The Cordova daily times., 1921-04-27


 N NCE upon time Moses took M h 10 years to travel from Egypt z into the Promised Land. To
 day the Palestine Military railway is doing it between midnight and dawn. every day of the week, writes Clair Price in Asia. l stood at my carriage window, entering PaleS- tine to the mctronome-clicli'o of 30 miles an hour Below me. the rails were bedded in golden sand, up the slope of which the green of the adjacent fields lay like surf on q yellow beach.
 Ludd was a small railroad yard jn a vast pool of sand, with Welsh coal cinders speaking it's yellow eXpanse. With it's passengers leaning out it's windows calling into the station crowd "Ya weled," the Officers Spe- cial pulled in on It's way to Haifa shortly after seven o'clock and came to a dignifed stop alongside the little "jerkwater" train for JeruSalem.
 An Arab weled. wearing fez and station porter's brassard, strapped my luggage to his head, transferred 1t to the Jerusalem train, demanded tip of ten piastres (50 cents), accept ed half the amount and was finally routed with the wrathful air of q man who has staked gold mine and has found 1t contained only quartz. The Jerusalem train consisted of London & Southwestern locomotive and three ancient Egyptian State Railways pas >eu2er cars, bearing on their wooden sides the chalked words which desig- mated them for officers" 'batmen" and civilians"
 Arrival at Jerusalem.
 finally lost interest in the fidgety train and went to sleep. It was an Arab porter's "Khowaiah, khowaiah," which brought me bolt upright and awake. He was gathering up my lug gage. The rest of the passengers had left. followed him out of the car and into the crowd of British soldiers fin pith helmets and shorts, Egyptian military policemen in fezzes and shorts, Baluchistan soldiers !n turbans and shorts, Zionists in khaki drill, and native pOrterS, who moved about on the fenced-off platform. My porter led me into the cool dusk of the GUS toms barrier, on toward the Quaran- tine barrier and thence around to the area of the station. Jerusalem was YN ui ph ' ifnh fnk arbuggy, with eyes narrowed to slits against the glare of the limestone sur faces, and was driven away from the station at gailop to the accOmpani- ment of a furious dangling of bells and the harsh grinding of iron tires rounded the low hill and sighted Jerusalem mile away--a savage ravine ribboned with glaring white roads and crowded on the farther slope by huge modern German church with a brief length of ancient gray wall retiring modestly beyond it.
 On the very roof of Palestine, over looking the Dead sea, a quarter of mile below the keels of the craft off Jaffa, the walled city of Jerusalem lies between the Hinnom and Jehosha- phat ravines, as New York city lies between the North and East rivers, It Overfiows into a dusty red-and-white modern suburb to the north, as New York overfiows into the Bronx.
 Haifa's New importance.
 The physical Jerusalem is small. but the spiritual Jerusalem Is the scene of such world panorama that, although I went there to stay day or two l should be there yet, had not cast a fleeting glimpse at the expense account. With a movement order to Haifa. finally drove back to the Jerusalem station one evening, and, feeling like Ali Baba returning to a stark world after six miraculous weeks in the Robbers Cave, boarded the fuSsy little train that conveys of icers over the Jerusalem-Ludd line.
 Ha!fa Is like Atlantic City in the wash of its surf. It is like Florida in the wide, white streets of it's German colony, It is like Manitou In its green slopes of Mount Carmel. It is like the orient in the narrow, vaulted streets of It's native quarter. The war has made. 1t the keystone of that vast arch.