Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1918-01-24
FACTS ABOUT PALESTINE
Only 10 Miles in Length-Ancient Is
rael Even Smaller.

VtScOunt James Bryce, FORMER BRITISH
to the United States, in a re-
cent communication to the National Geo.
graphic society, gives a succinct idea Of
the size and physical characteristics Of
lection OF the British empire. since the |
occupation of Jerusalem. A part of Wis., |
count Bryce's communication is issued by !
the society from its Washington head |
quarters in the following war geography !
bulletin:
mo country has been so often or SO
described by travellers of all
sorts Of tastes and interests as Palestine
has been; and this Ia natural, for none has
excited 30 keen an interest for so long !
a time and in SO many nations.
LAS we have all at some time or other !
read much about the country, II may we'll
be thought that nothing now remains to
be said about Palestine, except by arch
biologists. whose explorations Of the sites
Of ancient cities are always bringing fresh
facts to light. But II all Of us have read
good deal about the Holy Land, most Of
us have also forgotten a good deal, and
our ideas of the country-ideas colored
by sentiments Of reverence and romance
are often vague and not always correct.
ut may, therefore. be worth while to
set down in a plain and brief way the
salient Impressions which the country
makes on western traveller who passes
quickly through 1t. The broad impress
sions are the things that remain in men,
DRY when most of the details have van
ished, and broad impressions are Just
what an elaborate description sometimes
fails to convey. because they are smother
ed under an inflnitude of details.
Palestine Is a tiny little country.
Though the travellers handbooks prepare
him to find 1t small, 1t surprises him by
being smaller than he expected. Taking
It as the region between the Mediterra-
mean on the west and the Jordan and Dead
sea on the east, from the spurs Of Leban-
on and Hermon on the north to the desert
at Beersheba on the south, 1t Is only ITO
miles long and from so to GO broad-that
is to say, 1t is smaller than New Jersey,
whose area is 1900 square miles.
"Of this region large parts did not be-
long to ancient Israel. Their hold on the
southern and northern districts was but
slight, while in the southwest a wide and
rich plain along the Mediterranean was
occupied by the warlike Philistines, who
were sometimes more than a match for
the Hebrew armies. Israel had, In fact.
little more than the hill country. which
the maritime plain on the west. King
David. in the days Of his power. looked
down from the hill cities of Benjamin,
Just north of Jerusalem. upon Philistine
enemies only 25 miles off. on the one side,
| and looked across the Jordan to Moabite
enemies about as far off, on the other.
Nearly all the events In the history of
/ Israel that are recorded In the Old Testa-
ment happened within a territory no big
| ger than the State Of Connecticut, whose
area is 1890 square miles; and into hardly
any other country has there been crowded
| from the days of Abraham till our own
so much history-that is to say. SO many
events that have been recorded In the
annals Of mankind.
Nor is it only that Palestine is really
a small country. The traveller constantly
! feels as he moves about that 1t is a small
country. From the heights few miles
north Of Jerusalem he sees, looking north
ward, a far-off summit carrying snow for
eight months In the year. 1t is Hermon.
nearly 10000 feet high-Hermon. whose
founi aims feed the rivers of Damascus.
But Hermon IL outside the territory OF
Israel altogether. standing in the land
Of the Syrians: so. too. 1t Is OF Lebanon.
We are apt to think of that mountain
| mass as within the country, because 1t al
so is frequently mentioned in the psalms
and the prophets: but the two ranges OF
Lebanon also rise beyond the frontiers
Of Israel. lying between the Syrians OF
Damascus and the Phoenicians of the
West.
perhaps it is because the maps from
which children used to learn Bible geog.
raphy were on large scale that most OF
us have failed to realize how narrow were
the limits within which took place al
those great doings that fill the books OF
Samuel and Kings. Just in the same way
the classical scholar who visits Greece Is
surprised that so small a territory sufficeG
for so many striking incidents and for the
careers of 80 many famous men.
Palestine is country poor in natura
resources. There are practically no min
erals no coal, no iron, no copper, no sill
yer. though recently some oil wells hav,
been discovered in the Jordan valley
Neither are there any large forests. ant
though the land may have been better
wooded in the days of Joshua than 1t /.
now. there Is little reason to think tina
the woods were of trees sufficiently larg,
to constitute a source of wealth. com
paratively small area is fit for tillage.
ITO an Arab tribe that had wandered
through a barren wilderness for 40 wear,
, years. Canaan may we'll have seemed
delightful possession; but many a count,
in Iowa. many a department in France
could raise more grain or wine than al
the Holy Land.
There is one stretch of fertile leve
land 20 miles long and from three to 81,
miles wide-the plain of Escraelon. Blu
. with this exception it Is only in the bot
toms and on the lower slopes of a few
valleys. chiefly In the territory Ephrain
from Bethel northward and along tn
shore Of the bay Of Acre. that one see
corn fields and olive yards and orchards
Little wine Is now grown.
Such wealth. as the country has con
sists In its pastures. and the expression
a land flowing with milk and honey
appropriately describes the best 1t ha
to offer. for sheep and goats can thriv
on the thin heritage that covers the hills
and the numerous aromatic plants furnis
plenty of excellent food for the bees
but 1t is nearly all thin pasture. for tn
land is dry and the soil Is mostly shallow
The sheep and goats vastly outnumbe
the oxen. Woody Basham, on the cas-
side of Jordan. is still the region wher
one must look for the strong bulls"
BABY CARRIED OF IN LAUNDRY.
, (FrOm the Chicago Tribune.)