The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-01-31

street Called Straight"
Downright. 1910, by Frank q. car
penteT.)
Stand With me on the slope Of the
ban mountains and take a look
over Damascus. We have clmped the
road which was cut out for KAISER
Wilhelm, the Emperor Of Germany,
when he visited this region ten years
ago: and are now on q bare. lofty hlu,
which the Mohammcdans consider one
of the holy spots Of the world. lt IS
where the prophet Mohammed stood
and gaZed at the magnificent town
which Damascus was in his DAY. IL
stayed here for hours, and then, turn
ing away with u sigh, said:
II dare not go in. Man can enter
paradise but once, and il | go into
Damascus, this paradise on earth, |
shall not be able to enter the paradise
Of the hereafter, in heaven
The oldest City i'll the World.
According to the MOhanmedans,
Abraham first received the divine rev
citation Of the unity of God in DamaS-
Gus; and J~osephuS say that the town
was founded by Uz. the great-sreat-
grandson Of Noah. The Bible tells us
that Abraham had a steward who
came from Damascus. and We know
that King David besieged and con-
quered the place. There is no doubt
that it is one of the oldest, if not the
very Oldest, town upon earth. 1t was
in existence before the days Of Rame-
ses. before Alexandria spranS into
greatness at the mouth Of the Nile.
and while NebuChadneZZar was chew
ing grass III the gardens of Babylon.
Tt was Old long before Athens had
begun to be, and was already gray
haired when Rome was a baby. 1t
antedates any of the cities Of the pres
ent and it is now one Of the most
thriving centerS of the Mohammedan
world.
The Rivers of Eaanan.
Damascus lies on the eastern side Of
the Lebanon mountains. about $50
miles northeast of Jerusalem, and, as
the crow flies, about 50 miles from the
Mediterranean Sea. 1t is an oasis city,
being surrounded by deserts. 1t is fed
10y two rivers. which flow out Of great
springs in the mountains 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 Naaman. the
leper. referred to them when Elisha
told him to 90 and wash IN the Jor-
dan seven times and his flesh would
ne clean. Whereupon Naaman re-
Piled:
Are not ALBANIA and Pharpar rivers
Of Damascus, better than all the Wa
ters OF Israel? May [ not wash in
them be c~lean?'
So he turned and went away in q
rage
You remember also how one of his
rVant told Naaman that Elisha was
asking a little thing Of him, and how
he then went down and bathed in the
Jordan, and his flesh came again.
like unto the flesh OF a little child, and
he was clean.'
AS we stand on the hi Of Moham-
med at the northwest end Of the city
and look at Damascus we do not Won
der at Naaman's contempt of the Jor-
dan. The latter is a winding. rocky
Femi-aikaline stream. which flows
through a desert, the great gorge OIL
depression of Ghor. 1t has a scanty
vegetation along its banks and it flow
through q valley Of death to the grear
salt sea, known as The Dead Sea
The ALBANIA and Pharpar are pure
mountain streams, and the ALBANIA i:
one OF the most beautiful Of the Who'll,
world. l have Travelled along it al
most to its source. 1t is a rushing
river. Of pure. clear. green water
which spreads life over all that i
touches. Together with the Pharpar
1t makes green the great plain which
lies below us and builds up the or
chards of almonds, %apricots, apple
~A" ~ cups Si l u
well as the white city of Damascu
which lies in its center.
\ Pearl, a Spoon or a Camel.
Now turn your eyes to the city it
self. With its gardens and orchard
surrounded by deserts it lies unde
these magnificent mountains. Their
are silver pOplarS within and without
and the green shines over the houses
The town has been compared to
pearl. 1t is shaped very like one. NJ
guide, Shammas, who stands besid
me, tells me it looks like a camel an,
a second glance shows me the hea
and neck of the beast reaching oU
TO a point where dies a railway sta
ton of the road going to Mecca. TIL
road itself is the long neck Of tn
camel an farther back is the hodx
the minarets forming the hurnp .NoJ
iook asaln, says Shammas. "and Sc
If 1t is not like a fam "yery