The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-02-15
On the Road ln Acre


lfst locked on Acre from uaifa.
which sits at the foot u Mt Carmel
across the Bay of Acre uaifa is one OF
the two ports of the Holy Land. .faffa
hetug the more southerlv port, and 1t Is
"a terminus of one OF the two railroads
of Palestine that which runs up from tn
Mediterranean to Damascus
Like Jaffa, too. Haifa is receiving the
stimulus OF progress from a prosp ~aus
German religious colony The colonlsts
live by themselves in modern houses and
broad shady streets. To step from their
leafy. nowery quarter into the stony.
squaltd, noisy old town is like passing in
a minute from Europe to Asia. from
Nhristendom To Islam, from the year 1911
To the year 9il
The road from IIaifa To Acre probably
is the best example OF road building in
the Turkish empire. Not the Sultan.
however but old Neptune was the builder
and he sees to 1t that 1t Is kept in good
repair II lies ON the hard beach which
bW ders tie curving bay and after the
horses had splashed through the ford
across the brook Kishon. by which Elijah
slew the prophets of Baal. we saw the
Arah fisherman drawing in the nets that
held tAeir morning catch. murmuring
thanks To Allah for their good luck.
MAY there be hountyts cried one of
the two good friends from the American
colony at Jerusalem. whn for the time
being were my fellow pilgrims in THE
Path of Napoleon" MAY Allah bring
the bounty through your presence" the
long bearded elder among the fishermen
responded.
The carriage wheels grated on the
shells where the Phoenieians used TO
gather the material for their TNrian pur-
pie. and as | drew near my destination.
the horses waded knee deep through an
other little stream, whose waters trickle
across the beach road, where. according
to Pliny. glass was discovered. There
some sailors while cooking their dinner,
many centuries gone saw the sand melt
into little transparent Jumps, and l sup
pose we are indebted to them for every
window pane that lets in the sunshine.
the toilgate on the highway between
Africa and Asia, between Egypt and
Constantnople. between the Holy Land
and Syro and blood has been its toll.
If the bones of the multitude who have
been slain at that cruel portal could be
gathered in heap, Acre would sit in
the shadow of a mountain OF dead.
In the Crusades, to go back no FUR
thur it was the gate To the Holy Land.
and hundreds of thousands of Crusaders
and Saraoens are said to have pershed
before 1t. Behind 1t the hosts of the Cross
made their last stand. and when Acre
fell tSt. Jean d'Acre 1t was calledl the
'fuSduefs idS "ull'u peh'tNN '9 ''Hs'
walls, never again to rise and battle
for the resecue of the Holy Scpulcher
And this blood-drenohed threshold OF
Acre Is the Gate of Nazareth For
+, looks out upon the hills where only
20 miles away dwelt the meek and for
bearing Nazarene who taught the les
son so hard for men 10 learn Who
socver shalt smite thee ON thy right
cheek turn to him Tire other also.
It had been 80 years and more since
an army from Christendom had pre-
scented itself before the gate OF Aere
when Napoleon came to challenge this
stronghold OF Turkish power Before
him stretched the classic highway OF
empire 10 the famous Ladder of Tyre,
leaning against a white, rocky promon-
tory. Behind that headland lies the CITY
Of Hiram whose capture is counted
among the most celebrated exploits OF
Alexander the Great