The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1912-01-11
SCHOOL in PALESTINE
Interesting Letter From President
Rosenberger at Ramallah.

-->~----------- tEs
The following letter from President
A. Rosenberger, superintendent of the
Mission School at Ramallah, Pales
tine, has been received By Supt. F
W. Else. Its descriptions of the life
and customs of the Holy Land" are
most Interesting. and will be gladly
read by all.
As tho school year closed last
spring books We're neatly packed and
the children went joyfully away to
sec their parents and friends, glad
after a year of faithful work to have
"a long summers vacation befort them
for recreation and play. Some went
on foot, some on donkeys, by car
riages, by train, and some had a day
on the Great Sea, embarking at Jaffa
the port that brought disaster to the
ill-starred ship that carried the i'll
fated and in modern times, much
abused Jonah, the first recorded de.
serter." All the workers, teachers
and matrons went also on a much
needed vacation after q rather siren.
uous year, some going as far north as
the beautiful mountains of Lebanon,
leaving only two of us to guard the
premises and take care Of the fruit.
......, The Summers Work.
Soon after the children were gone
it was decided to give the premises
a thorough digging out" and clean
ing up,-barn stable, bake house,
wash house and every odd nook and
corner. The task was so extensive
that everybody,-even "father"-had
to lend a helping hand. After the
oyerhaaling and the vast accumula-
tion OF old rubbish had been thrown
into the dumping place, everything
presented a neater appearance.
In the early spring, Rosa E. Lee,
aided by the school boys, planted a
quantity of Snober Pine seed and
many hundred tiny trees have sur.
vived the long dry summer and are
locking thrifty. She and the boys
had the most beautiful Hollyhock
Avenue to be found in Palestine and
it added much to the attractiveness
of the mission grounds. These, all
had to be cared for during the sum.
me-.
Early in the season the golden hue
of the apricots and the rich blue tirge
of the plums and prunes were sure
evidences that the time was. drawing
nigh to store these fruits away in the
form of butter and jam, called tot
lev" to give relish to the bread when
any friend wanders hither in the
course of his travels. Then what in
dustrious housewife does not. find
abundant use for Jordan almonds, -
the best in the world. and English
walnuts? Our trees We're well filed
and so good supply is stored away
for domestic purposes when the fresh
fruits are not to be found in the
markets.
In the sDringtime our vineyards had
received careful pruning and cultiva-
ton and in return rewarded the hand
of toll by an abundant yield of the
finest quality. During Ramadan, a
time when the faithful followers of
Islam fast by day and feast by night
for whole month, our good Moslem
guard of the Park advised us to gath
er the grapes the farthest from the
house as they were disappearing
while men 'slumbered and slept" In
consequence We decided to try the
experiment of making raisins. Sew
eral women and girls were employed
to assist us in carrying in and pre-
pairing well nigh ton of grapes for
the drying process. After being
washed in water. quickened by a lib
eral supply of I've, the grapes were
spread out upon the clean ground"
well packed down, for the purpose.
The dry earth that had had no rain
for four months soon absorbed the
moisture and cured them into raisinS.
Something like ton of grapes were
required to produce four hundred
pounds of raisins, showing them to
be about four-fifths fluid. Katie
Gabriel on her return pronounced
them not inferior to the celebrated
raisins of Els Salt. In addition to all
this more than thirty gallons of grape
"totley" were added to the already
we'll filled shelves in the store room.
The Livingston Seed Co., of Colum-
bus, Ohio, sent Mrs. Rosenberger a
box Of their best garden and flower
seeds. Among them were several
choice varieties of tomatoes which
proved to be large and savory. The
yield was such as to afford an abund.
ance for table use during almost four
months and at the end of the season
several basketful of dried tomatoes
are packed away in the store room
for seasonings and soups. All this
shows :. the possibilities of garden,
orchard and vineyard under proper
cultivation OF the soil.
One day in June we were honored
with an Invitation to be present at
the closing exercises of the boys
school tMoslem) in Ell Birch. The
Supt. accepted but his wife declining
won favor IN the eyes of our Moslem
neighbors who, do not approve of
women appearing in public. A score
Of officials and dignitaries from Jeru-
salem We're in attendance, among