The farmer and mechanic., 1915-08-31

tby n 4. 81
One of the most vivid memories of !
two Journeys around the world is
the picture of Mt Carmel scene of
the dramatic duel between Elijah and
the priests Of Baal. The place fits
the story a glove fits the hand !
God set a great stage for this drama |
OF the ages. The hospitable little
company of Carmelite monks. whose |
SiTple and even poverty-stricken |
home is on the very site of the great |
contest, seemed to me to be favored |
above most religious communities |
even though not a score of travellers |
ia year climb to their monastery |
Tourists are content to drive from !
Hafa to the northern end of the
mountain. which is twelve miles
from the scene of the hist oric con-
test
Mt Carmel, which is twelve miles
long. is called, the mountain of
thousand valleys" Recalling the
niIht | spent on horseback, travel
ing the length Of the mountain in
the dark, having been delayed by
the hospitality OF the monks and of
a Druse. j can well believe that there
are a thousand of those slopes which
| aScended and descended The
Haifa. where the placid and pros
Porous German petists have a colony,
to the south, ending in a hold head
land which holds in review the historic
plain of Esdraelon, and most of the
land Of Canaan. In all the land of
Israel there is no other such natural
platform for the enactment Of a ma
tionai drama. Millions could have
witnessed the combat between Elijah
nd ha hnn har nyia ia -
natural facilities were concerned.
Looking down the precipitous sides
of the mountain to the East one sees
fertile valley, studded with groves
of gray olive trees, where runs the
brook Kishon. which for part Of the
year is dry. Scrub oaks cover this
end of the mountain itself Near the
top, under the southern brow of the
mountain, gushes a great and peren-
NAL spring, from which was obtained
the water to carry out Elijah's in
StruCtions.
Three Of us stood one Sunday morn
ing on the roof Of the monastery, al
this "place of burning" as it is called
locally, and one, a minister from
Australia. whom we had picked up al
Haifa. drew from his pocket a Bible
and read the sublime narrative which
the Sunday schools are this week
studying. The whole scene lay un
rolled before us like a scroll. There
had stood the multitude. crowding tt
the crest. Somewhere within a radiu!
of fifty yards, the affairs had beer
built twenty-eight hundred years ago
although the drama seemed to b.
staged anew for us. Down below wa:
Kishon, whittier the false priests ha(
been carried and slain. To the West
sparkled the lovely Mediterranean
and-yea, it was true, though WI
Il t~~Jso
of the sea, on a cloudleSS sky, rOs
"a cloud the size Of a mans hand,
such as the prophets servant saw
Small wonder that Lawrence and Ahc
Oliphant, the British authors, mad
this mountain top their home: l say
the monument of Mrs. Oliphant i
the yard of Druse's home.
The Man OF Mystery Reappears
Three years had elapsed betWee
the story of last weeks Sunday schoc
lesson and the present one. Tn
drought and the famine predicted b
Elijah had fallen. The hand OF sor
row was heavy on the land. People
hearts had been mellowed by suffer
ing. Many penitent thoughts ha
been directed to the old days and tn
old ways, when Israel was loyal
Jehovah. The news that this sorro
had been sent as a punishment fo
idolatry. had run to and fro over IN
land Elijah had become an awe
some figure in the popular rnnd.
AS for Ahab, ever prodded by n
vcngeful queen, Jezebel, he had souSf
everywhere for Elijah. He could M
reason with him, but he could punls
him. Might was on his side. II rlgf
was not. The fate that he wante
To visit upon the elusive prophet lie
upon the heads of other ministers
Jehovah. Jezebel vented her hate
hunting and harrying priests. Obadla
The palace steward. a chancellor OIL II
household. a man of God, had hidde
a hundred in caves. so that their liv'
We're saved. This character of 90;