The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1922-12-02
1.-THE.
CHILDREN'S HOUR
THE DEAD SEA.

At present, the Dead Sea, terminal
ed at the north by the sands we cross,
extends to length of about eighty
kilometers, between two ranges of
parallel mountains; to the east, those
OF Moab, eternally oozing bitumen,
which stand this morning in their
.sombre violet; to the west, those of
Judea, of another nature, entirely of
whitish limestone, at this moment
dazzling with sunlight. On both shores
the desolation is equally absolute; the
same silence hovers over the same
appearances Of death. These are in
deed the immutabIe and somewhat ter
rifying aspects of the desert-and
one can understand the very intense
impression produced upon travellers
who do not know the Arabia Magma:
but, for us, there is here only a too
greatly diminished image Of the
mournful phantasmagoria of that re-
gion. Besides, one does not lose alto
gether the view of the citadel of
Jericho; from our horses we may still
perceive it behind us, like a vague
little white point, but still protector.
In the extreme distance of the desert
sands, under the trembling network Of
mirage. appears also an ancient
fortress, which is a monastery for
Greek hermits. And, finally another
white blot, just perceptible above us,
in recess of the mountains of Judah,
stands that mausoleum which passes
for the tomb of Moses-for which a
great Mohammedan pilgrimage is
about to start.
However, upon the sinister, strand
where we arrive, death reveals itself,
truly sovereign and imposing. First,
like line of defense which it is neces-
sary to surmount, comes a belt of
drifting wood, branches and trees
stripped of all bark, almost petrified
in the chemical bath, and whitened
like lonesome would call them an ac-
cumulation of great vertebrae. Then
there are some rounded pebbles as on
the shore of every sea; but not
single shell, not piece of seaweed,
not even little greenish slime, moth
ing organic, not even of the lower or
der; and nowhere else has this ever
been seen, a sea whose he'd is as
sterile as a cTucible of alchemy; this
is something abnormal and discon-
certing. Some dead fish lie here and
there, hardened like wood, mummi-
fed in the naphtha and the salts; fish
OF the Jordan which the current
brought here and which the accused
waters suffocated instantly.
And before us, this sea fees, be-
tween its banks of desert mountains,
to the troubled horizon with an ap-
pearance of never ending. It's whitish,
oily waters bear blots Of bitumen,
spread in large iridescent rings. More
over, they burn, il you drink them,
like a corrosive liquor; If you enter
them up to your knees YOU have diff
iculty in walking, they are so heavy;
ron cannot dive in them nor even
swim in the ordinary position, but you |
can float upon the surface like cork |
buoy.
Once the Emperor Titus, as an ex-
pertinent, had several slaves bound to-
yether with iron chains and cast in,
Ind they did not drown.
On the eastern shore, in the little |
sandy desert where we have just been
marching for two hours, a. line OF /
beautiful emerald serpentines; a few
locks and few Arabian shepherds
hat are half bandits pass In the far
distance. Towards the middle OF the
lay we enter Jericho, whence we
hall not depart till tomorrow morn
ne, and there remain the tranquil
lours of the evening for US to go over
he still oasis. q n. II
The night Is aultry here, and q little ].