The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-03-05
SUE! z CANAL ''|A|||M||l
IS 0B|JE''CT
0 Of FIGHTING
British and Turks Struggle for
Waterway, Which is De-
scribed By Society.
W-AstHINGToN. b. a. Mar.

u. T., o
Among the sands. boulder-streWn
fields, and great barren mountains ol
rock OF the naiPeninsula, the Brit
ish Inc the Turks are struggling Tor
the masteryzof waterway OF first Inn
portance, the Suez Canal, whose safe
guarding at the present time is of VI
tai concern TO GreatBritain: Reports
leaking through the other day by way
iof Italy fell that the Turks, re-en-
forced by the wild Bedol1in NATIVES.
are giving the British hardabattle
in these worldSbiried contests in the
desert Even Alexandria, far: across.
the canal. is said to be growing anx-
ious. Describing this country the Ma
tionaI Geographic Society
There are E;210 square miles OF
lcomfortless country in the Sinai PEN.
Ursula, which forms asia's Ilncturel
with Africa. 1t was over this bridge
and through the Sinai desert that the
1sraelites wandered 40 years toward.
their Promised Land, n it is here.
that the sacred mountain of the law.
lifts it's head. Some of IsraeI's
physical battles with opposing neigh
bors and spiritual ones with the re-
curing hunger.for the sold-tiane sery-
ice to idols and to nature.
The .Suez Canal divides Sinai
from Africa. Suez Canal is one of
the earth's greatest commercial and:
political water avenues,a and it is at
present one OF the most Important
links in the British world empire. The
bordering Sinai is $50 miles long and
E130$miIcs wide, or it is about the size
of Ireland. Its whole population does
not exceed 1000. and practically all
of these are Bedouins. who tent along
i,sthe Intermittent streams and pasture
their focks Of goats and sheepssin the
deserts grudging GASES. The Wady:
F'iran is the most fertile and the best
known of these oases. 1t is called
the peal Of Sinai and here alone, it
lis said, has earth enough of paradise
to make the Persian buibul, sweetest
of bird singers. forget his roses and
content without them, sing his thou
sand songs.
TN the early years Of Christianity
the Sinai region was sought by many
of the sterner7proposed hernits, who
filled the numerous cavesEof its honey
Icombed hills and mountains. Monas-I
teries, churches and converts were
built here in districts commeniorated
by sacred story. Among these buiki>.
ings, st. GATHERINGS monastery
stands foremost in fame. 1t was
builded al mpnument o the
Mountain Of the Law, but as the loca-
ton Of the Mountain Of the Law is
a matter of dispute, the claims of st.
GATHERINGS is debatabIe. The monas-
terry is in the control Of Greek :Ortho--
dox monks. and it is visited once or
ItWise a year by some stray pilgrim
from The lands OF western Europe
or America.
Sinai has been called the best
desert in thesworld. by one OF its
E~thusastic friends. However, with its
fearful scarcity of4water. with its
endless, burning stretches OF yellow
and gray sands, with Its bare and.
t%broWnish rock masses, and with the.
night songs OF those children fof tho
tdesert. the -iackal and the hyena, as
the kindest break in its nlonotony, 1T
is certain that those fighting insSinai's9
waste will findstheir theater.a fttingly
grim stage for the work they have
Ito do