
before Alexandra sprang into great
ress at the mouth of the Nile, and
while Nebuchadnezzar was chewing
grass in the gardens Of Babylon II
was ole long before Athens had be-
gun TO be- and was already gray
haired when Rome was baby It
aItedates any Of the cities OF the pre-
sent. and 1t is now one OF the Iaost
thriving centers of the Mohammedan
world
The Rivers of Eaaman.
Damascus lies on the eastern side OF
the Lebanon mountains about 80 miles
northeast Of Jerusalem and. as the
crow flies, about SO miles from the
Mediterranean sea- It is an oasis city,
being surrounded by deserts. 1t Is
fed by two rivers which flow out Of
Lebanon and make green this sandy
plain In which they are lost These
two are the ALBANIA and Pharpar OF
the Bible. You remember how Naa-
man. the leper, referred to them when
Elisha told him to go and wash in
the Jordan seven times and his flesh
would be clean. Whereupon Naaman
replied:
s.Are not ALBANIA and Pharpar rivers
of Damascus better than all the waters
of Israel? May not wash in them
and be clean?" So he turned and went
away in a rage.
You remember also how one Of his
servants told Naaman that Elisha was
asking a little thing Of him and how
he then went down and bathed in the
Jordan land his flesh came again, like
unto the flesh OF q little child, and he
was clean"
AS we stand on the hill Of Mohan-
med AT the northwest end Of the city
aud look at Damascus we do not Won
der at Nasman's contempt Of the Jor-
dan. The latter is a winding. rocky,
send alkaline stream which flows
q desert. the great gorge
or depression of Ghor. Tt has a scan
" vegetation along its banks and it
flows through q valley of death to the
grear salt sea. known as 'zThe Dead
Sea- The ALBANIA and PharpaT are pure
mountain streams, and the ALBANIA is
one Of the most beautiful of the whole
world I have travelled along it al
most to its source. Tt is a rushing
river of pure, clear. green water which
spreads life over all that. il touches.
Together with the Pharpar. it makes
green the great plain which lies below
Us and bufIds up the orchards Of ell
mouds. epricots, apples and the rich
crops wEach cover IL. Is well as the
w1t1e city Of Damascus which lies IN
its center.
A Pearl, a Spoon or a Camel
Now turn your eyes to the city it
self With its gardens and orchards
surrounded by deserts it lies under
these magnificent mountains. There
are silver poplars within and without
and the green shines over the houses
The town has been compared TO a
pearl. It is shaped very like one. My
guide. Shammas. who stands beside me,
tells me it looks like a camel, and a
second glance shows me the head and
neck Of the beast reaching out to a
point where lies a railway station of
the road going to Mecca. The road
itself is the long neck of the camel
and farther back is the body. the min
srets forming the hump. NOW look
again." says Shanmas, and see f. it is
not like a fan" Very much So"
reply, and it is also like q great
spoon with a long slender handle and
arge oval bowl"
To come down to details Damascus
Is an expanse Of pearly white, tinged