El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-10-14
Ella Wheeler Wilcox

IN MANY parts OF the world, mis-
sionary work seems to be fail
= ure. In other localities its aspect
is brighter.
A score of years ago a young wo-
man I'm her twenties felt it to be her
life work to go 10 Syria and help the
women Of that land to higher ideals
and larger opportunities Her name
was Miss Holmes and she was young
and lovely; at least so II seems 70 one
10 sees her now. after 20 years her
face suu young and beauuIul uAoel
her luXuriant gray halr-
Miss Holmes went independently or
ali churches. She went with only the
Christ spirit in her heart her estllie--
uOn was Jebrail, Syria
The old Ph0enician town or GepaL
together with the nauon OF lHe GLD
Titles Of the book OF Josnuas mas re-
NAMED as obscure as was the Lanq'
when the Lord commanded tne Onl--
dren Of Israel to -go In ana possess
It," The wisdom Of their wise men,
mentioned by Ezekiel, pertained 10 Lhe
building ana repairing OF sAiPS AO-
Tyrian merchants
Was of Early importance.
1t was Of sufficient Importance dur
ing the period when Egypt ruled from
the Pyramids 20 the EuQhrates, TO be
governed By resident Egyptian gov
errors, But long before, its borders
had grown too small. COlOnists had
gone TO the south, TO a long neck of
land clearly seen from their coasts,
and built thereon a town, destined to
become the modern metropolis OF Bey-
rout.
ing and foul worship OF Astarte and
70 its sacred soil flOcked the deVotees
Of Baal, just as IN our own day the
pilgrims flow toward Mecca and Jeru-
During the Greek sway. Gebal was
known as Byblos, and, later on, the
old PhOenician name became Aran1-
cised into JebaiL its present name
The conditions which Miss Holmes
found in this place are beyond de-
scriptOn- The awful ignorance, the
awful immortality, the awful super
stitions would fiji volumes.
Baal and Astarte We're the deides
Worshipped-the gods OF fertility.
Vice and murder were rampant; for
human sacrifices as well as animal
were offered to their bestial gods; es-
pecially sacrifices Of children The
condition OF the women was unspeak-
ably low. The vulgarity and obscenity
Of their conversation would appal in
mates of a barrOom.
Priests the Leaders.
The priests were, of course, the
leaders in all the rites of Astarte, and
the women were slaves to the priests;
a condition which always accompanies
ignorance.
The advent Of Miss Holmes caused a
commotiOn in this beniEhted land.
Prominent officials went from house
% house warming people to keep away
from the "hellish woman" In the
churches the priests faithfully and We
hemently denounced and cursed the
newcomer. The matter was discussed
IN the market place, and where one
would be brave and say a kind word
for her dozens would echo the curses
Of the priests.
But the getting-used-t o-it process
prevailed. After the foreigner had been
gazed upon by the multitude. she was
found to be quite like other people.
only her house was neat and attrac-
tive, her clothes always in order, and
her hair cOmbed every day. More than
all, she did not have horns. as was re-
ported. The multitude Of books in her
modest library excited keen interest
and even respect, while her neWspa-
pers and magazines afforded amuse-
ment for many an evening, and the