The Denver Jewish news., 1919-03-05
Life In The Holy Land
As It Is To-Day
CONTRASTS OF MODERN AND
PRIMITIVES LIFE SHOWN.

ended, n traveller coming from the West
reaches the Holy Land. not by the
former eastern route from Alexandria
or Port Said to Jaffa, or Iiaifn. but
over the new military railroad from
the SupZ Canal to Lud, the ancient
Lydia. the site of n great Jewish
academy during the Roman occupn-
tion of the land.
The land. as one first sees it by
this desert approach. is unattractivc
and disappointing. The miles of san.
dy desert are succeeded hy,a flat. arid
plain in the ncighborhOod of LAld and
Ramlch. But if one Journeys from
Lud to Jerusalem by automobile, as
one may today. since the war has in
troduced the Ford ear even into Pal
estinc. one may escape the tcdinm OF
the long wait for the train connections
at the hot, unprotected railroad juno
tiOn. and soon reach the Judacan hills.
\ few miles father on steep ascent
OF over twenty-five hundred feet brings
one to Jerusalem. At first sight the
hills also. despite the rocky outline and
the interesting succession of mountain
and valley. dotted here and there with
picturesque Arab villages. seem sing
ularly bare and sterile to an eye ac-
clistomed to the grass and trcc-cov-
cred slopes of our temperate zone. but
the fascination OF the Pnlcstinian land
scapc increases as it becomes more ia
miliar. Marvellous sunsets and glori-
Ous nights. brilliant with moon and
stars. hover like n dome over the
hills and valleys. Often there is n
flash of the blue Mediterranean, seen
beyond. bOr,lcrcd by frame of the
brilliant yellow sands of the tremen-
dous dunes. stretching for miles along
the Mediterranean coast. 1t is diff
cult to believe that these great piles
of rock. relieved by no vegetation. eN-
cept by an occasional hardy olive tree
and some sparse shrublikc growth. col
orcd by the dust to the same hue rs
the rocks from which they spring,
could have been n part of a land once
described as FLOWING with milk and
honey" Yet sudden turn in the
road will bring into sight II beautiful
tract of green. where the Jealous labor
of man has wrung fruitfulness even
from this fOrbiGding soil.
Even short acquaintance with
Palestine reveals the luNuriou>neSs of
its products. Within its narrow boun-
darics are found many changes of eli
mate. making for equal variation of
products. AgronomistS declare that in
conditions of climate and soil Palestine
more nearly resembles California than
any other cultivated part of the globe
The oranges of Jaffa compare in size
and sweetness with the best of our
American crop. Palestinian olives give
n heavy yield of good oil. The peaches
are grown most successfully in the
pleasant vale of Trtass. from an orig
inal American prOgenitor. Figs and
pOmegrnnateS and melons are present
in great abundance and in good vhrie-
ties Most of our own garden vegc-
tables and others. unfamiliar to us.
are commonly produced. Almonds and
walnutS add to the wealth of the land
and. during the past decade. the Jew
ish cOloniSts have introduced the
eucalyptus properly known as the
Jews tree" The eucalyptus absorbS
a great deal of moisture and consc
quently. when planted in marShy reg
ions. it becomes factor in reducing
the malaria prevalent in such dis
trictS. In addition. however. it is cap
able of furnishing shade. medicinn!
oil. material for boxes in which to
shin the oranges and other exports Of
the land and. if sufficiently cNtcn-
sively cultivated. will in time furnish
a source of fuel. one of the greatest
needs of the country. Cereals are cul-
tivated in almost every part of the
country. The Hauran. the region
across the Jordan. was one of the
granaries of the ancient world and
still bears rich crops of wheat.
1ne war mas ueSpolleu 'hc i"i'' vi
most of its live stock. In the south.
at least one sees very few horned
cattle of any kind. except in the coast
al plain where some have been import
ed from Egypt. Similarly. the herds
of sheep and goats have been very
much reduced but some still survive.
The sheen have fleeceS of long coarse.
yellow brownish wool. which. freshly
clipped in the relief workr"oms cstah-
lished by the American Red Cross. was
washed and spun by methods print
tive as those of patriarchal days and
then woven into cloth on band looms
almost as ancient III design. The hair
Il. In 1,f thl. flaannullY rG-