The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1917-11-27
ON ANCIENT BATTLEGROUNDS
Bihle names la the war news!

Ancient backgrounds of the human race
once more tremble under the heavy tread
of marching hosts, where men in time long
gone strove for mastery with spears, and
shields, and swords and archery. Now come
other men with the thunder of artillery,
with bombs dropped from the clouds, guild
ed by airplanes which circle over the an
Gent historic hills and plains, where men
have unnumbered times fought for liberty
and freedom, for the right of self rule
against tyranny-too often, alas, in vain;
now come other armies fighting that free
dom shall not perish from the earth Where
chivalric crusaders fought and died under
the banner of the cross in the name o.
Christ, their king, now come in a later day
the soldiers of a Christian nation seeking to
redeem the Holy Land from the rule of the
Turk, the usurper.
What whimsical turn of fortune it is
that the great confagration in Europe should
have penetrated to this far off ancient land;
that this little country stored with so much
that is precious in human history should
again become the battling ground of con-
tending armies. Are we not justified in hop
ing that this modern crusade shall be sue
cessful, and that when the war at last shall
end the land which Graded Christianity will
remain in Christian hands?
But the Bible names in the war news
GAIA, Askalon, Hebron, Beersheba, Jerusa-
lem-how familiar they are to the Bible stu
dent and what historic incidents they recall
And yet how strange it is, withal, to come
across them in the war news.
GAIA, city famous since written history
began, many times the prey of conouerors:
often destroyed and rebuilt as wars were
waged and won; an ancient Mediterranean
port once a rival of even Athens itself as
seat of Hellenic culture; the city whose
gates were carried away by Samson. life
long foe Of the Philstines.
Askalon Tor Ashkelon). scene of one of
Samsons exploits; one of the cities where
the Philistines kept the ark of the Lord
which they had captured from the Israelites;
the city of which David sang in his elegv
over King Saul, "Tell it not in Gath. publish
1t not in the streets of Askalon;" a city
often, like GAIA, the prey of conuuerors, Of
ten spoiled and as often rebuilt; in Herod's
time and afterward the birth and dwelling
place of rulers and philosophers; seat of
Hellenic culture; for centuries contended
for by Christian and Moslems, the prize of
some of the historic sieges of the crusades.
Hebron, one of the oldest cities of Pales-
tine where dwelt Abraham Isaac and Jacob.
and where were buried Sarah and Rebecca;
the city whence came the spies sent out by
Moses before Israel entered the promised
land; the first capital of David, and where
ne was Amounted king; the city from which
Absalom, David's reCreant son. set out on
his Inflated venture to wrest the throne
from his father; once held by the crusaders,
but since the twelfth century in the hands
of the Mohammedans, by whom it is regard
ed as one of the four sacred cities of the
world
Beersheba, a city connected with many
events in Bible history; where Abraham was
commanded to sacrifice his son Isaac; where
later Isaac sojourned, and where Esau was
robbed of his birthright and blessing; where
the sons Of Samuel were judges; the city to
which Elijah fed from JezebePs wrath; the
place of the seven wells, from which it de-
rived its name, wells which today supply ex-
cellc1t water, even as they did in Abraham's
time
Jerusalem, formerly the city of the Jebu
sites but known as the city of David anC
also as Zion from the time it was conquer
ed by King David and chosen by him as the
seat of his kingdom; a city which was an
cient before the land of Judah was occupied
by the Israelites; where Solomon built hi
magnificent temple and reigned in glory; tt
which came and whence departed the Ions
line of Israelite kings; the prize of man,
conquest, ruled in turn by Babylonians
Persians, Syrians, Romans and Moslems; it
beautiful temples and lovely palaces man.
times RACED by the monster war and upol
Their ruins new Jerusalem as often rebuilt
the place where Jesus, the carpenters son
1ae King of Kings, oft proclaimed his gos
81 during his brief ministry on earth; tn
s~cltF n which centers all that which the Jey
eeeF'sh5s as glorious in his history, revere,
~ @e" and Christian alike.