Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1915-current, 1917-12-27

between the great monarchies of the
Nile on the one bank and those of the
Euphrates and Tigris on the other. To
continue the parallel we need only
think fthe Palestinian coastland on
the Mediterranean, the sea, par ex-
cellence. of ancient civilization. and
the Belgian coastland or the North
Sea. the center OF gravity for modern
naval power.
How far will Gen. Allenby's forces
move rnrthward from Jerusalem and
Jaffa before they confront the Teuto
Turco challenge for the control OF
northern Palestine and Syria? We
may get a hint. perhaps. from the
way earlier campaigns have swept
across the Palestine cambridge. The
great highway of invasion from and
against Egypt during the last thirty
fee hundread years has been the an
cient caravan route along the coast
through the cities of ancient Philitil.
Coming fro mthe south the armies
have advanced by way of FL Arish,
GAIA. Jaffa, towards Acre and Tyre,
and so on to Damascus. The ramies
from the north have marched in the
reverse order except when n conquer
or from the Mediterranean, like Al
eXander, came from the Cilician Gates
near the great bend of the island sea.
| The test of battle has usually taken
place around GAIA, II il was Egypt that
stood on the defensive. or one hun
dred miles further north, If the a.
| tack came from that direction. There,
between the nights of Gilboa and Ia
| Dor. near the shores of Galilee, and
Mount Carmel, near the Mcditerran.
can, lies the Plain of Esdraelon or
Jazreel, which is the Families, Fleu.
rus. and Waterloo, the Pc quadrila.
teral, of the ancient world. Esdra-
/ elon, JeZreel, Megiddo, Armageddon,
are the synonyms for n battle ground
which witnessed the victories of Tho
Times over the Hittites, of Gideon
over the Midianites. of the Phlistines
over Saul and his sons. of n second
! Pharaoh over Josiah, King of Judel,
and of Kleber over the Turks.
From Jerusalem or Jaffa to the
| Plain o Esdraelon is a distance of fifty
miles. The plain is now traversed
! from the west to east by the railway
from Haifa, on the Mediterranean, to
the Sea of Galilee and Damascus.
Along that line we may expect the
Turks to make their stand. For the
British advance there is no direct main
Allenby's forces will no doubt follow
the ancient route close TO the coast,
now represented by the railroad from
! Judd, fifteen miles from Jalfa, run
ming north along the edge of the Plain
of Sharon and through Nablus, the
ancient SheChCm, to JeZreel. East OF
the Jordan runs the parallel line of the
Mecca Damascus Railroad. It offers
excellent opportunities for a thanking
movement against a Turkish army be
tween Haifa and Galilee, but it is 6
question whether Gen. Allenby has tn,
, resources for such an elaborate opera
ton. But If the men are available
it is not only the railroad that ma!
count. Despite the mobility of steam
and petroleum, modern armies ar
) here at a disadvantage, as against tn
hofdes which the Pharaohs led mort
| in entire disregard of water and SUI
Il ply problems, or the armies whic
II poured out from Babylonia across hui
g dreds of mile sof desert. It is signii
l. cant that the victory which uitimatel
r gave Jerusalem to the British was wo
+ largely by primitive methods. II wa
lie cavalry dash around the Turks
n flank which won. Beersheba and force
D. the retirement from GAIA. Dramat
le possibilities await us in British a
;; vance nOrthward, in double column
IN along the coast towards Hailfa ar
g. Beirut. and east Of the Jordan toward
IL Damascus.
ry There Is one resource at the di
III posal OF Gen. Allenby which his pr