3 182202201 1670 JNIVERSITY OF CALIFOR 3 182202201 1670 Social Sciences & Humanities Library University of California, San Diego Please Note: This item is subject to recall. Date Due THE TEXAS DOCTOR AND THE AEAB DONKEY OR, PALESTINE AND EGYPT AS VIEWED BY MODERN EYES BY J. M. FORT, M. D. Farls, Texas. CHICAGO : DONOHUE & HENNEBERRY ; PUBLISHERS. 1898. COPYRIGHTED l8g2 TO MR. AND MRS. A. R. LEVERING AND MR. T. L. Ross, FRIENDS AND TRAVELING COMPANIONS, abis Boofe 18 AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED ; AND MAY IT EVER RECALL THE SCENES OF OUR COMPANIONSHIP AND THE REMEMBRANCE OF ONE IN WHOM NEITHER TIME NOR DISTANCE WILL EVER OBLITERATE THE RECOLLECTION OF THEIR KINDNESS. INTRODUCTION. In presenting the "Texas Doctor and the Arab Donkey ; or, Palestine and Egypt Viewed by Modern Eyes," to the reading public, I deem it unnecessary to include herein a series of apologies for its imperfections ; my friends and acquaintances do not ask them, and my enemies (I admit the compliment of having a few) would not accept them, hence I make none. I do not claim the work to be either a learned or scientific production. I do not claim to be one of Nature's favorites; hence was not endowed with the capacity and necessary qualifications for the production of such a work. I feel assured, however, that the highly cultivated, thoroughly informed reader will not only find food for thought, but appreciate and enjoy the freedom of expression and sim- plicity of style adopted by the' writer in the description of places, countries and peoples. To the great mass of our people, the bone and sinew of the country; the men who speed the plow, shove the plane, weld the heated iron; the mechanic, the artisan, the mason (both practical and theoretical) ; the non-sectarian Christian, the lover of the bible and of truth, whether found in the bible or out of it ; the professional and non-professional ; the old, the young, the white and the colored ; I request one and all to read the book and judge of its merits and demerits for yourselves. I heartily assure every reader that he may rely upon the truth of the statements made, and correctness of descrip- tions given of countries visited, places and people seen on a tour of seventeen thousand miles, in Europe, Asia and Africa, by the writer. THE AUTHOB. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. PAGE. Th Start and Voyage Azores Islands Storms at Sea Gibraltar 11 CHAPTER II. The Rock of Gibraltar Its History and Wonderful Fortiflca tions 27 CHAPTER III. The City of Naples Mt. Vesuvius Ruins of Pompeii En Route to Rome 36 CHAPTER IV. Ancient and Modern Rome Cathedrals, Monasteries, Prisons, Etc 63 CHAPTER V. St. Paul's Visit to Rome The Appian Way The Burning of Rome The Catacombs Persecution of Christians Catholicism From Rome to Brindisi Island of Corfu Patras Corinth Athens 89 CHAPTER VI. The Acropolis The Parthenon Mars Hill Temple of Bac- chus The Temple of Mystery En Route to Egypt Mohammedan Pilgrims Alexandria En Route to Cairo The Valley of the Nile Cairo 119 CHAPTER VII. Donkeys Street Scenes in Cairo The Pyramids Ancient Religions of Egypt The Sphinx Mastabas 149 CHAPTER VIH. Site of Ancient Memphis Colossal Statue of Rameses II. The Step Pyramid The Necropolis of Memphis The Sera- oeum The Tomb of Ti 187 CHAPTER IX. Heliopolis The Solitary Obelisk The Tree of Joseph and Mary The Bulak Museum The Pharaohs of Egypt Mohammed and his Religion 210 vii Vlll CONTENTS. CHAPTER X. PAGE. Tenets of Mohammedanism Mosques of Cairo Marriage and Burial Ceremonies The Land of Goshen Ismalia Suez Canal Port Said 240 CHAPTER XL First Glimpse of Palestine Landing at Joppa The Valley of Sharon Ramleth The View from the Tower Kirjath- jearim Mizpah Ain Karim 274 CHAPTER XII. Jerusalem Destruction by Tiftis Bird's-eye View of the City Judgment Hall of Pilate The Via Dolorosa The Church of the Holy Sepulchre Religious Sects in Jeru- salem 302 CHAPTER XIII. Muriston Mt. Zion The Tower of David Tower of Hana- neel Church of St. James The Palace of Caiphas The Tomb of the Kings The Caenaculum The Wailing Place of the Jews Degradation of the Present Jerusalem Mt. Moriah The Mosque of Omar , 381 CHAPTER XIV. Environments of Jerusalem The Pool of Gihon Valley of the Sons of Hinnom The Alcedama Hill of Ev'.l Coun- cil Tophet Valley of Jehoshaphat Siloam Pools of Siloam The Virgin's Fountain Hill of Offense Pyra- mid of St. James Grotto of St. James The Tomb of Jehoshaphat Tomb of Absalom 353 CHAPTER XV. The Garden of Gethsemane Tomb of the Virgin Solomon's Quarries Modern Calvary The Plain of Rephriam Tomb of Rachel Beit- jala (Zelzah) Bethlehem The Church of the Nativity The Milk Grotto An Unpleasant Incident The Pools of Solomon Eh route to Jericho The Brook Cherith 368 CHAPTER XVI. Gilgal The Dead Sea Ford of Jordan Modern Jericho Site of Old Jericho Mt. Pisgah The Mount of Tempta- tion Bethany Tomb of Lazarus Mt. Olivet The Chapel of the Ascension 395 CHAPTER XVII. The Start for Damascus The Tomb of the Kings Mt. Scopus Gibeah-Benjamin Beeroth Bethel SinjU 426 CONTENTS. IX CHAPTER XVIII. PAGE. Jacob's Well Mt. Ebal and Mt. Gerizim The Remnant of the Samaritans Shechem Naboth's Vineyard Samaria. . . 447 CHAPTER XIX. Dothan The Pit of Joseph Engannim Valley of Esdraelon Valley of Jezreel Mts. of Gilboa The Witch of Endor The Pool of Gideon 475 CHAPTER XX. Mt. Carmel Contestof Gods David's Weakness Shunem A Marriage 502 CHAPTER XXI. Zuleh Nain Mt. Tabor Nazareth The Church of the Annunciation Joseph's Workshop Mary's Well Gath- hepah Tomb of Jonah Cana Karn-Hattin (Mt. of Beatitudes) 527 CHAPTER XXII. Lake Galilee Tiberius Magdala Plain of Genesar Beth- saida Capernaum Chorazin Lake Merom Hazor The Dedara El Ghazar Hasbana Ancient Dan Csesarea-Philippi Anti-Lebanon Mountains 551 CHAPTER XXIII. Plains of Hauran The Druses The Plains of Syria Paul's Conversion Damascus 577 CHAPTER XXIV. From Damascus to Baalbec The Great Temple of the Sun The Dervishes Valley of the Litany Zahieth Beyrout Tripoli The Isles of the JEgean Sea 604 CHAPTER XXV. Patmos Samoa Smyrna Ephesus Chios Miletium Ancient Troas The Dardanelles The Hellespont Sea of Marmora 635 CHAPTER XXVI. Constantinople The Sultan and the Imperial Palaces The Dogs The Howling Dervishes The Bosphoms The Black Sea Bulgaria The Danube Vienna 655 CHAPTER XXVII. Munich Royal Palace Heidelberg 684 CHAPTER XXVIII. Mayence The Rhine Cologne Brussels Waterloo 689 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Opposite Page Gibraltar 25 Egyptian Princess 128 Water Mill 143 Soudan African 148 Palestine Plowman 151 Water Carrier 155 Garments of Wealth. (Isa. Hi, 1.) 156 Road to the Pyramids 160 Fellahin Village 187 Rameses II 194 Heliopolis. (City of the Sun.) 212 Seti I 222 Steamer in the Suez Canal 271 Dredge Boat 27* Lepers. (Jerusalem.) 342 Amran, high priest of the Samaritans 459 Returning from the Field 464 Mount Tabor 539 House from which Paul was let down in a basket. (Damascus.) 599 Freight Bearer 659 Sultan's Palace 663 Dancing Dervishes 666 10 TRAVELS IN THE HOLY LAND AND EUROPE. CHAPTER I. HAVING had a cherished desire for many years to visit other lands and countries, especially the Holy Land, and seeing in one of our religious papers, in the winter of 1890, that a private party was being made up by Elder H. M. Wharton, of Baltimore, Md., to visit the Holy Land in the following Spring, going via Gibralter, Spain, Italy, Greece and Egypt, returning via Asia Minor, Turkey, the Danube, Hungary, Austria, Bavaria, Germany, the Rhine, Belgium, France, Eng- land and Scotland ; the tour to be managed and conducted throughout by Messrs. Henry Gaze & Son, Tourist Agents, London ; I determined to avail myself of this opportunity of visiting these countries and observing for myself the customs, manners and religions of these oriental people. This tour included a whole month in the Holy Land, visiting Joppa, Jerusalem, Shiloh, Bethel, Shechem, Mounts Ebal and Gerizim, Samaria, ISTain, Endor, Shunim, Nazareth, Mount Tabor, Lake of Galilee, Dan, Caesarea Philippi, Damascus Baalbec, Beyrout, Old Smyrna and Ephesus. For the sum of nine hundred dollars, prepaid, Messrs. Henry Gaze & Son obligated themselves to furnish the party with traveling tickets, a conductor, who was also an interpreter; hotel accommodations, omnibus and car- riage drives, all fees for sight-seeing, and every neces- 11 12 TJRAVELS IN EGYPT sary expense for the return trip, including three meals a day. The tourist agents have established hotels where there were none, and have traveling arrange- ments with others where they already existed to accommodate all tourists traveling on their tickets. This obligation and agreement was faithfully fulfilled in every particular by these gentlemen. By agreement, our party, consisting of thirty-two gentlemen and ladies from various parts of the United States, were to meet at the Continental Hotel, Broad- way, New York, prior to the 25th day of February, 1891, that being the day we were to sail. It was expected that we would sail on the Steamship Bolivia, one of the Anchor Line steamers. But before leaving home we were informed that our steamer had been changed, and instead of the Bolivia we would go on the Belgravia, a larger and more comfortable vessel of the same line of steamers. Upon our arrival in New York we learned that the Belgravia would be delayed a few days longer in tak- ing in her cargo, and that we would not leave the city until the 28th day of February. After adding my traveling expenses to and from New York to the amount paid for my tickets, it increased my actual traveling expenses to something near eleven hundred dollars. All money expended for extra clothing, suitable trunks and valises, kodacs, field glasses, steamer chairs, robes and other conveniences essential to our health and comfort, should be added as necessary items of expense ; but this was a matter of individual expenditure. In addition to this various sums were expended in souvenirs, pictures, specimens, short tours not included in the programme; then bakh- AND THE HOLY LAND. 13 shish (bak-she) and other incidentals too numerous to mention, which upon the whole increased my outlay to something near eighteen hundred dollars. The morning before we left New York it snowed all the forenoon, accompanied by a cold north wind. We therefore provided ourselves with heavy overcoats and other suitable winter apparel, knowing that it would be much colder out upon the Atlantic than upon the land. I will say in justice to Messrs. Henry Gaze & Son that they paid our hotel bill for the three days delay in starting. The time, however, was profitably employed by the members of our party in making all the needful preparations for our long journey. At 11 o'clock A. M., February 28, 1891, we went aboard our steamer lying at the wharf in Brooklyn, hunted up our berths, adjusted our baggage in the small rooms allowed us and awaited the departure of the steamer. I found my berth to be a shelf some two feet wide put up against the outer wall of the vessel six feet above the floor, with a side board ten inches wide making a regular trough. Down on the bottom of this trough lay a thin mattress, two sheets and a coverlid. I called for the steward and asked him if he thought as large a man as I was could sleep with any degree of comfort on such a bed as that ; that I would have to get up to turn over. The steward asked me if I had ever traveled any great deal on shipboard. I answered that I had not ; then said he : " You occupy that bed for a few nights, and then if you wish it changed I will arrange it to suit you." Regarding this as a fair proposition, I accepted it. 14 TRAVELS IN EGYPT After getting out on the Atlantic I soon learned that had I had any other kind of a bed I would have been rolled out on the floor of my stateroom at all hours of the night, and, instead of sleeping, would have been picking myself up and putting myself to bed all night. So I concluded as long as my bed would hold on to me I would hold on to it. I had never met any of the party with whom I was to travel before reaching New York, and the first formality gone through with after going aboard was the exchange of introductions. There were in all sixty-five passengers on the vessel bound for different localities in .the Old World. Many of their friends came aboard the steamer, and when the moment of starting arrived and the word passed round for all but passengers to go ashore, the handshaking and the tearful good-bye and " God bless you " caused a feel- ing of loneliness, not to say sadness, to come over me. I realized that I was a stranger and among strangers. I realized that I was starting upon a long and perilous tour, and I secretly, earnestly and devoutly lifted my heart to God in prayer, committing myself, my family aud my friends into His keeping, praying His blessing upon us all, and if I should never be permitted to see my native and beloved land and the dear ones I was leaving behind again upon earth, to give us a happy reunion in the heavenly Canaan above. We soon steamed past the Statue of Liberty, which stands at the head of New York harbor to bid " wel- come" to the down-trodden and oppressed of other lands, who come to our own happy free country to seek homes among us. About twenty miles down the bay we cast anchor AND THE HOLY LAND. 15 and there remained until about five o'clock in the after- noon, when a steam tug came to us bringing the purser and surgeon on board. Leaving the place of our anchorage, we soon passed Sandy Hook and entered the broad Atlantic. Soon after passing Sand} 7 Hook the dinner bell sounded and we all repaired to the dining saloon with the expectation of enjoying a good square meal, the first we were to partake of, floating upon the bosom of the Atlantic ocean. And here I leave them long enough to say: Think of it as you naa} r , in my opinion it requires no little firmness, no little fixedness of purpose and determination to tear oneself from home, family and friends, to encounter the perils of the sea and the dangers of travel by land, even to realize long-cherished hopes and to enjoy the fulfillment of desires long felt. Our steamer, even before our meal was over, began to roll and toss about, now and .then making a sudden lurch as some larger than ordinary wave would come rolling into land from mid-ocean, striking against her iron sides. This rolling, tumbling, surging, waltzing motion of the steamer soon took away our appetites and dis- quieted our stomachs within us. The passengers began leaving the table by ones, twos and threes, and so on, till few were left to partake of the after-meal coffee. In discussing the subject of seasickness, I had expressed the opinion that in many instances its inva- sion might be resisted, and even after its attack the severity of its symptoms might be mitigated by the exercise of will power ; that is, if one would determine not to give way to the disease, that they could either 16 TRAVELS IN EGYPT avoid an attack altogether, or, if it came on in spite of their efforts, it would be much milder by keeping up, going on deck in the cool air and taking active exercise by walking the deck, etc. I found by exp^irence that this, like many other things we doctors theorize about, was a very pretty theory, but it wouldn't hold good in practice; for while I was making a very brave effort and bringing all the willpwoer to bear that I could muster, I felt my stomach suddenly turn over ; the great fountain of its deeps gave an upheaval, and running to the railing of the,boat, I joined the other passengers, to the number of about fifty, in feeding the fish by throwing up the dinner so recently eaten. Some of the elder members of the party thought they threw up things they had eaten before the late war. Be that as it may, I am sure they went to their bunks with empty stomachs, there to be rocked to sleep in the cradle of the ocean. Seasickness is a disease brought about through an impression made- upon the nervous system by the swinging, rocking, oscillating motion of the steamer or sailing vessel. It has no premonitory symptoms, being ushered in suddenly with vomiting ; a cool, clammy con- dition of the skin; pale, haggard expression of counte- nance, followed by drowsiness or a degree of stupor; general depressed condition of the system; chilliness, accompanied with a dull pain in the back of the head, with a loathing of food or drinks of any kind. These symptoms may last with greater or less severity for one day or for ten or even fifteen days. Some of our passengers were confined to their state-rooms for a week, others for a longer time ; a few continued more or less unwell until we reached Gibralter. AND THE HOLY LAND. It will be remembered we left New York on Satur- day, just before noon. Sunday morning was bright and fair, with a brisk, cold northeast wind, making it unpleasant to be on deck. But few of the passengers, therefore, were able to remain on deck long at a time, on account of the cold breeze, which increased the chilliness produced by seasickness, adding to their dis- comforture. It is said that Dr. Henry Ward Beecher went over to London on one occasion, and suffered severely from seasickness during the voyage. After reaching London he went to hear the noted Dr. Parker preach. After the sermon the Doctor in his closing prayer quoted from Rev.. 21:1. "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth and the first heaven and the first earth were passed away. And there was no more sea." To which Mr. Beecher, remembering how he suffered with sea- sickness, heartily responded: " Amen, thank the Lord for that." So say I. I suffered for five days with this ocean disease, during which time I felt depressed in mind and body. Monday, March 2d.-Wind higher and sea rougher than on yesterday. Tuesday and Wednesday, a gale, sea running high, wind from the northeast, waves thirty and forty feet high, have been breaking on the bow of the steamer and washing the deck for the last twenty -four hours. As the steamer would rise over a wave the propeller blades would be thrown entirely out of the water, jerking and jarring the vessel at a dreadful rate. Tuesday night, very tempestuous, many of our passengers were thrown from their berths; trunks and satchels were chasing each other over the state-rooms all night. Some of the ladies were badly 18 TEAVELS IN EGYPT frightened, and amid their cries expressed regrets at ever leaving their homes. Wednesday noon, four days out from New York, and have traveled only six hundred miles. Strong head-winds, nearly everybody seasick. I can now comprehend and appreciate the poetic expression, " The voice of many waters." Before leaving home I had thought I would like to see a sharp wind at sea_ I wanted to see " old ocean" roused from a calm quiet to a thing of life. I wanted to see the lion shake his mane and roar, but not too loudly, mind you ; but now I am satisfied. I never want to be out in another storm at sea. The exhibi- tion of God's power is grand and majestic. You are made* to feel your own insignificance, your littleness and your dependence as never before. Unlike the sea gulls, we can not desert the ship and fly to safer shelter under the crags of the rock-bound coast. We must live or die, sink or swim with our good steamer, but, " God is over all." Such were my feelings and such the record made in my notebook on Friday evening, seven days out from New York. Thursday. Thursday night and Friday having been pleasant, nice weather, I flattered myself that we were done with storms and tempests, and hoped we would have calm seas and fair sailing during the remainder of our outward-bound voyage at least. But how little we know in this world oi ours what a day may brine: forth. Could we look into the -future as we can O over the past, what miserable creatures we would be. Header, would you lift that veil if you could? I think I hear you make the same response that I made myself: "No! no! God has wisely and mercifully hid these things from us. Let the veil remain as He placed it. AND THE HOLY LAND. 19 He knows what is best for us and ' doeth all things well.'" Saturday noon. One week from New York, dis- tance traveled fourteen hundred miles. Have eighteen hundred yet to travel before reaching Gibralter. The day has been beautiful, with a calm sea. Sunday evening, March 8th.-This has been a rainy, disagreeable day. Had to remain in the saloon the greater part of the day. Had religious services at 11 o'clock in the dining-room. Most of our passengers were well enough to be present. As night came on, however, the wind roseand we had to contend with a high head wind against us all night, which by ten o'clock in the morning had increased to a gale. The ocean seemed to be angry \vith itself and everything else that morning. It was lashing, foaming and froth- ing to a dreadful extent. The waves were rolling high and the white caps breaking in all directions, looking like patches of snowflakes sprinkled on the tops of the monster waves. What a sublime sight ! Look over this wild waste of waters ! So far as eye can see, or vision reach, one sees a vast, boundless, shoreless, angry ocean. Wave chasing wave, rolling, tumbling, tossing everywhere. It is a wild, reckless, angry storm-tossed sea ; sublime, yet terrific. Our little steamer seemed but a speck floating on the bosom of that immensity of waters. It made me think of good old Noah shut in the ark. " God shut the door." Drifting over an inundated world, this mighty sphere hung trembling like a " single drop of dew, a globe of water in mid-heaven." Upborne by the swell of heaving waters, Noah doubtless felt his frail vessel tremble and quiver in every joint, but that man 20 TRAVELS IN EGYPT of God trembled not. Amid the surging of those mighty waters, " The light of faith shone round his aged form, and his prayerful lips spoke a repose as tranquil as childhood's on the bosom of maternal love." Were we alarmed ? No ! Like David we felt that, " The Lord on high was mightier than the noise of many waters, yea than the mighty waves of the sea." Not an expression of alarm or apprehension escaped the lips of a single individual of our party during the prevalence of this our second storm, which, setting in Monday morning, the 9th of March, continued with unabated severity until Wednesday morning. Seeing how well our steamer was handled and how gallantly she rode out the first storm, gave us a confidence which served us to good purpose in all our after squalls. On Tuesday I find the following record in my memorandum made at noon that day : For the last thirty-six hours we have traveled only about forty miles. To-day the steamer has been rocking from side to side so that we could neither sit, stand, or lie down without holding on to some part of the vessel. It was impossible to keep the tableware on the table long enough to eat with any degree of satisfaction. So I find that eating one's meals is a difficult undertaking during a storm at sea. Thursday evening, the 12th, we reached the Azores islands. The storm had about passed over and as we neared this cluster of seven islands the sun shone out and gave us a picturesque scene. From one of the islands, Pico, a mountain rose grandly and proudly seemingly from out of the depths of the sea four thousand feet high, having its top beautifully tipped with snow glistening in the rays of the evening sun. AND THE HOLY LAND. 21 About midway up the mountain side floated a belt of light blue cloud, adding beauty to the whole, making it one of the most beautiful and picturesque scenes I saw on my whole tour. The Azores islands belong to Por- tugal and are inhabited by Portugese. Our distin- guished citizen, better known as Mark Twain? says: ''They are a swarthy, noisy, lying, shoulder-shrugging, gesticulating set with brass rjngs in their ears and fraud in their hearts." The largest of these islands is the St. Michael. . Col- lectively they have a population of a hundred and fifty or two hundred thousand. I must leave my readers to hunt some history of these south Atlantic islands; that is, if they desire to know more about them, as our steamer passed between them without making a halt. "When we passed these islands some of our company, and the writer among the number, had sad hearts. When we sailed from New York it was expected, and our itinerary so stated, that we would reach Gibraltar in ten or twelve days. This was our twelfth day out from New York, and some of our families and friends would expect to receive telegrams from us at this time, and we were yet twelve hundred miles from Gibraltar. We knew also that it had been published in our daily papers that there had been violent storms on the Atlantic. Possessed of this intelligence, and not hearing from any of our party, or from the steamer, rendered the suspense, anxiety and fearful foreboding painful in the extreme. But we were powerless to relieve their minds, being far out on the ocean, cut off from all communication with the world for the time being. We could only regret our delay and sympa- 22 TRAVELS IN EGYPT thize with them in their distress and anxiety for our welfare. A-fter passing these islands we had a comparatively calm sea, pleasant weather, and, upon the whole, a nice voyage until the evening of the fifth day after leaving the Azores. On the morning of the seventeenth from New York we were told that we would reach Gibraltar and cast anchor in the bay some time before midnight. This made all happy, for we were getting tired of being pent up on the steamer and, more than all, it would place us in telegraphic communication with our anxious families and friends at home. The sun rose bright and clear on this morning of the 17th of March, and our hearts were as bright and warm as the genial rays of the sun. Some of our birds, the sea-gulls, had come out from the rocky shore of Spain to bid us welcome and to accompany our faithful vessel into the safe harbor of Gibraltar bay. Little did we dream that before midnight, instead of resting quietly at anchor opposite the great rock of Gibraltar, in full view of the pretty little city of the same name perched on the west side of the rock, we should be battling with the wind and waves of another and far more terrific storm than any through which we had passed. But such was to be our fate. About two o'clock in the afternoon we noticed a dark, angry looking cloud hanging over the continent of Africa, seemingly typical of that intellectual and moral darkness which has for so many long centuries myste- riously hung over that benighted land. This and others extending more to the west rapidly gathered, and by five o'clock there burst upon us a tornado more severe and violent than any we had before encountered. AND THE HOLY LAND. 23 As night approached black, angry looking clouds spread over the heavens, intensifying the darkness and gloorn? and increasing to a painful degree our feeling of utter helplessness. The rain came pouring from the clouds till it was like one vast unbroken sheet of water driven by the wind that every moment seemed to grow faster and fiercer. And as it swept across the broad expanse of waters the huge waves came rolling on and on, one moment raising our trembling vessel on their summit and the next plunging it down into the trough between them as though it were going to the bottom of the ocean. Imagine if you can our disap- pointment. Then add to this the terrors of the tor- nado in the midst of a darkness broken only by the lightning flash, and you may be able to understand the feelings that filled our hearts on that fearful night when the ocean roared like the voice of God upon the waters. There may be and there is "music in the mur- murs of the sea," but there is also terror and dismay in the roar of the mad rushing waves when driven by a merciless storm. About midnight, when the storm was at its height, when darkness even to blackness enveloped our steamer, the sparkling rays of the starlike lights from the light- houses situated on both sides of the straits of Gibraltar could be dimly seen. The captain of our vessel, with a prudence and fore- sight born of fifteen years experience as a naval com- mander resolved not to attempt to carry the steamer into the bay under such unfavorable conditions. He therefore turned out to sea, steaming away from the rocky coast, seeking deep water and keeping the bow 24 TRAVELS IN EGYPT of the steamer well against wind and waves, until the storm had spent its fury, which it did before daylight. Early next morning as the sun was sending its bright, new-born rays over the sparkling waters, we neared the straits of Gibraltar. On the highland of Spain to the left of the straits perched upon a high hill, the most southern point of Spain and Europe, may be seen the old Spanish castle "JTafir.a," which from a distance seems to be in a good state of preservation. On the African shore, which is lower at this point than the Spanish coast, may be seen an old Moorish castle. On the ramparts of these in the days long gone by the barbary pirates kept watch of ships that would attempt to pass the straits, requiring all such whether ingoing or outcoming to lower their flags and pay tribute; constituting themselves the " lords of this whole watery realm." We wonder if it is generally known "that the very word tariff is derived from this piratical rob- bery, and further, that it originated among the free- booters who plied their nefarious trade along these coasts." Whether it is generally known or not, history establishes the fact. At the entrance of the straits these two points of land are nine miles apart. But on a bright, clear day, such a day as usually follows a storm at night, and such a morning as that on which we passed between them, they appear much nearer than they really are. There is a perceptible current continually running from the Atlantic into the Mediterranean sea through the straits. I mean by continual that it is not produced by the ebb and flow of the tides of the Atlantic, as might be supposed. The Mediterranean Sea has no AND THE HOLY LAND. 25 tide, yet this current flows steadily and evenly on in the interim as well as during the flow of the tides. As our vessel steamed down the bay we saw a huge rock each moment growing larger and larger, as we drew nearer to it, rising higher and higher out of the water like some huge animal lifting itself up, yet half reclining in its watery bed. " This mighty rock before us is Gibraltar. This is a unique rock, unique in position, in picturesqueness and in history." As we came opposite the little city of Gibraltar, which is built on the western slope of the great rock, we cast anchor near the place where the ill-fated steamer, the Utopia, went down with nine hundred Italian emigrants the night before. This vessel had come into the bay during the prevalence of the storm, and in attempting to make a landing was driven by the'waves upon the ram of an English man-of-war and sank in three minutes, drowning over six hundred peo- ple. Was not this enough to cause our hearts to swell with gratitude to our God for his preserving care over us amid all the storms through which we had passed on this tempestous voyage? This rock averages three-fourths of a mile in width and is three miles long and fourteen hundred feet in height and located some twelve or fifteen miles from the outlet of the straits or coast line. The peninsula connecting it with the main land of Spain is a low level strip of ground about one mile in length, i. e. east and west, and some one and a half in width. This is termed the neutral strip. Soldiers are kept constantly prom- enading on each side of this strip of land. The 26 TRAVELS IN EGYPT English soldiers guard it on the Gibraltar side, while the soldiers of Spain guard the opposite side. Even a lady is not allowed to step across the line to pluck a flower, so thoroughly determined are these nationalities that this strip of land shall be held strictly neutral. AND THE HOLY LAND. CHAPTEK II. IBRALT AR was fought over by the Spaniards and " Moors for nearly eight hundred years. During this period of time it changed hands or ownership no less than ten times. It was the first ground over which the Moors entered Europe, and the last over which they passed when driven from the continent. " In the "War of the Succession, as it is called, when nearly half of Europe was engaged in war to place one of two contestants on the Spanish throne, England sent a squadron into the Mediterranean under Sir George Rooke, who, after cruising about for a time and accom- plishing but little, determined, rather than return and report the cruise a failure, to take Gibraltar. Spain had but one hundred and fifty soldiers in the garrison at the time, although it had one hundred guns and was well fortified. The garrison surrendered after a three days' bombardment, and Spain lost in those three days what she has never been able to regain. " When Gibraltar was taken by the English fleet it was not taken for England, but in the name of the Arch Duke of Austria, whom England supported as a pre- tender to the Spanish throne. Had he succeeded in gaining it, Gibraltar would have been turned over to him; but as he was finally defeated, England retained possession of it and holds it to this day. "The Spaniards realized before a year had passed what a loss they had sustained, and made an effort with a large army and fleet to regain it. They besieged the 27 28 -TRAVELS IN EGYPT historic rock, and at the beginning of the siege five hundred daring Spaniards made an effort to climb the almost perpendicular wall on the east side of the rock in the darkness of night, being piloted by a shepherd boy. Part of them succeeded in reaching the top and concealed themselves until daylight, when they made an attack upon the signal station, killing the guard. They then brought up the rest of the party by means of ropes, ladders, etc., and made an attack by storming the wall of Charles Y (so-called because constructed by him). By this time, however, the garrison was aroused, and an English officer who was present thus describes the sharp but deadly strife which followed. He says : ' Five hundred Spaniards attacked the middle hill, but were soon repulsed, and two hundred men with their commanding officer taken. The rest were killed by our shot, or in making their escape broke their necks over the rocks and precipices, which in that place are many and prodigiously high.' " Although this daring attempt to capture Gibraltar signally failed, the siege was kept up for six months, with a loss of ten thousand men before it was abandoned. No other attack was made during that war, although hostilities were carried on elsewhere for some seven years or more ; at the close of which Gibraltar was ceded to Great Britain by the Treaty of Utrecht. " The Spaniards, however, were not yet satisfied to give up this key to the Mediterranean without another effort to take what seems to be, by reason of its loca- tion, their own. " In 1727 they renewed the struggle, and besieged the place with twenty thousand men, which resulted in failure, as before. After this, Gibraltarand the English AND THE HOLY I,AM). 29 garrison stationed there had a rest from hostilities for more than half a century." Mr. Henry M. Field, in his interesting volume on Gibraltar, and to whom lam indebted for the material historic facts brougnt forth herein, says: " It seems beginning a long way off to find any connection between the siege of Gibraltar and the battle of Saratoga, but one followed the other. The surrender of General Bur- goyne, who had marched from Canada with a large army to crush the rebellion of the colonies, was the first great event that gave hope in the eyes of Europe to the cause of American independence, and led France to join it openly, as she had before favored it secretly. Spain followed France, having a common hatred of England with a special grievance of the loss of Gibraltar, which she hoped with the help of her powerful ally to recover. " England, however, had never been guilty of the folly which might be attributed to Spain of leaving this important and valuable position in the hands of an insuffi cient army of defense. England keeps it garrisoned with a force of from five to six thousand men, well officered, and has possession, which is about as strong a point in war as in law. " In June, 1779, Spain severed all communication with Gibraltar, and made preparations, assisted by her ally, France, to renew the struggle to get possession of what she regarded as rightfully her own." This siege was kept up for nearly four years. At times the garrison was reduced almost to starvation. At one time bread was so scarce that biscuit crumbs sold for a shilling a pound. Half a sheep sold for $37.50, a large hog for one hundred and forty-five dol- lars, and so on. The besiegers had mounted one hun- 30 TRAVELS IN EGYPT dred and seventy guns and eighty mortars along the shore, and a continued fire was kept up for months at a time, but all in vain. The garrison, commanded by Gen. George Elliot, resolutely defended that which England had entrusted to his keeping, and the subject of capitulation or surrender was never mentioned, much less entertained or considered for a moment. England holds possession of Gibraltar now, and it is said to be one of the strongest if not the strongest fortified place in the world. My apology, reader, for writing so much of the his- tory of Gibraltar as I have is, that I find so few peo- ple in possession of these historic facts, and before leav- ing this part of my subject I must ask your indulgence while I describe as best I can the rock Gibraltar, into which I went and through which I walked, wondered and admired as one of the great achievements of the art of war. During the Great Siege, as it is called, briefly alluded to above, when the besieger's bombs and shells were flying over the town, bursting in the air, scattering their deadly missiles in every direction, or falling to the ground with terrible devastation, e^en reach- ing and twice dismounting the rock gun situated on the very pinnacle of Gibraltar; when every foot of ground was visited by these messengers of death, the besieged felt that their only place of refuge and safety was in the bowels of the earth. Making a vir- tue of necessity, these galleries or tunnels (for they are just like railroad tunnels, except they have no arches to support the roof, being hewn their whole length through solid rock the roof is self-supporting), were begun and have since been completed. AND THE HOLY LAND. 31 In going through these rock galleries, out of reach of shell, bomb or ball, a safe retreat from all danger, I thought what a beautiful illustration of the salvation of the Christian his life hid in Christ. I thought of the hymn, " Rock of Ages cleft for me, Let me hide myself in thee." These tunnels are two or three miles in length. They were made near enough to the outside of the rock for side chambers, which are seen every thirty or forty feet. From these port-holes are opened, which not only admit light, but at all of which heavy guns are mounted on carriages, which enable them to swing around in any desired direction. These galleries, or tunnels, as I call them, are built one above another, and in every cham- ber may be seen a heavy piece of artillery ready to be made to speak in thunder tones at a moment's warning. These guns guard the straits. From a certain land station near the coast, I suppose the headquarters of the commander of the shore batteries, which are built all along the west side of the rock, three miles in length, you can see guns by the hundreds, and among them two one-hundred- ton guns which throw a two- thousand-pound ball eight miles. Running to the sig- nal station at the summit of Gibraltar is a basket rail- way. The basket, large enough to carry two men, is attached underneath to an endless rope which, running over cylinders at each end, carry the basket back and forth. To what special use this is put I am unable to say. If Gibraltar were merely a rock in the ocean we could but admire its solitary grandeur. But it is at the same time the strongest fortress in the world, and a day spent in looking over its defenses is time well spent. 32 TRAVELS IN EGYPT For by so doing one can see for himself all the multi- plied resources of modern warfare. Not being conver- sant, however, with the nomenclature and military acquirements necessary to a full and comprehensive explanation of these various and complete works of defense, which seem to have been brought to perfection in this locality, I will call the attention of the reader to some other things about this marvellous rock that may prove to be more interesting. The east side of the rock has no fortification, it being a perpendicular wall of solid rock, reaching from the surface of the water to a height of fourteen hundred feet; it needs no other fortification than that made by nature. This perpendicular wall extends partly around the northern end of the rock which looks towards Spain. On a shoulder of the rock high above the town sits an old Moorish castle built in the eighth century. A picturesque old relic of the medieval ages, built by some invader of the Spanish coast at that period, " here it has stood frowning over land and sea for nearly twelve hundred years." On the north extremity of the eastern side of Gib- raltar, on a small plat of ground but a few feet above the level of Catalan bay, nestles a little settlement of Italian fishermen. This little village reminds one of an infant resting in its mother's arms, and surely Gibraltar protects this little village from the storms that fre- quent these rocky shores. This great rock is one of the Pillars of Hercules. If you will look north of east over on the African coast across the straits, you will see a mountain taller than its fellows, with the white .walls of a village reflecting the evening sun situated on a bench of land upon its side ; the top of the mountain reaching several hundred feet above and in the rear of AND THE HOLY LAND. 33 the village. This mountain is the Abyla, and the other Pillar of Hercules. This one is sixteen miles from its fellow. The little village you see is called Ceutoa. Here Spain has a prison called Teata, where she incarcerates the worst of her criminals. When we leave Gibraltar bay for Naples, we come back around the south end of the rock of Gibraltar, then run northeast for a time, passing between these pillars and enter the historic sea of the Mediterranean, whose waters wash the shores of three continents. The little city of Gibraltar, situated as it is on the west side of this mammoth rock, presents a pretty pic- ture to the traveler who approaches it by steamer coming down the bay. The distance from which it may be seen across the blue water of the bay, in connec- tion with the contrast between the size of its buildings and the huge rock in the background, gives to the city and also to the houses a diminutive appearance that will not be gotten rid of until you go ashore and walk its narrow streets. You will have to walk the streets, for they have no sidewalks. They have no room for sidewalks, consequently don't have them. '' Gibraltar has largely a floating population, as motley in race, color, dress, manners and habits as can be found in any city in the oriental countries. Here you will see the African, the Spaniard, the Moor, long- bearded Jews, Turks with their baggy trousers, a mon- grel race from the eastern part of the Mediterranean known as Levantines, Maltese, Africans, blacker by far than the blackest of our American negroes, who hail from Timbuctoo." The stranger will meet and jostle against this mongrel set in the narrow streets, and hear but fail to understand their various languages. 34 TRAVELS IN EGYPT 4 Each speaks, but others do not " hear in his own tongue," as was the case with the people who were listening to Peter on the day of Pentecost. But 1 see the sun is sinking behind the hills of Spain, and as we must get without the walls of the city before the sunset gun is fired after which time the gates are closed, and none allowed to leave or enter the city we had better be making our way through these crowded streets toward the wharf, where we can get a small boat to row us out to our steamer. Our steamer has had forty or fifty hands employed all day passing baskets of coal from a coal boat anchored in the bay, into the coal house of the steamer. The Selgravia was a seven thousand five hundred ton vessel, and consumed from forty to sixty tons of coal every twenty-four hours. She was four hundred feet long, forty feet across the beam, and thirty-eight feet deep; a good sea-going vessel, strong and substantial, but not fast. When the wind was favorable so that she could use her sails, she would make from twelve to fifteen miles an hour. On our voyage as far as Gibraltar, however, we had had contrary winds, which, instead of increasing, retarded our speed. But here we are alongside of our steamer. "We will climb up these steps which have been swung down alongside for the accommodation of passengers going from and returning on board. This is a beautiful bay, five miles wide, and ordi- narily a secure and safe harbor ; but we were informed that the night before, when the storm was at its height, the bay was rougher and the waves ran higher than was ever known before. Such must have been the case, AND THE HOLY LAND. 35 for as soon as it was known that the Utopia had gone down the whole bay was made as light as day, by means of electric lights, and yet, few of her passengers were saved,, owing to the inability to use small boats, as they were dashed to pieces against the rock wall that borders the bay, as fast as they were launched. Small boats have been at work to-day picking up the dead bodies of such as come to the surface. The greater number of the bodies of the dead were still confined in the state-rooms of the steamer, however, when we left Gibraltar. How true it is " in the midst of life we are in death," for we know not the day nor the hour when it may be said to us, as it was to the rich farmer: " Thou fool ; this night thy soul shall be required of thee." Our steamer is now weighing anchor, we shall soon be off for Naples. Here we go ! How beautiful this little city of the rock looks, with its hundreds of gas and electric lights, throwing their glittering, glistening rays over the rippling waters. Tier aftef*tier of lights rising one above the other like so many glittering stars. But, reader, I will meet you in my next chapter before reaching the city of Naples, where I hope to point out to you many things that will both instruct and interest you. TEAVELS IN EGYPT CHAPTEE III. IT will be remembered we left Gibraltar at night, pass- ing round the south end of the rock and then changed our course and ran between the rock and the African coast, passing between the two Pillars of Hercules, am? entered the Mediterranean sea. The morning of the 19th of March finds us steaming over a calm, smooth sea. The day bright and pleasant, our company all well, cheerful and happy. On the left of our steamer are the snow-covered mountains of the coast of Spain; the dark continent of Africa on our right. Sail vessels are frequently in sight, and we are all enjoying the happy reflection that a few more days will bring our long, tempestuous sea voyage to a close. Hymns of praise and songs of rejoicing are heard floating over the waters of the deep blue Mediterranean, as our passengers give expression to the feelings that fill their hearts to overflowing. All realize the clangers through which we have passed ; all feel that a special providence has been over us and that God has graciously spared our lives for some purpose best known to Him- self. Among the mountains along the Spanish coast is one higher and perhaps more pointed than the others, called the " Cat's Paw;" why it is so-called I can not learn, as I could see no resemblance between the peak and a cat's paw, or the paw of any other animal. March 22d, Sunday morning. A bright, beautiful day, calm sea. On our left are the islands of Sardinia and Corsica, Sardinia near us. At ten A. M. all the AND THE HOLY LAND. 37 passengers met in the dining saloon and had religious services. Dr. Wharton preached a most excellent ser- mon from Acts 20 : 24. Services closed with some feeling remarks by Dr. Campbell. We are all in high spirits, expecting to reach Naples early in the morning. These steamers are kept neat and clean. The decks are washed off nicely every morning, and everything kept repainted. Yesterday the sailors were let down on the outside of the boat, standing on a plank sus- pended by ropes attached above, washing and scrubbing the painted parts of the vessel. I thought what a risky business that was. A misstep or anything to throw the man off of his balance, and overboard he would go. But upon closer inspection I saw that each one of them had a rope tied around his waist and the other end made fast to some secure part of the boat above. Just so we think God has a cord of love around every Christian that keeps them from falling. How often they stumble, how often they doubt and fear, and how often dark clouds intervene and they feel that they are groping their way in this world in doubts and uncer- tainties. But every now and then they feel the rope tighten. They are reassured that they are kept by the power of God. Hope returns, the clouds are dispelled, and they go on their way rejoicing, praising God, real- izing that they are "kept by the power of God through faith." Monday morning, March 23d, we entered the bay of Naples. The smoking top of old Vesuvius, that has been sending forth fire and smoke, and every few years scoria, for the past eighteen hundred years, has been in sight for some time. This volcano can be seen for twenty miles from almost any direction around it. 38 TRAVELS IN EGYPT The city makes a pretty picture as you approach it from the bay. It is built around the head of the bay, extending back from the shore up the hill-sides, bringing the whole city in full view when seen from the bow of a vessel in the bay. If we include the villages scat- tered around the bay, all of which are in full view, we may put the population of this place at one and half millions. But our vessel has cast anchor half a mile or more from shore. There are no wharfs here. Vessels are loaded and unloaded by barges, and passengers are brought on board and carried ashore on small boats. There come a dozen or more making for our steamer; and now the steps or stairway is being lowered and the little boats are steering for that side of our vessel, each crew of oarsmen trying to be the first to reach the foot of the stair way. Such scrambling, such yell ing t such jargon, I never saw or heard before. I looked at them for a while, expecting to see a general naval fight and a half dozen men drowned or at least knocked over- board. But I soon found that this was their way of doing business. As soon as an officer on board the steamer would let them, they rushed up the stairway and began soliciting patronage for the different hotels and making offers to carry us and our luggage ashore. This much I could understand by their actions, for I couldn't understand a word that was spoken. Only part of the little boats brought the porters of the dif- ferent hotels. Others came with the expectation of carrying the steerage passengers ashore; for on almost every steamer going out from New York there is a greater or less number of Italians returning to their fatherland. The next day after we left New York, the sailors on board our steamer found an Italian boy, AND THE HOLY LAND. 39 apparently sixteen or eighteen years old, hid away among some freight in the hold of our vessel. This dead-beat was brought out from his hiding place by the mate, and turned over to the tender mercies of the dining-room steward and cabin-boys, and you may rest assured they made him earn his passage to Naples. In one of the little boats which came up alongside of our steamer was Dr. Robert H. Crunden, special representative of the firm of Messrs. Henry Gaze & Son, London. Dr. Crunden was the special representa- tive of these gentlemen, and was to take charge of our company, acting in the capacity of conductor, instruc- tor and interpreter, and to carry out in every respect the contract and agreement entered into by them with our party. And let me say just here, well and faith- fully did this distinguished gentleman and scholar dis- charge his duty to the entire satisfaction of every member of the company. The Doctor had reacted Naples by railroad from London a week before our ar- rival, expecting to meet us there at that time, and he, like our families and friends at home, had suffered great anxiety as to our fate until we reached Gibraltar and the news of the steamer's safe arrival had been tele- graphed over the country. Dr. Crunden brought with him the necessary number of boats, baggagemen, etc., to convey our party and baggage ashore. We were landed at the custom-house, where we had to go through the formality of having our trunks, sachels, etc., examined by the governmental officers. A few silver coins, however, slyly transferred into the hands of these red-taped gentry usually caused the chalk marks to be placed on our baggage without further examina- tion or delay. Our kodaks were a puzzle to them. 40 TRAVELS IN EGYPT They wanted us to open them and let them see what was in them ; this we could not do, of course, as it would have ruined the films and what negatives we had taken; finally I drew a photograph out of my pock- et and made them understand, by signs and gestures, that the box, as they took it to be, was a photographic instrument. That satisfied them, and after making their chalk marks on it let it pass. Passing through the dingy, filthy, custom-house into the street, to reach our carriages, we were besieged by a score of beggars, the lame, the halt and the blind. Although ignorant of their language, in every land and among all people the beggar can make himself understood. In fifteen minutes after reaching the "Washington hotel having breakfasted on board the steamer we were driven to the museum, where we were shown the statues of the most celebrated of the Roman emperors and poets. Several priestesses of Isis, a copy of the statue of the goddess Diana of the Ephesians, and many others too numerous to mention, of great beauty and historic interest. But what attracted my attention more than all things else was the marble and bronze statuary, and a host of other articles Avhich had been found and removed to the museum from old Pompeii and Herculaneum. Among the first things that attract the attention of the visitor upon entering this department of the museum are the casts of the human bodies taken in removing the debris from these old cities. These are placed in glass cases and arranged on tables along the center of the rooms. In shoveling the scoria from the rooms and streets, wherever a hole or cavitv was discovered the laborers were instructed to AND THE HOLY LAND. 41 stop the work and report it to the superintendent. The cavity was at once filled with a mortar of plaster of paris and a model or mold taken of what it contained was thus secured. The first and second cases on entering the room contain the model of some men. The third contains the model of a woman who had fal- len on her face. This model is so placed that the face may be seen and you can also see how her hair and drapery were arranged. The fourth case, another man. The fifth, models of two women, probably mother and daughter. On the side walls of these rooms are arranged skeletons of horses, dogs, cats, etc. In another case may be seen the skeleton of a man found in September, 1873, in the region of the Stabian Gate. In the next two, models of men. In the next, the model of a dog found in 1874 upon the steps of a door of a house. This model preserves in the impression of the collar two rings of bronze. In one house seven human ^keletons were found. In the presses on the sides of the rooms I noticed some human skulls, and among them one with considerable hair on it. In this room you will see several pieces of flat loaves of bread, also dried fruits, such as figs, grapes, dates; also jellies, eggs and egg-shells, and various other eatables ; also table- ware, lamps, glasses, candle-sticks, quite a variety of iron tools and cooking utensils, surgical instruments, several cooking-stoves of peculiar make, copper pans, buckets, copper scales and weights, needles and pins, mason's trowels, bridles, etc., etc. In one of the rooms, among other articles of great interest to be seen is a small square piece of marble upon which is drawn in pencil JS"iobe grieving for the death of her sons. Also a thin glass vessel containing several 42 TEAVELS IN EGYPT ounces of oil. These were found in the house of Niobe, so-called, a very rich and spacious habitation. Upon one of the walls of this house is a painting depict- ing the death of Niobe's sons. It represents them on horseback being struck by the arrows of Apollo. In another room of the museum may be seen a plas- ter model of a small twig basket, very pretty, a mason's chest, a purse, and the wheel of a Roman chariot. The bronze statuary taken from old Herculaneum is magnificent. Bronze horses, bulls and other animals, full size ; also a fine lot of porcelain ware which looks as if it had just come from the factory. It is price- less in value. A visit to this museum and an inspection of these arti- cles which lay buried for so many long centuries can not fail to interest the visitor. But there are many other things to be seen in this beautiful city. In going from and returning to the hotel the visitor will see many novel scenes. Such, at least, as are never seen on the streets of our American cities. Let me call your attention to some of them. Here is an ox and a donkey hitched to a cart. There goes one with an ox and a pony. See how the shafts of the cart are adjusted above the back of the pony. Here goes a cart with nineteen men in it. If a few of them were to sit on the rear end of the vehicle it would lift that little donkey off the ground. You will notice that they use but few bridle bits ; instead, a bar or rod of iron with a depression in it is fitted to the nose of the horse just above the nostrils. The ends of this rod extend out to three or four inches, and to these ends the headstall and reins or lines, as the case ma}^ be, are attached; the rod being held in AND THE HOLY LAND. 43 position by a strap of leather which passes underneath the jaw, like the curb strap to our bridle bits. There goes a milkman. He has the heads of the cows and calves roped together, and drives them from house to house and draws from the udder of the cow the quantity of milk each customer wants. Does he milk the cows on the street, you ask ? Of course ! Don't you see that fellow drawing a cup of milk from a cow for that old woman standing near by ? Now look, they are having a row. The old woman wants him to deduct from the price for the foam that floats on top of it. He swears he won't do it. I guess he is swearing. He looks angry and is talking loudly and rapidly, and gesticulating with his hands, feet, his head, and, in fact, with his whole body. That's Italian. Here is another dairy- man. He is driving a flock of goats around, milking them for his customers in the same way. One of these goats will yield half a gallon of milk at a milk- ing. See their ears. Some of them are nine or ten inches long. There is a smith shoeing a horse out in the street. One man holds up the horse's foot, and another sits on the ground and nails the shoe on. Here are several shoemakers, tinsmiths and other workmen carrying on their business in the streets. This is all new and strange to us. There is an old washer- woman plying her vocation on the street. She has a line drawn from one corner of a house to another, and there she hangs the garments out to dry. Here are four men playing cards on the sidewalk. There is a woman sitting out in the street nursing her child. This looks like a free country. At least everybody seems to be doing just what they please, where they please, when they please, and as they please. I don't 44 TBAVELS IN EGYPT see how they could exercise any more freedom. I guess this is one reason these Italians turn anarchists when they live in our American cities. Our authori- ties try to make them behave like decent white folks, and not having been raised that way they rebel. But O my ! the beggars ! ! the beggars ! ! ! Old beggars, young beggars, big beggars and little beggars, all ages, all sizes and colors. The well-formed and deformed. The babies even are taught to hold out their little innocent hands and beg before they learn to say " Mamma." Now let me call your attention to these narrow streets. Very few of them have any sidewalks, and we see every one walking and riding in the streets. If the street has sidewalks they are used just as the street is, i. e., they ride over them, drive their donkeys over them, and use them just as they do the street between them and as they do the streets which have no sidewalks. Mount Vesuvius is some five or six miles southeast of the city. To reach it we leave the hotel in carriages, each drawn by four horses; and soon after leaving the outskirts of the city we begin a very gradual ascent of the mountain ; the lower side of the road being built up terrace-like with stones or broken lava, to bring the roadbed to a level. We take a serpen- tine route, winding first in one direction, then another, climbing up gradually and slowly, but all the time going up and on and on, slowly but surely. The carriageway is good, a regular pike, and the scenery grand, gradually increasing in beauty and extent as we ascend the mountain. On both sides of the road are vineyards and fig orchards. The land on the AND THE HOLY LAND. 45 sides of the mountain is very fertile. The higher we ascend the steeper the ascent becomes. We travel thus, passing the observatory on the way, until we have completed a journey of fifteen miles from our starting-point. Here we come to the railroad station. It is nine hundred yards from the lower to the upper station. This distance is gone over in a small car carrying some six or eight persons at a time. The car runs on one rail and is drawn up by a wire rope or cable and engine, at an angle of from forty to sixty degrees. In some places the angle of the ascent is forty degrees, and at others as much as sixty. While making this ascent we can but realize the danger we are in. If the wire cable should break during the ascent or descent, the car would go thundering down the mountain with almost lightning speed, carrying its occupants to a sure and speedy death. This mountain is thirty-two miles in circumference at its base, and between four thousand and four thou- sand five hundred feet in height. It is annually being built up by the overflow and cooling of the lava which it ejects. From the upper railroad station we are told that it is some one hundred and fifty or more feet to the mar- gin of the crater, and you will find it decidedly the more. This distance you have to walk. It is very steep, and at almost every step you sink down shoemouth deep in ashes and sulphur. When we made the ascent the top of the mountain from near the margin of the crater, for a distance of a -hundred yards or more, down its sides, was covered with snow. We were told that to see Vesuvius thus was a very rare sight. If this burning, seething mass of melted stone; this boiling, lashing caul- 46 TEAVELS IN EGYPT dron be a prototype of hell, as described in the bible, as a " lake that burneth with fire and brimstone," also as a "furnace of fire," and an "everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels," and if that be the place in which we are told that Dives was when he lifted up his eyes, " being in torments," and saw Lazarus in the bosom of Father Abraham " afar off," and begged for mercy and a drop of water wherewith to cool his tongue, being "tormented " in a flame; if all this is to be understood literally; if this hell is a burning furnace, a veritable place into which human bodies, after being made "immortal" and "imperish- able," are to be cast, and by an unalterable law " fried and cooked " and tormented, and tossed upon waves of unquenchable fire forever and forever, the picture could have been made more perfect, and such physical sufferings vastly enhanced, if such a thing were pos- sible, by representing it as I saw Vesuvius with the beautiful, refreshing snow spread out all around this "miniature hell," upon which the glaring, scorched eyes of its damned and doomed inmates could look and long for, and yet never reach. One had better never have been born if literally and truly such a fate be pos- sible. But such a thought antagonizes and contradicts every attribute of the Deity, and every manifestation of Himself in all the vast domain of the universe. We can rejoice and thank God that no such thing as a literal hell fire is anywhere taught in His word. I can very well remember when a lad going with my father to church, and every now and then we would hear one of the old-time preachers turn loose for an hour or two on one of his hell-fire and damnation sermons. AND THE HOLY LAND. 47 They seemed to take pleasure in depicting, with all the powers of an excited imagination, the horrors of the eternally damned in a veritable lake, or seething pit of eternal unquenchable fire; from this smoking pit in which could be seen these poor, helpless, writh- ing, squirming, ever consuming, yet never consumed victims of God's wrath, in agony and hopeless despair, cursing and reviling each other as a pastime. I was not a very impressible chap, as one may imagine, but still these horrid pictures made such an impression on my mind as dethroned memory or the dark curtain of death alone can obliterate. I looked upon God as a demon, and hated him, but was afraid to say so, or even to acknowledge it to myself, for fear that he might " damn " me. After the dark curtains of night were drawn around our house, if I went out to Uncle Moses' house (Uncle Moses was one of our ser- vants), I was afraid to go back to the house alone. I could see the devil with his long horns and red, glaring eyes peeping out from behind every tree, or around the house corners. The sighing of the summer breeze was to me the faint echo of the wailing moanings and cries of hopeless despair, which it was said was ever ascending from the parched tongues of its doomed and damned occupants. God was represented as a monster who delighted in the eternal torment of the creatures of his own crea- tion . Is it any wonder that there are infidels in the world ? Is it not rather surprising that there are not more of them ? I have thought proper to write this much in regard to this burning volcano, because so many people have asked me concerning it, and so many in doing so have 48 TRAVELS IN EGYPT directly or indirectly shown that they have been taught and believed that God has somewhere in the great expanse of his universe prepared just such a place as the ever-burning crater of Vesuvius, into which the finally impenitent creatures of the earth and all the creatures of the earth who know not God will be finally cast, and tormented world without end. In making the ascent to the crater the visitor would do well to employ the aid of an Italian. Some of these poor men are always on hand, and for a small sum will assist him in the laborious ascent. This they do by passing a strap of leather or a rope around their breast with a hand-hold in the end behind. By pulling on this strap it will materially aid you and you will be in a sonse assisting the poor by giving them wages for their hire. As you near the smoking crater you will see in every direction around you plages varying in size from which smoke is issuing. Some of these places are hot enough to cook eggs. The thought and the question flit across the mind, What if this earth should give away under my feet ? Would I have time to say " Lord receive my spirit," as I go down, down, into this awful pit of boiling lava ? You can approach near enough the margin of the crater to look down into it if you select a time when the wind is in the proper direction to blow the smoke away from you, otherwise you might become suffocated, loose your balance and fall in, as one poor man did not long after we were there. If the boiling mass be near the top of the crater you may get a view of it. At times it boils up near the top, then again it recedes far down into the. great cavern below. But, reader, you will be an exception as a visitor, if you remain long on AND THE HOLY LAND. 49 the verge of the crater. The sounds which come echo- ing up from that abyss below will make such an impres- sion upon your mind as you never had before, and such as you never want made again, and such as will cause you not only to get away, but to want to get away, and that in a hurry. What are those sounds like? you ask. They are unlike anything you ever heard. At least they are unlike anything I ever heard or want to hear. If they were like any other then it would not have been unlike every other. For instance, could this noise, this new noise, be comparable to the low, rumbling, terrible, appalling noise, which is usually the forerunner of the earthquake or tornado, then we might and could say it was like that; but it is not. Is there any resemblance in it in any respect to the human voice ? you ask. Yes, I think there is. There must be a resemblance or it would not carry with it or strike you with such over- powering, indescribable and unutterable horror, or make such a wonderful impression upon the mind as to cause you to involuntarily exclaim, Away ! away ! and go you must and go you will. Two of the gentlemen in our party had been upon the top of this mountain before we were there, and I wondered why they refused so emphatically to accom- pany us when we began the ascent. But when we returned they said: "You now know why we refuse to go with you up to the crater." " Do you blame us ? " No! no! For I, for one, never intend to stand upon that margin of that crater again, even should I visit Naples again and again. The crater is from two to three hundred feet in diameter, but this varies. The deposit of lava left by the recedence of the melted mass when it has been 50 TRAVELS IN EGYPT up near the top, or when it has boiled up high enough to run over the edge of the crater, continually con- tracts or narrows the diameter of the crater ; as it increases the height of the mountain when it runs over. At night the flames may be seen showing up above the top of the mountain. These flames seem to be so epveloped in smoke that they can not be seen during the day. Mount Vesuvius has two summits. The northern summit is called Somna. This peak has been an extinct volcano from before the memory of man. The other became a burning mountain or active vol- cano since A. D. 79. On the 24th of August in that year the first great eruption on record took place. On that day the towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum and Stabiae were buried under showers of volcanic sand, called ashes, stones and scoria. Such was the immense quantity of volcanic sand thrown out during this erup- tion, that the whole country for miles around was envolved in pitchy darkness. It is said by some his- torians tha,t the ashes fell in Egypt, Syria, and various parts of Asia Minor. After this, Vesuvius continued an active volcano for nearly a thousand years. The fire then died down and appeared to become nearly extinct, and continued so for about four hundred years. In 1506 there was another eruption, and it has remained burning ever since, having eruptions at intervals. In describing the eruption that destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum, a very authentic author states that " after an interval of extreme heat and drought the whole plain was shaken as in an earth- quake, with a sound of subterranean thunder, and a roaring agitation of the air and sea; at the same time AND THE HOLY LAND. 51 a torrent of smoke and flame, accompanied by showers of stone, burst from the crater, darkening the sun like an eclipse. Suddenly a column of black ashes rose perpendicularly into the air, hovered like a cloud, and fell, and in its fall overwhelmed the towns of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabiae. The dark cloud of smoke and ashes carried dismay even to the walls of Rome. The darkness which sank down upon the city terrified the inhabitants to such a degree that many of them threw themselves with their families into ships bound for Africa and Egypt ; imagining that Italy was about to atone for its sins by enduring the uttermost wrath of the gods. This memorable event, as before stated, occurred August 24, A. D. 79." It has been written and handed along down the cen- turies since the occurrence of that sad event, that the eruption was sudden and unlocked for, and that these unfortunate cities were overwhelmed without warning. I am of the opinion, however, that this is erroneous. If such had been the case, comparatively few of their thousands of inhabitants would have succeeded in making their escape. As it was, however, in uncover- ing Pompeii, not exceeding a hundred, if indeed that number, of human skeletons and casts have been obtained. These volcanic eruptions are usually pre- ceded by agitations and noises of a threatening char- acter. I have no doubt but that in this instance the previous intimations were of such a nature as to have fully apprised and forewarned the inhabitants of their danger and induced the greater part of them to seek safety in flight. Now I will take you twenty -five miles by rail to old Pompeii, one of the cities that were covered to the 52 depth of from ten to thirty feet above the housetops by the first eruption of this, the now burning summit. This walled city contained at that time about thirty thousand inhabitants. But few of these, however, comparatively speaking, were buried beneath the rain of ashes and lava. Although the location of the city was discovered as far back as 1748, no persevering efforts to remove the debris and expose the ruins were systematically made until the present century. It is now, however, almost whplly uncovered, and all the ashes except in a com- paratively small portion of the city have been removed without the city walls. The city or town, as you may be pleased to call it, was three-fourths of a mile long and half a mile in breadth; the streets narrow and the houses compactly built, and only one and two stories high, the greater number of them being only one story. As was the case with all the old Eoman towns and cities, it was sur- rounded by a strong rock wall from eighteen to twenty feet high and twelve or more in thickness, and con- tained a requisite number of gates. But little, if any, of the wall was injured by the overflow, and the injury done the houses appears to have been produced by the superincumbent weight upon the roofs, crushing or smashing them in. The streets of the old town are narrow, usually twelve or fifteen feet in width, and paved with slabs of hard blue limestone. The side- walks are not more than two and a half or three feet in width. The curbstones supporting the sidewalk are from ten to twelve inches in thickness and are worn down several inches in the center by footmen, convert- ing them into troughs. In fact the wear of these hard AND THE HOLY LAND. 53 stone pavements which in many instances are cut down by the chariot wheels to a depth of from three to five inches; the wear of even the stone fountains by the lips of people who drank at them and where they rested on their arms while drinking, all go to prove that Pompeii was an old city at the date of its destruction. It is interesting to wander through this old town, to walk its streets, and go through the houses where these rich proud old Eomans lived so many centuries ago. Evidences of wealth and splendor can yet be seen in the style and interior finish of their dwellings. Many of them were spacious and richly decorated with carvings, statuary and fine f rescoe paintings, etc. Very many of the floors of these houses are made in fine mosaic. In the house of Darius M. Cassi may be seen in the pave- ment a mosaic representing three doves drawing a string of pearls from a casket. In a large room of this house was found the magnificent pavement in mosaic representing a battle between Alexander the Great and Darius, which we had the pleasure of seeing in the museum. In this same house was found the skeleton of a women having a gold ring on her finger with her name, Cassia, engraved upon it. The house of the tragic poet, as it is called, was a noble structure, and contained many fine paintings and monuments of art. Near the entrance in fine mosaic is a dog chained, and near him the words : "Cave uanem," beware of the dog. This is the house that Sir Bulwer Lytton in his " Last Days of Pom- peii " selected as the house which the hero, Claudius, was preparing for the reception of his bride, lone. In the house of Caius Sallust was found a bronze group representing Hercules conquering the stag. From 54 TRAVELS IN EGYPT the mouth of the stag flows a jet of water. On the wall is a picture representing Diana nude at a bath", in the moment when she is surprised by Actaeon, who is attacked by two savage dogs. Nearly all these houses were built on the same general plan. The house was entered through a vestibule, on the side of which were niches where the household gods were kept. After passing the vestibule you enter an open court in which was generally found a fountain and more or less statuary. The family and servants' rooms were built around and opened into this court. In some instances after passing through this court you passed through either another vestibule or an arched doorway leading into another open court or garden beautifully decorated with flowers, shrubbery, and statuary. In some of these gardens large earthenware wine- casks of the proprietors have been left in the position in which they were found. These old Romans were fond of their wine and knew how to make it, keep it, and drink it. The temples of their gods and their public buildings of every description were large, well constructed, and ornamented in the style of the times. The temple of Zeus was one of the largest and the most magnificent structures in Pompeii. The civil forum, where the people assembled to talk over public affairs or, as we would say in this country, to discuss political questions, where games were played, and where they held their public meetings, was large and handsomely decorated with statues of the gods. The forum or open court was surrounded on three sides by limestone columns of the Doric order with statues placed between the columns. It seems to have been damaged by the earthquake of AND THE HOLY LAND. 55 63 A. D. and was being rebuilt when submerged, as some of the columns show that they were being rebuilt but not completed when the eruption occurred. A statue of Mercury was found in the temple of Mer- cury. The temples of Apollo and Jupiter may be seen and recognized as temples of these gods. In the excavations made in the years 1881-2 the street of the twelve gods was brought to view. At the entrance of the street, on the right, was painted the twelve favorite gods, viz.: Yesta, Diana, Apollo, Ceres, Minerva, Jupiter, Juno, Vulcan, Venus, Mars, J^eptune, and Mercury. These may also be called their greatest divinities. The temple of Isis was also destroyed by the earthquake of 63. In September, 1881, was found eighty cups of earthen- ware, many of which were adorned with figures, others with bas-reliefs and flowers. The pulverized red clay for manufacturing these cups was also found. It has been thought that the ancients were not acquainted with the use of stone coal, but it was ascertained in this pottery that the manufacturer of these cups used it in the man- ufacture of his wares. Old Pompeii had its mills, bakeries, soap factories, its taverns, theaters, barracks for gladiators, public markets, a leather manufactory, one fuller's shop, and a dyer's house, several bath- houses, where separate apartments are set aside for ladies, and an amphitheater where plays were enacted and gladiators fought, capable of seating twenty thousand spectators. The arena, four hundred feet long and one hundred and fourteen wide, had a stone wall some three feet in height around it, and ontop of this an iron railing with the bars set on end. This was made high enough to prevent the wild fero- 56 TRAVELS IN EGYPT cious beasts from leaping over when let out of the artificial caves or iron cages in which they were kept. These caves were built of stone and run back from the arena far enough, and were made large enough, to hold as many animals as they desired to keep on hand at one time. There may be seen also a cave or rock room, the entrance opening on the arena, into which the bodies of the dead gladiators were dragged. The Herculaneum gate of the town, the gate through which the street passed leading to Herculaneum, was situated on a hill. The gateway and walls adjoining are in a good state of preservation. The gateway had three openings, one in the center for chariots, and smal- ler ones on each side for footmen. The street leading from this gate is called the street of tombs, on account of the tombs on each side of it, where there are some eight or ten tombs. Some of these have very hand- some tombstones with name, date of death, official position, etc., of the deceased engraved upon them. To the left of the gate is a kind of guard-house erected with open front, built in the city wall for the purpose. In this was found the skeleton of the Eoman soldier whose duty it was to guard the gate. His skeleton was found buried to a great depth, but at his post, showing that he made no effort to escape, but died at his post of duty as became a Roman soldier. Some excavations have been made at Herculaneum, and, as stated, some beautiful bronze statuary, porcelain ware, etc., recovered. To what extent the excavations have progressed I am unable to say. This place was buried to a greater depth than Pompeii, and there is now a very pretty Italian village called Resina built over its location. I would invite the reader to visit AND THE HOLY LAND. 57 the Eoman Catholic cathedral, St. Januarius, and see the decorations of its interior, which are beautiful, rich and magnificent, far beyond my powers of description ; but it is my purpose to call the reader's attention to some things exhibited in this church, fur- ther on. I therefore pass it by for the present. I will close my remarks upon Naples by saying that we must remember that Naples, as Rome, is in Italy, the home of Roman Catholicism unmasked and undisguised. And in this city and its environments there are some- thing near four hundred Catholic cathedrals, costing millions of dollars. Much of it is raised doubtless as was the case in completing St. Peter's church at Rome, by the sale of indulgences. Reader, do you compre- hend what all this means, that is, "the sale of indulgences ? " Let me give you the language of a celebrated peddler of these wares, the notorious Tetzel: " Indulgences," said he, " are the most precious and sublime of God's gifts. This cross," pointing to a red cros which he held in his hand, " has as much efficacy as the cross of Jesus Christ. Draw near and I will give you letters duly sealed by which even the sins you shall hereafter desire to commit shall all be forgiven you. " Indulgences," continued Tetzel, " save not the living alone ; they also save the dead. Ye priests, ye nobles, ye tradesmen, ye wives, ye maidens, and ye young men, hearken to your departed parents and friends who cry to you from the bottomless abyss, 'We are enduring torment, a small alms would deliver us. You can give it and will not.' The very moment," continued he, "that the money clinks against the bottom of the chest" a money chest he had in his peddler's wagon 58 TRAVELS IN EGYPT "the soul escapes from purgatory and flies free to heaven. Oh senseless people and almost like to beasts, who do not comprehend the grace so richly offered ! This day heaven is on all sides open. Do not refuse to enter. This day you may reclaim many souls, etc., etc." " These peddlers of indulgences purchased them of the Pope by as good a bargain as they could make, and then, after the mode of traveling peddlers, they dis- . posed of them in retail to those who dealt in such articles of commerce; each indulgence, of course, bear, ing an adequate premium. The madness of superstition could be strained no higher." " Historv of Roman- ism," by John Dawling, D. D. When we reach Eome I shall have occasion to speak of this iniquitous fraud, this base system of deception ? this pious robbery, again. The bible teaches us that God alone has power to forgive sin. That God, mani- fest in the person of Christ, offered himself as a propitia- tion for sin. " For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly." If our heavenly Father had seen fit to delegate the power to forgive sin to a few men and made them the mediators between Himself and sinful men, where arises in the great plan of redemption the necessity for the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, whom we are told laid down his life, not to reconcile God to man, as the sacrifices offered by all prior priests had been made, but to reconcile man to his God by the implantation of his law in their hearts. I do not propose, however, to write a theological book. I therefore leave the reader to look up these things at a more convenient season. Before leaving Naples we will take a nice boat ride on AND THE HOLY LAND. 59 the bay, as we are here to see for ourselves how these people live, what they do, and how they do ; to learn by personal observation the political, social and religious status, not only of this people, but of others with whom we may commingle on our journey. We will, therefore, go across the bay to Sorento, distant twenty miles, a nice summer resort w"here the wealthy citizens of Naples retire from the busy marts of the city and enjoy the sea breezes and quiet of a seaside residence during the hot months of summer. The scenery here is charming, and the salubrity of the air makes the place a favorite resort. This lovely little retreat is situated on a plateau of land at the base of the mountains, some one hundred and fifty or two hundred feet above the waters of the bay which lie spread out before it. The town is composed in the main of magnificent hotels, surrounded by orange and lemon groves, and beautiful gardens filled with every variety of tropical flowers and fruits, handsomely laid out and decorated with statues of illustrious Italians. The mountains in the rear afford interesting walks and picturesque scenery. From their heights the whole bay, dotted with sail- boats, and the city of Naples and its contiguous villages, are spread out before you and come within full view. The town which is built up to the bluff bank of the coast has some interesting manufactories in it, though they are conducted on a small scale and the work all done by hand. It is entered by a tunnel, which is lighted b} 7 holes cut through its arched roof, leading from the boat landing up to the village. This tunnel is some four or five hundred feet in length, perhaps more ; and although the degree of 60 TRAVELS IN EGYPT* ascent is not very great, one will become quite fatigued before reaching the end. Here may be seen Italian women carrying building stone, baskets of sand, large boxes of oranges and other heavy burdens on their heads up the steep ascent or unloading barges, begin- ning at sunrise and closing their day's work at sundown. For this, if they have lost no time from work during the day, they are paid twenty cents. What wages are paid to the men, you ask? Stout, able-bodied men are paid twenty-five cents per day for a full day's work, and they are glad to get employment even at these low wages. God does not pour out his blessings and bestow all the good things of life upon one people or in one locality. On the contrar}^ he sends the rain upon the just and the unjust alike. While Italy is blest as a country with picturesque scenery, snow-capped moun- tains, and lovely valleys, clear blue skies and a delight- ful climate, fertile soil and all that the lavish hand of nature could do to make it one of the most desirable locations to be found for the habitation of man, still man has seen fit to plant, foster, and propagate a religion in Italy which has for ages kept that people in poverty, ignorance and superstition, that to be deplored in this day of gospel light and liberty needs only to be seen and heard. This religion claims to be that taught by Christ, the high priest whp is at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Apollus says, Hebrews 2:17: " Wherefore in all things it behooves him to be made like unto his brethren that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in all things pertaining to God, to make recon- ciliation for the sins of the people." In answer I AND THE HOLY LAND. 61 would say to Brother Apollus, why all this, and what was the necessity of all this if a priest, a mere man, in many instances a licentious, wicked man, has the power to forgive sin ? If I mistake or misrepresent these religionists, tell me what all these confessionals I see in their churches mean ? What is that old woman in rags and tatters whispering in the ear of that clean- shaved, sleek, fat priest, through a hole prepared for the purpose in their wardrobe, like confessionals ? She is confessing her sins and misdeeds, and that old sinner, for a consideration, promises to forgive them. We now go by rail one hundred and sixty-two miles to Rome. The road runs through a beautiful level valley. We have the Mediterranean on our left and the Apennine mountains on our right. During the winter and early spring this range of mountains is covered with snow. You see this valley is almost one unbroken vineyard. The young olive trees are topped and wire-stretched from one to another, making trellises for the grape vines to run upon. Where the ground in these olive groves is not occupied with the grape, it is sown in wheat or barley. Every foot of soil is utilized and made subservient to the production of some article of diet or of commerce. The mountain-sides in many places are terraced and planted either in grain, olive, or the grape. You will observe farm-houses are more frequently met with here than in some other countries. Every now and then you see a mountain stream leaping down the mountain side, forming a succession of lovely cascades, which add to the beauty and picturesqueness of the scenery. As we near Rome spurs of the mountains approach nearer the blue waters of the Mediterranean, and frequently our train plunges 62 TRAVELS IN EGYPT into a dark tunnel, upon coming out of which, how- ever, our eyes are gladdened by seemingly a brighter, more beautiful and enchanting scene than before. Is not this a correct illustration of our journey through life ? Life has its tunnels through which all must pass, tun- nels in which the light of joy and happiness is shut out. Even our God seems to hide his face from us. Tunnels of sorrow, tunnels of afflictions for a time wither the soul and dry up every fountain of joy and happiness; every ray of light seems shut out from the soul, all seems dark, dismal and gloomy, and did we not believe that soon we shall pass through the tunnel and come out into a brighter, happier day, pur- ified as by fire, sorrow like a shadow would follow us all the days of our pilgrimage here upon earth. But God in his mercy and love lifts the clouds of sorrow from our hearts and makes the sunshine brighter than before the storm. " For our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." AND THE HOLY LAND. CHAPTER IY. ROME, the capital of the kingdom of Italy, with its three hundred and fifty thousand inhabitants, is situated in an undulating volcanic plain that extends a distance of about eighty-five miles north and south between the Apennine mountains and the Mediter- ranean sea, and is about twenty -five miles in width. The city is built on both sides of the Tiber, which is the largest river in the Italian peninsula. The greater por- tion of the city, however, lies on the left bank of the river. The general direction of the river through the city is from north to south, but it makes several large curves in this distance. Twenty bridges span the Tiber, connecting the city on its banks; others are pro- jected. The river is, upon an average, about sixty -five yards wide, with an average depth of twenty or twenty-five feet. The navigation of this river is now insignificant. The buildings of the city are in the main heavy stone structures three and four stories high, the streets wide and well paved, with wide, substantial side- walks. It may be classed as a nice, substantially built, modern city, possessing all the conveniences of street cars, electric and gas lights, water-works, etc. Rome is regarded as an unhealthy city, and, judging from its topography and environment, I am sure inter- mittent and other malarial fevers prevail to a greater or less extent during the summer and autumnal months. We read of what Rome was in bygone centuries and think of what it is now, and we involuntarily exclaim: 63 64 TRAVELS IN EGYPT " Can this be Rome ? Rome, once the proudest of all proud cities, the oldest city of Europe? Can this be Rome? " And we are forced to answer: " No, this is not Rome. Rome has passed away and this is but her shadow left to remind us of the site of the most power- ful city of antiquity, and to teach us what great changes time can effect." For Rome once held the highest eminence to which a city can attain, and now she has fallen, in some respects, to the lowest depth to which a city can fall. "The contrast," says one author, " is as great as though she had fallen like one of the fallen angels ; from the highest part of the vaulted heavens, to the deepest depth of Hades." The building of Rome was begun seven hundred and fifty-three years B. C. by Romulus and Remus, twin brothers. It has been contended by some historians that the story of the foundation of Rome by Romulus and Remus was purely legendary, and in part it no doubt was, and the legend of the twin brothers appears to have arisen from the proximity to Rome of a kin- dred town, called Rumaria, somewhere near Rome. This is a question I do not propose to discuss, however, as there are creditable authorities on both sides of the question. It has truthfully been said that Rome is the city of heroes and patriots. Here lived and died Horatius, Scipio, Marius, Pompey, the imperial Caesars, and a host of others whose names are imperishable. At one time Rome was sixty miles in circuit, sur- rounded by a lofty wall which is now in ruins. Then it was the most powerful, populous and magnificent city on the face of the globe. It is now greatly dimin- ished in splendor and population. Yet it still has many monuments and statues of its departed glory, and many AND THE HOLY LAND. 65 buildings of unsurpassed splendor. It is some of these old ruins and her magnificent buildings that I wish to visit again and describe to the reader. In doing so I must confine myself to a few only of the many, for the whole city is filled with them. One of the objects of attraction in Rome, and one which strikes the stranger with wonder and amazement, is the great Catholic cathedral called St. Peter's church. It is the first object which the tourist hastens to visit. In visiting this church we cross the Tiber on the bridge of St. Angelo, the finest bridge in Rome, built by the emperor Hadrian, A. D. 136. The parapets are decorated with ten angels bearing instruments of our Lord's passion. In 1668 the statues of St. Paul and Peter were added by Pope Clement IX. As you drive across this magnificent bridge you see just in front of you the tomb or mausoleum of Hadrian. The bridge was built by this emperor to connect his tomb with the city, and leads direct to it. This tomb is a circular structure, rather unique in appearance, two hundred and forty feet in diameter, height one hundred and sixty- five feet. It- was once encrusted or veneered with marble, of which covering no trace now remains! Around the top stood numerous statues in marble. From Hadrian to Caracalla, all the emperors of Rome, together with their families, were interred here. When the Goths under Vitiges besieged Rome in 537 A. D. the tomb was converted into a fortress, and the statues on the summit were hurled down on the besiegers. This old castle served for a fortress during several ages. Its first cannon were cast out of part of the bronze taken from the roof of the Pantheon, which 66 TRAVELS IN EGYPT will be described hereafter. Hadrian erected his mausoleum outside the walls of the city, which were erected by Aurelius. After the Romans successfully resisted the attacks of the Goths, and since that period, it has constituted the citadel of Rome, and is commonly called the castle of St. Angelo, on the possession of which the mastery over the city has always depended, St. Peter's church, the Vatican, and other important buildings, were erected on this Vatican hill, as the locality is called. This hill, two hundred feet above the plain beyond it, was never recovered as part of the city in ancient times, and was not enclosed in the Aurelian walls which surrounded the city, at the time Hadrian erected his magnificent mausoleum, as above mentioned. It was once covered with the gardens of the emperors. Caligula constructed a circus here and erected the obelisk, as an ornament to the area, which now stands in front of St. Peter's church and in the center of the plaza, which will be described hereafter. This circus was the scene of the races instituted by Nero, and also of his revolting cruelty to unoffending Christians in the year 65 A. *D. At the end of the same century Gregory the Great, while conducting a procession to pray for the cessation of the plague then -raging in the city, " beheld the Archangel Michael sheathing his sword above the mausoleum, in commemoration of which Boniface erected a chapel on the summit, which was afterwards replaced by the present bronze statue of the Archangel Michael in the act of sheathing his sword. Many other statues of men and horses ornament the parapet wall." After crossing the bridge we turned to the left and AND THE HOLY LAND. 67 soon reached the piazza in front of St. Peter's church. This open elliptical space in front of the church is enclosed by imposing colonnades. The area enclosed is three hundred and seventy yards in length by two hundred and sixty in width. Each of the colonnades contains four rows of columns of the Doric order, seventy feet in height ; resting on these columns on the interior of the circle is a wide frieze handsomely carved. On their roofs are placed one hundred and sixty-two statues. They form three covered passages, the central of which has space for two carriages abreast, and alone cost near a million of dollars. It is said that the building of these colonnades was suggested by the sixth verse of the fourth chapter of Tsaiah, which reads as follows: " And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the day time from the heat, and for a place of refuge and for a place of covert from storm and rain." On entering this plaza the visitor views these four rows of lofty pillars sweeping off to the right and left in a bold semicircle. " The effect is not only striking, but beautiful. The immense piazza or plaza forms a fitting approach to Sft. Peter's, the largest and most imposing church in the world." In the center of the plaza stands an Egyptian obelisk which was erected by the emperors Caius (Caligula) and Nero. It was one of the obelisks brought from Heliopolis, near Cairo, where its mate now stands. It has the following inscription on it in the Latin language, " To the divine Augustus, son of the divine Julius, and to the divine Tiberius, son of the divine Augustus." It is one solid piece of granite one hundred and thirty feet high. Two perpetual fountains, forty-two feet high, one on each side of the obelisk, play 68 TRAVELS IN EGYPT in the air, their waters falling in sheets round the basin of porphyry prepared to receive them. Reader, I confess my inability to describe in detail this wonderful building which stands upon the sight of Nero's circus, where St. Peter is said to have suffered martyrdom. That you may have a more correct idea of its colossal size, its grandeur and magnificence, its imposing appearance and cost, I have used in the fol- lowing pages the best authorities to be found, who endeavor to convey an idea of it by descriptions of its various parts, which the reader must put into one grand whole to appreciate. " Raised on three successive flights of marble steps, extending three hundred and eighty feet in length and towering to the elevation of one hundred and forty- eight feet, you see the majestic front of the church itself. This front is supported by a single row of Cor- inthian pillars and pilasters, and adorned with an attic, a balustrade and thirteen colossal statues. Far behind and above it rises the matchless dome. Two smaller cupolas, one on each side, add not a little to the majesty of the principal dome. " Five lofty portals open into the vestibule, which is four hundred and sixty-eight feet in length, sixty-six in height, and fifty in breadth, paved with variegated marble, covered with a gilt vault, adorned with pillars, pilasters, mosaic, and bas-reliefs, and terminated at both ends by equestrian statues, one of Constantine the Great, and the other of Charlemagne. " Over the outside entrance of the vestibule is a relief of Christ giving the keys to St. Peter. Inside the vestibule is Giotto's celebrated mosaic, representing our Lord sustaining Peter when he was about to sink . AND THE HOLY LAND. 69 whilst walking on the water of Galilee. The upper parts represent in relief our Savior and the Virgin, and below these Saints Peter and Paul. Below these again the martyrdom of Saints Peter and Paul." " Five portals give access to the edifice which faces east. "When you enter this church you enter the most extensive hall ever constructed by human art. It expands in magnificent perspective before you. Advanc- ing up the nave you admire the variegated marble under your feet and the splendor of the golden vault overhead, the lofty Corinthian pilasters with their bold entablature, the intermediate niches, with their statues and the arcades with the graceful figures that recline on the curves of their arches. " When you enter this grand hall you will look, wonder, and admire ; but your astonishment will be greater when you reach the foot of the altar, and standing in the center of the church you contemplate the four superb vistas that open around you. Then lift your eyes to the dome, at the prodigious height of four hundred and forty feet, extended like a firmament over your head and presenting in glowing mosaic the com- panies of the just, and the choirs of celestial spirits. Around the dome rise four other cupolas, small indeed, when compared with its stupendous magnitude, but of greater boldness when considered separately. Six more, three on either side, cover the different divisions of the aisles, and six more of greater dimensions canopy as many chapels. ^.11 these inferior or smaller domes, like the grand central dome itself, are lined with beau- tiful mosaics. Many of the masterpieces of painting, which once graced this edifice, have been removed and replaced by mosaics that retain all the tints and 70 TRAVELS IN EGYPT beauties of the originals unimpaired on a more solid and durable substance. The aisles and altars are adorned with numberless antique pillars that border the chapels all around and form a secondary order. The variegated walls are in many places ornamented with festoons, wreaths, crosses, and medallions repre- senting the effigies of the different pontiffs. Various monuments rise in different parts of the church of exquisite structure, and form a very conspicuous feature in the ornamentation of this grand te'mple. " Below the steps of the altar, and of course some distance from it, at the corners on four massive pedes- tals, four twisted pillars fifty feet in height rise and support an entablature which bears the canopy itself topped with a cross. The whole is ninety -five feet from the floor, pavement. This brazen edifice, for so it may be called, was constructed of bronze stripped from the dome of the Pantheon, and is so disposed as not to obstruct the view by concealing the chancel or net- work and veiling of the chair of St. Peter. This orna- ment is also of bronze, and consists of a group of four gigantic figures, representing the four principal doctors of the Greek and Latin churches, supporting the chair at an elevation of seventy feet. " Under the high altar of St. Peter is the ( reputed ) tomb of that apostle, the descent to which is in front where a large open space leaves room for a double flight of steps. The rails that surround this space above are adorned with one hundred and twelve cornu- copia which support as many silver lamps, kept burn- ing in honor of the apostle. Upon the pavement of the small area enclosed by the balustrade is a leaning statue of Pope Pius VI. by Cordova. The interior AND THE HOLY LAND. 71 dimensions of this church are as follows: Length, six hun- dred and thirteen feet ; height of nave, one hundred and fifty feet; breadth of nave in front, eighty-seven feet ; and at the back behind the tribune, seventy-eight feet ; length of transept inside, one hundred and fifty feet; from floor to top of dome, four hundred and thirty-five feet." Every available space of the interior of this immense church is filled with sculpture and paintings by the most celebrated masters of these arts. To the right as you walk down the immense hall we see an old bronze statue, doubtless an old pagan idol, seated in a chair which is called the statue of St. Peter, whose big toe is worn at least half off by being kissed by the devout Catholics who visit the church. I regard this old pagan statue or heathen god not only as an insult to the memory of brother Peter, but an insult to the intelli- gence of the 19th century; for on its repulsive counte- nance can be read the clearly defined features and expression which characterize the untutored heathen and barbarian, and brother Peter was neither. In this church they have a chair which it is claimed was the bishopric chair of St. Peter, whom Catholics declare was the first bishop of Rome. They claim that he was bishop of Rome for twenty-five years. Now, so far as the scriptures inform us, there is no reason to believe Peter ever was in Rome, unless we understand in the salutation 'The church that is at Babylon saluteth you, ' mentioned in the 13th verse of the closing chapter of his first Epistle, really to mean imperial Rome. The majority of early Christian writers agree, however, in the opinion that Peter came to Rome just before his death, and was there crucified- 72 TRAVELS IN EGYPT In the year 58 or 59 A. D. we hear of him traveling with his wife. He is not spoken of as being at Rome in 62, when Paul went there a prisoner, nor does Paul mention him as being there during the two years he was prisoner in that city. It is estimated that St. Peter's church cost sixty million dollars, and the colonnades semicircling the piazza before described cost near one million. The area covered by this church is eighteen thousand square yards, while that of the cathedral at Milan is ten thousand, St. Paul at London nine thousand three hundred and fifty, St. Sophia (Mohammedan mosques, Constantinople, eight thousand one hundred and fifty; and Cologne cathedral, seven thousand four hundred square yards. It costs thirty-five thousand dollars per annum to sweep and keep this church in decent order. St. Peter's church was consecrated by Pope Urban VIII. on the 18th of November, 1626, on the thirteen hundredth anniversary of the day which St. Sylvester is said to have consecrated the original church, founded by Constantino on the site of emperor Nero's circus, which was torn down to erect the present edifice. Now, reader, in the foregoing description of this far- famed cathedral, I trust I have impressed your mind with its magnitude and its imposing grandeur ; yet to realize this to its fullest extent it must be seen, studied, and compared to other buildings and objects, for it is only by comparison that its immensity and architec- tural beauty can be fully realized. Rome, as you know, is intensely Catholic, and has many, very many, mag- nificent, costly cathedrals, to some of which I will carry you before we leave the city, as many of them AND THE HOLY LA.ND. 73 are associated with events of which I mast speak and which can not fail to interest you. It is admitted that St. Peter's is the largest and costliest church edifice in the world. So we can say of the Vatican that it is the largest palace in the world. It is located near the anterior court of the old church of St. Peter's, which was torn down in 1506 A. D. to erect the present one, as before stated. The palace now possesses twenty courts and is said to comprise eleven thousand halls, chapels, saloons and private apartments. In my lectures I have stated the number of apartments in the Vatican to be eleven hundred, for so some authorities state it, but I find reliable author- ity for putting the number at eleven thousand. This seems almost incredible, yet facts are facts, and when we consider what power and wealth was for so long a time in the hands of the Pope of Rome, nothing seems incredible to be accomplished by time, patience, perse- verance and unlimited resources. This is the home of the popes, but by far the greater number of the apart- ments are occupied by collections of paintings and statuary, a comparatively small part of the building being set apart for the papal court. This building, hav- ing been added to by different architects in various eras, has no systematic design, but looks more like a large factory than a palace for the vice-gerents of God. The Vatican contains the largest as well as the most cele- brated works of art in the world ; and if the reader ever visits Rome I would advise him or her to spend all the time possible in visiting the galleries of the Vatican, for no pen or words can convey a correct idea of the magnificence and the wonderful works of 74 TRAVELS IN EGYPT art which are found in them, and which can be seen in no other galleries in the world. Reader, come and we will now visit one of the old buildings of ancient Rome and the best preserved one among them. In fact, it is the only ancient edifice at Rome which is still in perfect preservation as regards the walls and vaulting. I refer to the Pantheon, which is a large circular edifice originally designed by Agrippa to form the conclusion of his extensive thermae (warm baths) which were intended for public use only, and with which it was intimately connected. The ruins of the original building of which the Pantheon was a part may now be seen in its rear. It is one of the noblest and most perfect productions of that style of architecture specifically denominated " Roman " in existence. The interior is approached through a porch or portico one hundred and ten feet long and forty -four deep. The roof of this portico is supported by sixteen Corinthian columns forty-six feet high and five feet in diameter. The main building is one hundred and forty feet in diameter and one hundred and forty-two feet high. The walls are of hard burned brick twenty feet in thickness and were originally covered with marble and stucco. It was built by M. Agrippa 27 B. C., a relative of King Agrippa before whom Paul plead his own cause. The height and diameter of the dome are the same, being each one hundred and forty feet. The interior is lighted by a single aperture thirty feet in diameter in the center of the dome. The surface of the walls is broken by seven large niches in which were placed the statues of the gods. In 1609 the Pantheon was consecrated by Pope Boniface IV. as a Christian church under the name of St. Maria ad AND THE HOLY LAND. 75 Martyrs, and in commemoration of the event the festival of- All Saints was instituted ; first, on May 13th, but afterwards changed to the 1st of November. Victor Emanuel II lies buried in the second recess to the right of the high altar, and Kaphael in the first chapel on the left. The half of this building in which Victor Emanuel is buried belongs to Italy, and the other half to the Roman Catholic church. The remains of very many noted artists, both sculptors and painters, lie buried here. We next visit the Colosseum ; originally called the Amphitheater of Flavian, or the Flavian Amphitheater. This was not only the largest, but one of the most imposing structures of ancient Rome. It was com- pleted and dedicated by Titus, A. D. 80. It was built by captive Jews after the fall of Jerusalem when besieged by Vespasian and Titus. When perfect, the Colosseum was four stories high ; the first story, built on the Doric order of architecture, was thirty feet high ; the second, Ionic, thirty-eight feet ; the third, Corin- thian, thirty-eight feet ; the fourth, Corinthian, forty- four feet high. The long diameter is six hundred and fifty-eight feet, the shorter, five hundred and fifty- eight feet ; height, one hundred and fifty feet. This immense building was constructed of blocks of white concretionary limestone held together by iron clamps. Tufa and brick also entere'd into the inner works. The entire structure, immense as it was, was veneered inside and out with Parian marble. Although only about one-third of this gigantic structure now remains standing, the ruins are stupendously impressive. Notwithstanding that for a long period it was used for a stone quarry for obtaining material for other build- 76 TRAVELS IN EGYPT ings, still an architect of the last century estimated the value of the material still existing at one and a half million scudi, or, of our money, two and a half million dollars. For five hundred years this theater was the great resort of the inhabitants of ancient Rome. " Which on its public shows unpeopled Rome and held uncrowded nations in its womb." (Juvenal.) There were eighty arches of entrance, and it held one hundred thousand people, and could be emptied in ten minutes. Such was the order kept and the regulations observed, that there was no confusion. How different from the construction of the theaters and hotels of the present day, where thousands of people not unfre- quently lose their lives for want of ready means of escape from burning buildings. Surrounding the basement area or arena, as we would call it, at several places were constructed passages lead- ing out under the seats of the audience to caverns in which wild animals were kept and cared for. Let me show you here this long passage which has been opened. You see it is above the ground floor, and below this passage was a great drain which could be closed by floodgates. This was for letting off water after the naval fights. On the right of this drain, but at a lower level, were two of the dens for wild animals. They are about twenty-five, yards long and five yards wide. If you will notice, on the floor of these dens holes were mortised in the rock which were faced with bronze ; these were evidently sockets in which metal posts were set to which the animals were secured. Condemned men and early Christians were frequently devoured in the arena by these ferocious animals, for the amusement of the populace of Rome. The arena was AND THE HOLY LAND. 77 constructed with two floors. The upper one, which was covered with sand, was used for gladiatorial fights, and so arranged that it could be elevated by machinery above the heads of the spectators, and by a system of water- works water let in on the first floor or basement floor of the arena,in which naval fightsoccur. I do not mean that these gladiatorial fights or naval battles Were sham contests. On the contrary, let me say, for the benefit of young readers of these pages, that they VJQYQ fights to the death. We are informed that Commodus, who ascended the imperial throne A. D. 180, had an underground passage constructed through which the dead bodies were dragged, to clear the arena preparatory to other con- tests. When the Colosseum was completed and inaug- urated, gladiatorial combats were continued from day to day for one hundred days, during which five hun- dred wild animals and men were killed. These gladia- tors prided themselves upon their prowess in hand-to, hand and short sword combats, with each other and with wild animals. When with each other, if an oppo- nent was wounded and cut down, upon a certain g sign being given by the audience the victorious gladiator withdrew from the arena and left his fallen foe to his fate. If, however, no sign of mercy was shown he was pierced through with a sword or javlin, and his dead body removed from the arena, as above stated. It is.no wonder the Roman armies were regarded as invincible, when wje reflect that their young men were trained up to witness and engage in such pastimes of cruelty and bloodshed ; all the refining, elevating emotions and promptings of their better natures being smothered down and crushed out by the cultivation of the baser, more cruel and tyrannical passions which 78 TRAVELS IN EGYPT fitted them for war, treason, cruelty and oppression. Is there any age reported by historians in which the mere mention of its rulers condemn, as that recalled by the mention of Tiberius, Gaius, Claudius, Nero, Galba, Otho, and Yitelius, and which sank at last under the hideous tyranny of Domitian ? The Colosseum, when in perfect order, was such a massive, stupendous edifice, and being the pride and glory of the inhabitants as well as the symbol of the greatness of Rome, gave rise in the eighth century to a prophetic saying of the pilgrims : "While stands the Colosseum, Rome shall stand. "When falls the Colosseum, Rome shall fall, and when Rome falls with it shall fall the world." But the Colosseum has fallen, and Rome has fallen, but the world stands, and will continue to stand until God in his own good time shall send an angel or archangel to proclaim that time shall be no more. Byron calls the Colosseum " a noble wreck in ruinous perfection." To the southwest and near the Colosseum, between the Caelian and Palatine hills, spanning the triumphal way which here joined the sacred way, stands the tri- umphal arch of Constantino, one of the best preserved structures of the kind in Rome. This arch was erected in A. D. 311, when Constantine declared himself in favor of Christianity, and after his victory over Maxen- tius, near the little river Cremera, about nine miles from Rome. Maxentius lost the day after a bloody conflict, and in endeavoring to enter the city by the Milvian bridge was precipitated into the Tiber, where he perished. Constantine was received at Rome with acclamations, and became the first Christian emperor of Rome. This arch spans the Appian way, where it AND THE HOLY LAND. 79 leaves the city, and was dedicated by the people and senate of Rome to commemorate the victories of the first Christian emperor. To make this arch they removed reliefs from the arch of Trajan and built them into an attic which they erected upon the arch of Isis, re-dedicating the conglomeration as the arch of Con- stantine. By walking around and inspecting closely, the reliefs which refer to Trajan can be readily distinguished from those of Constantine, as they are representations of his victories over the Dacians. Over on the opposite side of the street from the Colosseum and a few hundred paces northeast of it we come to a cathedral called St. Pietro in Yincoli (St. Peter in Chains). This is not a large cathedral when compared to St. Peter's and some others in Rome, but it is handsomely decorated and contains some interesting works of art. On the right of the high altar is the famous statue of Moses by Michael Angelo. Two twists of his hair represent horns. Moses is represented by tradition or some writer as a "horny man," or that his flesh or muscle was hard like horn. The artist in this statue carries out the idea in a literal sense and makes his statue as above stated ; with this exception, it is a mag- nificent piece of work. In fact, it is regarded as Michael Angelo' s " masterpiece of sculpture." Here, it is said, are preserved the chains with which St. Peter was bound, hence the name of the church. Here in the confessional built by Pope Pius IX. are the tombs of the seven Maccabees. Here may be seen also some beautiful and celebrated paintings by the old masters. From the front of this church, by taking a narrow street leading to the left, we soon come toan entrance, a gate, on our left; this was the entrance to the Emperor N ero's 80 TRAVELS IN EGYPT golden house. Reader, let me here give you a short description of this celebrated house as handed down to us by historians, that you may have a more correct idea of the fabulous wealth and extravagance of the ancient Romans. " Suetonius, in his ' Life of Nero,' says Nero com- pleted his palace by continuing it from the Palatine to the Esquiline hills, calling the building at first only ' the house of passage ' but afterwards, when it had been destroyed by fire and restored again, he gave it the name of his ' golden house.' Of its dimensions and furniture, it may be sufficient to say this much : the porch was so high that there stood in it a colossal statue of himself one hundred and twenty feet in height, and the space included in it was so ample that it had triple porticoes a mile in length. Within the area enclosed was a lake surrounded with buildings, which had the appearance of a city. Within this area also were wheat-fields, vineyards, -pastures and woods containing a vast number of animals of various kinds, both wild and tame. In other parts it was entirely overlaid with gold and adorned with jewels and mother- of-pearl. The supper-rooms were vaulted, and com- partments of the ceiling inlaid with ivory were made to revolve and scatter flowers, while they contained pipes which shed perfumes upon the guests. The chief banqueting room was circular and revolved perpetually night and day, in imitation of the motion of the celes- tial bodies." Upon the dedication of this magnificent house Nero said in approval of it "that he had now a dwelling fit for a man to live in." Nothing now remains of this thing of beauty and folly except a small part of the original pavement. AND THE HOLY LAND. 81 Reader, we will now visit the church or cathedral of St. Giovanni in Laterano, "the mother and head of the cathedral churches of the city and of the world." This church was founded by Constantine, and takes the name of Lateran, from its occupying the site of the palace of Plautus Lateranus, the senator who suffered under Nero." This was the residence of the popes from the time of Constantine down to the migration to Avignon, a small city in France where Clement V. took up his abode in 1309, and where the popes continued their residences until 1377, when Gregory XI. returned to Rome. The old palace was much larger than the present, and included the sanctum sanctorum chapel. After a great fire in 1308 it lay in ruins, but in 1586 these were removed and the new palace erected by order of Sextus V. A part of this palace was set apart for the heathen and Christian antiquities which could not be put in the Vatican or the Captoline museum for \l want of space. Here may be seen many beautiful works of art, both in sculpture and painting. But it would hardly pay the visitor to leave the Vatican or Capitol museum to visit it. This splendid church con- tains many chapels with their altars and is decorated with many celebrated paintings, statues, and some fine mosaics, the Gothic tabernacle above the high altar containing the sculptured heads of St. Paul and John. This is a fine piece of workmanship of the 14th cen- tury. In a building near this church we see the Scala sancta (a stairway composed of twenty-eight marble steps), said to have been brought from Jerusalem where it formed the stairway to Pilate's house, by St. Helena, the mother of Constantine. The Catholics tell you " by ascending these twenty-eight steps on your knees. 82 TRAVELS IN EGYPT saying a prayer while on each step, a thousand years indulgence or exeuvption from purgatory is secured to those who believe it. Unfortunately, being one of the incredulous, I could not avail myself of this liberal offer. But many, yea, thousands upon thousands do believe it, for the steps were crowded from bottom to top with the "credulous," while I remained there a looker-on. I found it as Dickens said : " The sight was ridiculous in the absurd incidents inseparable from it. To see one man with an umbrella unlawfully hoist himself with it from stair to stair, and a demure old lady of fifty-five looking back every now and then to assure herself that her legs were properly disposed." Martin Luther had reached about halfway up the ascent of this stairway when he suddenly stood up, turned about and walked down. He said that a voice had whispered to him " The just shall live by faith." At the top of the stairway is the " sancta sanc- torum," a room which is only open to his Holiness the Pope, who alone can officiate, and to the canons of the Lateran for adoration on Palm Sunday. As I came out of this church I saw posted on one of the stone columns of the door a notice of indulgences for sale within. So many years indulgence for such and such prices. Now, if I believed in the doctrine of purgatory as do the Catholics, and did I further believe that exemption from the inconveniences and unpleasant- ness of a habitation in that unhealthy region they call purgatory could be purchased so easily from the boss agent, I would make a strong effort to take a little money with me when I left this world to see if I could not drive a better bargain with his Satanic Majesty or AND THE HOLT LAND. 83 whosoever has a title to that domain, than with his agents here. Here on a certain occasion, that is, on the feast of the Assumption, the sacred picture " Acheirotopeton " (this long unpronounceable word meaning, "made without hands") is exposed to view. "The outline of this picture is said to have been drawn by St. Luke, and before he commenced applying the coloring or filling it in it was found finished by invisible hands." Now, reader, if you make up your mind to believe all the miraculous stories which were told me and which I must tell you, well and good ; but if, on the other hand, you prove to be one of the incredulous or skepti- cal, as I confess I was, you must take them for what they are worth and deplore the ignorance, superstition, and idolatry which shroud and darken the intellectual and moral being of this priest-ridden people. They are made to believe that they are not capacitated to read and understand the plain simple truths of the Bible, consequently are not allowed to read it for them- selves, but must take it second-hand. They must believe, teach, and practice what a designing priest- hood tells them it teaches, and be content therewith. I am sure if I could believe that by going up twenty- eight or even one hundred and twenty-eight stone stairsteps on my knees I could procure exemption from purgatory or any other physical suffering for a period of one thousand years, or even half that time, I would start at once and go back to Home. I would willingly undergo another five or ten days of seasickness, and risk the peril of storms at sea, and be found climbing those steps as soon as I reached the city. But, reader, I propose to believe or disbelieve as I choose the 84 TRAVELS IN EGYPT wonderful stories told me in regard to many things and places shown me while traveling through these countries ; and I allow you and every other reader of this book the same privilege. I only give them to you or tell them to you as they were told to me. It will teach you what one hundred and seventy millions of human beings say, and what they believe, and what their leaders or spiritual advisers (priests) teach them to be sacred truths. Near the Lateran church is a piazza or open square, in the center of which is an obelisk of red granite^ originally erected in front of the temple of the sun at Thebes, in upper Egypt, by King Thothmosis III., B. C. 1500. It was brought from Thebes by Constantino in 357 and was first erected at the circus Maximus. In 1587 it was found there in three pieces, and in 1588 was erected oji its present site. This is the largest obelisk known, being one hundred and four feet in height, or with the pedestal one hundred and fifty-three feet, and weighing about six hundred tons. From this plaza we can enter the baptistry ; this was for a long time the only baptistry in Rome. Tradition says Con- stantine was baptized here in 324. Other baptisteries and oratories and other buildings now surround the plaza. I now ask you to go with me to a favorite spot of Shell's, of which he wrote, " Among the flowering glades and thickets of odoriferous blossoming trees which are extended in ever winding labyrinths upon its immense platforms and dizzy arches suspended in air." So Shelley wrote and so it was when he wrote ; but, alas ! how changed. " From the beautiful grounds which once surrounded the public baths of Caracalla, AND THE HOLY LAND. 85 flowering trees have been plucked up, and even the wild flowers and verdure have been scraped from the walls, now to a great extent in ruins, bringing to light, it is true, the beautiful mosaic pavements, and enabling the visitor to form a more correct idea of the magnitude and beauty of this once magnificent and wonderful edifice. These glorious ruins standing intact before us display in the clearest and most complete manner the skeleton of this once wonderful structure." These public baths were begun by the Emperor Caracalla, a cruel, heart- less despot whom the historian Dio Cassius informs us had his own brother Geta assassinated, not even sparing his brother's children, in order to become sole Emperor of Rome. He was made Emperor A. D. 211, and began the building of the baths called after him in 212. The bath-rooms covered an area seventeen hun- dred and twenty feet in length, and three hundred and seventy-five feet in width. In the center was a large rotunda capable of accommodating with a swimming bath sixteen hundred persons at a time. This large room was paved with mosaic and is pretty even now. Around and connecting with the rotunda was a series of chambers in which the bathers were oiled, sham- pooed, etc. Beyond these was a grand hall enclosed with pillars and a portico, in which were performed the athletic exercises. Adjoining this were the ladies bath-rooms. On one side of the athletic hall was a fine art gallery. In another direction we find another large warm bath-room, and adjoining this at the cor- ners, four hot bath-rooms. In the sweating room the hot air was let in underneath a false floor through pip- ing. The mosaic floor in the rotunda or swimming room has sunk down considerably, but with this exception 86 TRAVELS IN EGYPT the old ruins are in a fairly good state of preservation and corn pares throughout with the partslhavedescribed. This immense thermae was surrounded by pleasure grounds, gardens of rich foilage, flowers, porticoes, summer houses, etc. ; inclosing an area of one hundred and forty thousand square yards, or nearly a mile square. The ruins of some of these grand colossal old structures look more like the works of nature than the works of man, and are indices of what proud old Home was in the days of her glory and renown. Adjacent to the old Roman forum, which was near the middle of the city, a prison was built (Livy says) by Ancus Martius seven hundred and fifty years before Christ, " in order," he says, " to suppress by terror the boldness which the vicious assumed from hence, and which gained ground continually." Servius Tullius added a lower cell called Tullianum, which was nineteen feet long, nine feet wide, and six and a half feet in height. Prisoners who were to be starved to death or to be strangled were " cast into prison " by being thrust down into the lower prison through an aperture or central hole in the floor from the prison above. These prisons, for they were increased until they were many in number, were hewn in the solid rock which underlies the city, as we dig or hew out cisterns. I will now take the reader to one of these, which we will find under the chapel of the Crucifixion, in the church of St. Griuseppe-dei-Falegnami, for the church is built partly over the prison. From the sacristy a flight o modern stone steps leads down into the lower cell. This is the prison in which we are told Sts. Peter and Paul were chained while prisoners in Rome. Near the top of the stairway you see an indentation in the AND THE HOLY LAND. 87 tufa stone carefully guarded by iron bars, which they say was caused by the jailor beating Peter's face against the rock. Poor Peter, he must have had a hard face indeed, as bard as he is represented as having in the pagan god, called his statue, of which I have spoken. In the center of this cell there is a spring or shallow well. The Roman Catholic tradition is that this fount- ain miraculously sprung up here when Saints Peter and Paul had converted their jailors, in order that they mi-ffht have water with which to baptize them. They also show you the stone pillar to which they are said to have been chained. On one side of this prison, which is a square room hewn in the rock, is a closed doorway which evidently communicated with another prison. Communicating with these prisons is an under- ground passage leading into the Cloaca Maxima (large sewer), through which the bodies of the dead prisoners were dragged to be washed into the Tiber. We will now go out on the Appian way, passing through the central opening under the arch of Con- stantine, six miles to the church of St. Sebastian. St. Sebastian was one of the early Christian martyrs. It is said that he secluded himself in a cloister, having only a small window through which he was fed by his friends, with no furniture or article of any kind in the room except a wooden cross. After two years of seclusion, penance and prayers, it is said the " cross spoke to him." Hence he was canonized by the Roman Catholic church. St. Sebastian was martyred by being shot to death by archers. The church, six miles from Rome on the Appian way, was built to his honor and memory, where his remains are interred. Under the altar of this church you are shown a slab of 88 TRAVELS IN. EGYPT stone with foot-prints chiseled into the stone the depth of half an inch. "We are told St. Peter, becoming alarmed at the way things were going in Rome, deter- mined to leave there and escaped from the city at night. When he had reached this point on his journey he was met by the Savior, and commanded to return to Rome and remain with Paul. It is said these foot-prints were made by the Savior while standing in front of Peter in the Appian way. The tracks shown in the slab of stone, which is placed securely in a glass case beneath the altar, looks as if the pattern given to the stone mason was that of the big foot of a negro or of an Italian priest. Had I taken you to the church of St. Januarius while at Naples you would have been shown, for a consideration, some of the blood of the martyr, which they say miraculously liquefies three times a year; that is, on the first Sunday in May, September 19th, and December 16th, and for several successive days. The time required for the liquefaction of the blood, which is kept in a vial, depends upon the readiness to contribute and the amount of money contributed by the excited multitudes which always fill the commo- dious church to overflowing on these occasions. The poor ignorant dupes are made to believe it a veritable miracle. Here, too, they show you the skeleton of a child who I suppose was three or four months old. They say it was asked " How many is God ? " and the little innocent held up three fingers, thereby indicating that God is triune, for which it was 'martyred. Had St. Januarius known how much money his blood would be the means of bringing his church the presumption is he would have died better satisfied. AND THE HOLY LAND. CHAPTER V. I "WAS told that there were as many as three hundred or three hundred and fifty Roman Catholic churches in the city of Rome, a city of three hundred and fifty thousand inhabitants. These churches cost from half a million to several million of dollars each. The com- mon people of Italy are extremely poor, and for the most part very illiterate. The landscape scenery of Italy is picturesque and beautiful. The soil is very productive, but the peninsula is too small to give employment to its overcrowded popu- lation, hence the offscouring of this country is being poured into America and other new countries. When Paul came to Rome, he came from Melita (Malta) in an Alexandrian ship bearing an ensign of "Castor and Pollux," and landed at Puteoli, where he found some brethren who desired him to remain for a few days with them. It is not clear, however, whether he tarried with them or not. He says : " And from thence when the brethren heard of us they came to meet us as far as the Appii Forum." Forum Appii was a town of Volsci, beyond Ariccia, forty -three miles from Rome. It is mentioned by Horace in describing his journey to Brindisi as, " stuifed with sailors and surly landlords." It was there that the canal passed through to the Pontine marshes. "Suetonius" tells us that " Claudius Drusus erected a statue of himself wearing a crown, at Appii Forum." From the Appii Forum it is thirty -four miles to the three taverns or three shops. It was a "mutatio" or halting place. 90 TRAVELS IN EGYPT which was nine miles from Rome. The Emperor Alex- ander Severus was buried here. The railway from Rome toBrindusium crosses the old Appian way a mile further on, that is, ten miles from the city. It will be observed from the above that some of Paul's brethren went as far as forty-three miles out on the Appian way to meet him, and others nine miles, that is, to the Tres TabernaB ( three taverns ). This Appian way was the great southern road from Rome. It led through Capua to Brindusium, now called Brindisi, which, in the old days, as now, was the port for the East. The railroad from Rome to Brindisi runs over very nearly the same ground that this old road did. It was first made a regular roadway 312 B. C. Some writers say, how- ever, that there was a roadway going as far as Capua before Appius Claudius built the Appian way. It was against the law for the Romans to bury their dead within the city walls, and when the privilege was granted in any individual case it was regarded as a great honor. It was their custom, therefore, to bury their dead on either side of the principal roads leading from the city. Cicero says : " When thou hast gone out of the Capua gate and beholdest the sepulchers of the Calatini, of the Scipios, of the Servilii and of the Metelli, canst thou deem the buried inmates wretched ? " The Appian way was lined with temples, villas and tombs for miles out of the city on both sides. St. Paul came to Rome in 62 A. D. and on the 9th of June, 64, just two years, or within a few days of that time, was crucified with Peter. At least the Cath- olics claim that Peter was crucified at the same time and place. AND THE HOLY LAND! 91 In the history of the Emperor Nero we learn that in the tenth year of his reign, A. D. 64, Rome was almost wholly destroyed by fire. Of the fourteen dis- tricts into which the city was divided, four only remained entire. The fire originated at that part of the circus which was contiguous to the Palatine and Coelian hills, and raged with the greatest fury for six days and seven nights, and after it was thought to have been extinguished it burst forth again and continued for three days longer. Nero appears to have acted on this occasion with the greatest liberality and kindness. The city was supplied with provisions at a very moder- ate price, and the imperial gardens were thrown open to the sufferers and buildings erected for their acccom- modation. But these acts of humanity and benevo- lence were insufficient to screen him from the popular suspicion. It was generally believed that he had set fire to the city himself and some one reported that he had ascended to the top of a high tower in order to witness the conflagration, where he amused himself by singing the " Destruction of Troy. " Nero's guilt, indeed, is expressly asserted by Suetonius and Dio Cassius. Taci- tus, however, says he was -not able to determine the truth of the accusation. In order, however, to remove the suspicion of the people, Nero spread a report that the Christians were the authors of the fire, and numbers of them accordingly were seized and put to death; their execution serving as an amusement for the people. Now, reader, listen to the cruelty of this brute Nero who had his brother assassinated in his mother's arms, and afterwards consented to his mother's death. Some of these Christians were covered with skins of 92 * TRA.VELS IN EGYPT wild beasts and torn to pieces by dogs, others were crucified, and some were smeared with pitch and other combustible materials and burned in the imperial gardens in the night. " Whence," says "the historian, " pity arose for the guilty though they deserved the severest punishment, since they were put to death not for the public good, but to gratify the cruelty of a single man." I do not stop here to argue the case of Nero's guilt or innocence. For, whether guilty or not guilty of the accusation, his conduct in charging others with a crime of which they were certainly innocent and hav- ing them put to a cruel, shameful death, simply to screen himself from suspicion, showed a want of man- hood and a baseness in keeping with his whole life. This circumstance in all probability led to the Apostle Paul's condemnation and crucifixion. For prior to this it is evident that from an expression in his letter to Philemon where he says, " but withal prepare me also a lodging, for I trust that through your prayers I shall be given unto you," that he expected to be acquitted, knowing full well that as a Roman subject he had done nothing worthy of death. Some who have searched and brought all the light possible to bear upon this event have come to the conclusion that St. Paul had stood his trial before Nero and had been acquitted of the matters whereof he was accused by the Jews, and that he fell an early victim to the Neronean per- secution inaugurated immediately after the burning of Rome. The burning of Rome has connected the name of this emperor with Christianity for all time to come. This event precipitated the era of martyrdom. Whether AND THE HOLY LAND. 93 Nero was guilty of causing that great conflagration or not, it is certain he was suspected of it by his contem- poraries and accused of it by the excited, impoverished, houseless and desperate multitude. " Historians agree that his head had for years been full of the images of Haming cities," that he used to say that Priam was to be congratulated on having seen the ruins of Troy. It is further said of him that just before his flight from the city, he meditated setting fire to Rome again. It was said " that when some one had told him how Gaius used to quote the phrase of Euripides, " When I am dead sink the whole earth in flames," he replied, " Nay, but while I live." It seems that Rome, like all oriental cities at that day, had been built up with narrow, crooked streets, and it was said that Nero wished to destroy it that he might have it rebuilt with wider and straighter streets and more magnificent houses, that he might claim the privilege of changing its name from Rome to Neropolis (whether this be true or not I know not). Is it not strange to what depths of crime and infamy men's ambition will sometimes lead them ? A few miles out of the city on the Appian way we visited one of fifty or more catacombs which surround the city. These singular burying passages and cham- bers are usually built of tufa. They consist of long, narrow underground galleries cut with moderate regu- larity, some three feet in width, straight down into the earth. The dead are buried in vaults cut in the sides of the wall. These galleries are occasionally widened out into chambers, which are used for family burial places. These chambers belong to certain families, and here we generally find an altar where religious services are held "for the dead." The corridors running from 94: TRAVELS IN EGYPT chamber to chamber are used for the burial of the poor. When the sides of the corridor had been tilled in with the bodies of the dead, it is cut deeper and the sides again filled and then again sunk deeper and so on until many of. them reach a depth of thirty or forty feet. Others are cut at right angles to these, making a perfect checkerboard of corridors and chambers far down in the bowels of the earth ; the roofs of these corridors and chambers being left far enough below the surface of the earth to be self-supporting. I saw many bible scenes rudely painted and frescoed on the walls of these corridors, and on the slabs of stone with which the graves or lengthwise receptacles for the bodies had been closed. After permission was granted to chris- tians to bury their dead in their churches, very many bodies were removed from the catacombs and trans- ferred to the churches. In making this transfer, the Catholics claim in many instances miraculous preserva- tion of bodies from decay and decomposition, and other miraculous interventions of providence in connection with the dead, especially the martyred Christians. To go down thirty or forty feet into the earth, and wander along these narrow passages, lined on both sides with the remains of the long past dead, the pale flickering light of a few tapers falling here and there on ghastly skeletons, make one realize that he is walking the streets of what in all reality is a " city of the dead." These singular cities of the dead are entered by a long flight of stone steps which leads you to the bottom of these deep galleries, where the remains of thousands of silent dead sleep in their lonely, gloomy cells, until called forth on the great day of the resurrection. These catacombs began to be formed at the beginning AND THE HOLY LAND. 95 of the third century, and it is said that they were used as places of refuge by the Christians during the inhuman persecutions through which they passed in the early days of Christianity. We will now visit the cemetery and church of the Capuchins, an order of monks. But if you are afraid of dead men's bones, I advise you not to go, as you will see enough bones here to supply a button factory for a decade of years. Doctors are not afraid of dead men's bones ; therefore, I did not hes- itate to make a visit to this curious monastery. The most interesting part, the cemetery, is beneath the church and entirely above ground, and lighted by a row of iron-grated windows without glass. A corridor runs along beside these windows and gives access to three or four vaulted recesses or chapels of considerable breadth and height, the floors of which are consecrated earth brought from Jerusalem. " When one of this order of monks dies, it has been their custom from time immemorial to take the longest buried skeleton out of the oldest grave and lay the newest slumberer therein." The brotherhood regard it a precious privilege to be allowed to rest after death in this holy ground ; thus each of the good friars in turn enjoy the luxury of a consecrated bed. This is attended, however, with one serious drawback, that is, he may have to get up long before daybreak to give his bed to some other fellow." The arrangement of the unearthed skeletons strikes the visitor with peculiar interest and astonishment. " The arched and vaulted walls of the burial recesses or rooms are supported by large pillars and pilasters made of the thigh and skulls of these prematurely resurrected skeletons. In fact, the entire structure has the appearance of being made 96 TRAVELS IN EGYPT of bones. The knobs and embossed ornaments of this strange architecture are represented by the vertibrae of the spine, and the more delicate artistic decorations by the small bones of the hands,\vrists and ankles." While to an ordinary visitor these grotesque rooms look ugly and to a degree repulsive to an old physician, how- ever, they are not without interest, as they excite in him an admiration for the ingenuity shown, and the artistic success accomplished in this queer way. On some of the skulls we see inscriptions setting forth the monks to whom they belong, when and where they died, etc. The greater number of the skulls are bare, but you see some with patches of skin and hair on them, and some the entire skin and hair has withstood the "moulding influence of time and earth damps." On these the skin is yellow, dry and parched, which makes the owner look hideously repulsive. In the side walls of this curious place are niches in which are placed skeletons of monks, some standing, others sit- ting, dressed in the brown habits they wore in life with hoods on their heads. " One reverent father has his huge mouth wide open, and looks as if he had died in the midst of a tremendous howl which he may have expected to reverberate and re-echo through vast eternity." As a general thing, however, these fleshless, frocked, and hooded reverend paters seemed to take a more cheerful view of the. situation, and grinned with " ghastly smiles " at the visitor as though it was all a joke. I am glad they are able to look upon this novel procedure as they seem to do, for I am sure if they are satisfied others ought not to complain. The hungry thousands around them lose nothing by their continued AND THE HOLY LAND. 97 show of existence. Their angular, hollow, bare-boned frames show that they are not consumers at least. Perhaps records have been kept and preserved, and the Capuchin monks we find here may know just how many dead comrades have contributed their skeletons, and through just how many years they have been thus liberal to build up these " great arches of mortality " it should be interesting to know. But I guess it is one of the things they do not make public, and we shall never know. I would like to know, how- ever, all the same, but as I don't belong to the order and have no -aspirations to have the framework or bony parts of my body dressed up like death with a night- gown and cap, to be looked at and commented on by the curious, I suppose it is one of the many things I shall die ignorant of. Before leaving Rome I ask the reader to go with me to the church of St. Paul, or the chapel of Sts. Peter and Paul. A relief over the door represents these two c.postles taking leave of each other. The superscription says : " In this place Sts. Peter and Paul separated on their way to martyrdom. And Paul said to Peter. ' Peace be with thee, foundation of the church, shepherd of the flock of Christ.' And Peter said to Paul, ' Go in peace, preacher of good tidings, and guide of the salvation of the just.' ' " The first church built by Constantine to commemo- rate the martyrdom of St. Paul was destroyed by fire July 15, 1823. Its restoration was immediately com- menced and it was reopened in 1854 by Pio Nono." It is one of the finest churches in Rome. You can not help being charmed with its beauty. " It is one vast marble hall, three hundred and ninety-six feet long and 98 TKAVELS IN EGYPT two hundred and twenty feet wide and one hundred in height. The plan and dimensions of the present building are about the same as the original. Eighty corinthian columns forming the nave are reflected in the marble pavement. A grand triumphal arch separates the nave from the transept." On either side are statues of Sts. Peter and Paul. Around the church above the pillars are portraits of the popes in mosaic. The altar canopy is supported by four magnificent alabaster columns given the church by Mahomet Ali, Pasha of Egypt. The base of the pillars supporting the altar canopy, and the altars at each end of the transept, are malachite given the church by the Czar of Russia. The front of the church, which is toward the Tiber, was uncovered but a short time before I saw it. The front is of beau- tiful mosaic, which has taken thirteen years to complete, and is said to be the finest production of the Vatican manufactory. The mosaic in the gable represents various scriptural scenes. A rock occupies the center, from which flow the four rivers of the Apocalypse. On the summit of the rock is the lamb supporting the cross. The cities of Jerusalem and Bethlehem are on each side of the rock, whilst flocks of sheep are seen between palm trees, said to be symbolic of the apostolic college. Below these Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel typify the Old Testament. The whole triangle of the gable is beautifully bordered with the same mosaic work representing fruit, flowers, foliage, etc. Reader, does the wealth bestowed upon these cathedrals, their magnificence and splendor, seem to you as it did to ma to give an air of respectability to the superstitious, idolatrous, ritualistic worship conducted within them? AND THE HOLY LAND. 99 " Prudentius," who saw the original church in its glory, described it thus : " Imperial splendor all the roof adorns, Whose vaults a monarch built to God, and graced With golden pomp, the vast circumference. Willi gold the beams lie covered, that within The light might circulate the beams of morn. Beneath the glittering ceiling pillars stood Of Parian stone, in fourfold ranks disposed; Each curving arch with glass of various dye Was decked. So shines with flowers the painted mead In spring's prolific day." This description applies with equal truth and precis- ion to the present grand and beautiful building. You had as well be singing psalms to a dead horse as to preach Protestantism to these Catholics. The Catholics are far more successful in making proselytes from the ranks of Protestantism than we Protestants are in making proselytes from their ranks. And why ? The reason of this is obvious. First, they claim their system of religion to be " Christianity," and it is not often that you can persuade men to forsake one Chris- tianity for another. The second reason I give r is, that Pro- testants furnish them the material out of which to make Catholics by patronizing their institutions. "We give them control of our children and they sow the seeds of their ritualistic system of religion in their young, vig- orous, fertile brains which grow with their growth and in due time brings forth an abundant harvest. When I hear a Protestant religionist censuring or abusing the Catholics, and at the same time contributing his means to assist them in building up their institutions, if not directly patronizing them, it reminds me of the poor inebriate cursing the whisky that makes him drunk. I was in Rome during Easter week. These immense cathedrals were crowded day and night. At the 100 TRAVELS IN EGYPT request of old brother Taylor, a Baptist missionary, from whose church we were returning one night, I and one of the ladies of our company went into one of the three or four hundred Catholic churches which adorn that city. The crowd and jam was so great that we were glad to get out alive. Our brother Taylor whom, I am informed, the Baptists have kept in that Catholic city for the past fifteen years, has a little mission church there. I heard the then pastor of the church, a brother Eachetto, preach a sermon in Italian to a very small congregation, including the families of brothers Taylor and Eachetto ; they had a membership of twen- ty-two. I make no comment on these facts. They are facts as I learned them, and they speak for them- selves. The Catholics well know how hard it is to remove first impressions, consequently they rear their children in the bosom of the church, and their religious teaching and training becomes a part of their very being, so thoroughly interwoven with their education in all other respects which go to make up their individ- uality, that it would be like tearing a tree up by its roots to tear out these fixed principles and supplant them by others. Then, again, to a large class of mankind a ritualistic religion seems to be more acceptable than a spiritual religion which induces to purity of life and conduct. The anarchist who believes and is taught that for a few shillings his sins, even to murder, can be forgiven by one who claims that this power has been transmit- ted to him, is not likely to exchange his religion for a religion that says, " Thou shaJt not kill. " I for one believe these things are all in the hands of a good and wise God who in the spiritual and in the physical AND THE HOLY LAND. 101 world doetli all things according to Lis own wise purposes. Header, I have not taken you to Palatine hill, the place where the palaces of the imperial Cassars were erected. The place where Romulus founded the city, around which he built a wall. To do so would extend this part of my subject to too great length, and it would be uninteresting unless you could see for your- self the various objects and localities pointed out. The same may be said of the old Roman forum which has been excavated, exposing many interesting locali- ties. I must call your attention to the grand pillar erected in the forum of Trajan, in commemoration of the Emperor's conquest of Dacia. Trajan's column is constructed entirely of marble, the shaft of which is eighty-seven feet high ; if we include the pedestal, it is one hundred and forty feet high. The shaft is eleven feet in diameter below and ten at the top. "When first erected it was surmounted with a statue of the Emperor. Around the column runs a spiral band three feet wide and six hundred feet long, covered with reliefs of scenes from Trajan's war with the Dacians. Comprising, besides animals, machines, etc., upwards of / twenty-five hundred human figures from two to two and a half feet in height. In the interior of the col- umn is a staircase of one hundred and eighty-four steps ascending to the top. The height of this splendid col- umn at the same time indicates how much of the Quiri- nal and Capitoline hills had to be leveled or cut down in order to make room for the Basilica Ulpia which was erected in the forum, and on the north side of which this pillar stood. It is related of this emperor that when he endeav- 102 TRAVELS IN EGYPT ored to buy the property on the summits of the Qui- rinal and Capitoline hjills with a view of having their hills leveled down, that the owners, like the peo- ple of our country, when their lands are wanted for railroads or other public purposes, valued their prop- erty so highly that he declined purchasing, and set laborers at work and had the earth removed in baskets until their houses were being undermined to such an extent that they concluded to dispose of them at rea- sonable rates. An emperor of Rome could do this in Rome at that time, but a railroad corporation could not do it in America at any time. This is one of the ten thousand differences between a monarchial and a republican form of government. In the excavated forum the foundation of the four rows of columns which ornamented the Ulpia church may be seen. Trajan lies buried beneath this grand pillar which was named in his honor. I looked with intense interest on the locality where the centurion Virginius is said to have plunged his knife into the heart of his daughter Vir- ginia, saying : " This is the only way left, my child, to keep thee free and unstained/' Then turning to the decemvir Appius Claudius, holding up the knife drip- ping with the heart's blood of his own daughter, exclaimed : " On thee and on thy head be the curse of this innocent blood." This historical event is too well- known to repeat in full. Suffice it to say that this doting father plunged the dagger to the heart of his child and laid her a corpse at his feet, rather than to see her sacrificed to the brutal passions of a superior Roman official to be made his slave and concubine. All honor to such a father. Many other ancient monuments are . to be seen in AND THE HOLY LAND. 103 this old city, but time forbids our visiting them. I have shown you such as are most interesting to the vis- itor. It is five hundred miles from Rome to Brindisi. This distance we travel now by rajl, changing cars at Capua. These cars are not constructed like the cars iji our country, nor are they as comfortable. They are divided into what they call carriages by partitions running across the cars. Each carriage seats from eight to ten passengers, who sit facing each other, the seats being arranged like the seats in our ordinary road carriages. The car doors open on the sides of the car, one on each side of the carriage. When a train leaves a depot the doors of the carriage are bolted on the out- side and the passengers compelled to remain seated until the next depot is reached. The signal for a train to pull out from a depot is given by an official stationed at the depot ringing an old croupy bell. Their eating stations are poorly provided with servants, and a traveler unacquainted with the language of the people through whose country he may be passing can not afford at these stations to stand back or sit still and wait until he can by signs and otherwise make himself understood. On the contrary he will have to pitch in and help himself to whatever he wants and as much of it as he thinks he can devour. It matters not if the proprietor demurs, shakes his head, stamps his foot and gesticulates wildly. He may be giving utterance to blessings or curses, and if you say hard things back it is only an offset. Neither of you can understand what the other says. I found it quite a comfort while traveling in strange lands to be able to say saucy things 104 TRAVELS IN EGYPT to people and run no risk of being whipped for my impertinence. That part of Italy lying between the Apennine mountains and the Adriatic sea is a lovely country. The railroad runs along near the Adriatic, the sea being frequently in sight. From the mountains to the sea this vast plain, comprising thousands of acres of fertile valley land, is filled with olive groves, vine3 T ards and orchards of pomegranate, fig, almonds, etc. Scattered over the olive groves are rock houses shaped like hay stacks, in which are olive presses for pressing the oil out of the ripe fruit. Many of the olive trees in these groves are a thousand or more years old. The hearts of many of them have rotted out, leaving the shaft or body of the tree nothing but a large shell. To strengthen them, the farmers have built rock walls around the trunks, and stone columns but a little dis- tance from the roots of the trees to support the larger and heaver branches. Grasses or small grain can be grown in the olive groves without injury to the trees and without materially lessening the yield of grain, as the olive trees are pruned closely annually and the area of shaded ground materially lessened thereby. The prunings of all fruit trees are taken special care of and burned into charcoal, to be used in their cooking stoves. The farm-houses in Italy are generally built of stone two stories in height and covered with tiling. You see a variety of grape here, which is pruned down annually to within ten or twelve inches of the ground. This is one of the most desirable countries to be found, but overpopulation, bad government, a large standing army, and Romanism keep the masses in the lowest depths of poverty and ignorance. AND THE HOLY LAND. 105 Brindisi is a town or city of forty thousand inhabit- ants. It is located on the best harbor on the Italian coast. Large vessels can come up alongside the wharf and load by means of staging, as they do at our wharves. When I was in Brindisi, large quantities of olive oil and wine were being exported. The new crop of almonds was retailing at from twenty to twenty-five cents per bushel, and other fruits at proportionate prices. It is here as it has been ever since we landed in Italy, we are besieged by a horde of beggars. Here the old Appian way terminated, and just out of the city may be seen the old fortifications which guarded this entrance into Italy. From Brindisi to the island of Corfu, in the Ionian sea, is twenty-four hours run. Corfu is a lovely island, with a population of seventy-five thousand ; although the island is only seventy-five miles in cir- cumference. The little city of the same name is built from the water's edge up the slopes of the hills, and spreads over considerable space. Many of its residences in the suburbs of the city are surrounded by orchards and gardens of orange, lemon, and other tropical fruits. The little picturesque city of Corfu, which we had the pleasure of riding over, has a population of some fifteen or twenty thousand. The inhabitants, at least a large proportion of them, seem to be very poor. Fruits grown on this island are of superior quality and flavor, and so abundant that to the visitor they appear remark- ably cheap. Fifteen hours run, after leaving this beauti- ful fruit-producing island, sitting like a little queen in the midst of its watery realm, brought us to old Patras in southern Greece, situated on the coast of the gulf of Patras, an old, quaint city, with a population of forty 106 TRAVELS IN EGYPT thousand. Patras is a manufacturing city, everything being made by hand ; that is, they use no machinery. The streets are narrow, crooked and filthy and without sidewalks. One of the first things we noticed is that the pride, which has always characterized this people, clings to them, even in extreme poverty, for, although poverty shows his grim face in the streets, in the houses and in the workshops, yet we find no beggars. Men, women, and children are poorly clad, and have a care- worn expression. The women were dressed in faded, tattered gowns, and the men in old clothes of various make-ups. The greater number, however, cling to the old Greek costume, the short plaited skirt reaching to the knees, short pants with full hose and slippers. Poor as they are, they are too proud to beg. The contrast between Italy and Greece, in this particular, was very striking. In Italy you are annoyed on. every hand with beggars. Able-bodied men and young healthy- looking women, when out of employment, have to beg or starve. The few beggars we met in Greece were usually old decrepit men or women or such as were afflicted. Reader, if you will accompany me in a stroll around the streets of old Patras, you will see some of the cus- toms of these people which may be new and interesting to you. See that fellow with a pole across his shoulder, with halves and quarters of mutton and kid hung to each end. That is the way they serve the people with meats. He travels along the streets, going from house to house, selling to each housekeeper as much as wanted. In other words, it is a portable meat market. Here is a carpenter's shop where they make, among other things, coffins for street parades. You see these shal- AND THE HOLY LAND. 107 low coffins, made of thin, light boards. Here are some finished for sale. They are covered with bright mate- rial of different colors, gaily trimmed. The dead are shrouded in purple and laid in one of these coffins; oranges or other fruits are put in the hands and laid alongside the corpse. In this manner the dead are carried along the streets on the shoulders of men who head a procession. You may see one or more funeral processions before you leave the country. See that old market woman spitting on her eggs and wiping them with an old, dirty cloth to clean them. You see just over there out in the streets a rude, primitive machine for twisting and lapping thread. Here you see them packing currants in boxes for shipment. The currants are heaped up in a large pile on the floor of the packing room. A lot of barefooted men and women stand in the boxes (one person in each box) and pack the currants as they are shoveled in by other laborers. " Are their feet clean ? " vou ask. V You can see how they wash them and judge for your- self. Each one walks up to a bucket (all go to the same bucket of water, mind you), sticks first one foot into the water and shakes it and then the other, and then steps into the box. You see they are regular " footwashers " after a fashion. See how the people gather around us and follow us from street to street. Doubtless we are as great a curiosity to them as they are to us. But it is time we were going to the depot if we expect to go to Athens to-day, for, you remem- ber, it is one hundred and seventy -five miles from Pat- ras to Athens. From Patras the railroad coasts along the gulf of Corinth. In some places the Pindus mountains run up S- 108 TRAVELS IN EGYPT to the gulf, but the greater part of the way before reaching the isthmus the route runs through a very fer- tile valley from five to twenty miles in width, every acre of which is in a high state of cultivation, being planted in olives and currants, which are the staple pro- ducts of Greece. Here and there we see some fields of wheat and other small grain. Now and then we see small flocks of sheep attended by shepherds. The soil is a very light grey, and after being once plowed and planted is cultivated altogether with the hoe. In this valley we first saw the one-handled plows. They were being used by both men and women. The farm- houses all seemed to be built of stone concrete or sun- dried brick, and covered with tiles as in Italy, and con- sequently are fire-proof. You never see here where a house has been burned down. Just before reaching the isthmus of Corinth we come to a little village and a station called Corinth. Some half mile or three-quarters to the right of the station is a high hill on a level plateau of ground ; on this hill once stood the old city of Corinth and the church of Corinth. It was once a famous city of Greece, commanding, by its position, the Ionian and ^Egian seas, and holding, as it were, the keys of the Peloponnesus. " At one time it was the seat of wealth and of the arts, while the rest of Greece was sunk into comparative obscurity and barbarism." Its origin is, of course, lost in the night of time, but history assures us that it already existed long 'before the siege of Troy, which occurred 1184 B. C. So, reader, while we are looking at that high hill, now bare of trees and verdure with only a few scattering stones here and there, remains of old edifices which were built by the Romans, AND THE HOLY LAND. 109 we are looking at the location of what was once the proudest and most celebrated city in all Greece, and where once was located a church to which Sts. Paul, Peter and Apoll^fs preached. Let us recall a few of the historical incidents asso- ciated with this old place. " The Corinthians were the first people to build war galleys, and the earliest naval battles of which we have any account were fought by their fleets. The art of painting and sculpture, more especially that of casting bronze, attained to the high- est perfection at Corinth, and rendered this city the ornament of Greece until it was stripped by the rapac- ity of a Roman general." The tombs, in which had been deposited many hand- some bronze vases and other works of art, were dese- crated and ransacked by the Roman colonists (a Roman colony having been established there after the destruc- tion of the city); many of them were taken to Rome and sold at enormous prices. When the Romans defeated the Corinthians, or Achaeans, as they were then called, in a general engagement and entered the city, it was given up to plunder and finally set on fire and its walls razed to the ground, so that scarcely a ves- tige of the great and noble city remained. Polybius, who witnessed its destruction, says that he saw Roman soldiers using the finest paintings as boards upon which to throw dice and for playing draughts. All the men were put to the sword, the women and children sold, and the most valuable statues and paint- ings removed to Rome. It was, however, subsequently rebuilt by the Romans. Julius Caesar not long before his death sent a numerous colony there, by whom Corinth was once more raised 110 TRAVELS Ifr EGYPT from its state of ruin. It was already a large and pop- ulous city and the capital of Achaia, when Paul preached the Gospel there for a year and six months. It is said : "After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth, and he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them." Acrocorinthus is a high hill which rears its summit far above the hill we see, and upon which the city was built. This hill can be seen from Athens, a distance of forty miles in a straight line. It is one of the finest objects in Greece. On the sum- mit of this hill was erected a temple of Venus, to whom the whole of the hill, in fact, was sacred. Plutarch relates that Alexander the Great, when at Corinth receiving the congratulations of all ranks (on being appointed to command the army of the Greeks against the Persians) missed Diogenes among the number. He was unacquainted with his eccentricities, and being curious to see one who had given so signal an instance of his haughty independence of spirit, Alexander went in search of him and found him sitting in his tub in the sun. " I am Alexander the Great," said the monarch. "And I am Diogenes the Cynic," replied the philoso- pher. Alexander requested that he would inform him what service he could render him. "Stand from between me and the sun," said the cynic. Paul founded a church at Corinth during the year and a half he remained here preaching, and it was to these brethren his letters recorded in the 1st and 2d Corinthians were written. A few minutes after leaving the station (Corinth) we crossed the isthmus of Corinth across which a canal is no\v being cut connecting the gulf of Corinth AND THE HOLY LAND. Ill and the gulf of ^Egina. The canal will be four miles long. After crossing the isthmus the railroad track is cut into the side of the mountains which form the northern coast of the gulf of ^Egina until we reach Megara, one of the handsomest little cities of Greece. Here we run into a beautiful valley which extends beyond Athens and widens out into the valley of Mara- thon. I must apprise the reader that what I have to say in describing the views seen at Athens, especially as to dimensions, style and description of architecture, etc., etc., has been selected from the most reliable authorities, and I have made these descriptions as brief as possible, realizing that they would be unsatisfactory to the reader who has studied the extent, beauties and magnifi- cence of these ancient structures as tlaey once existed, and further realizing they would but poorly acquaint the young reader of these pages with their imposing grandeur, but hoping thereby to excite in the minds of such readers a desire for a more thorough knowledge of them, which may be found in other works. Reader, it is not of ancient Athens, the celebrated capital of Attica, that we have to talk, for that would take us back 155(> Before the Christian era, the time the ancient city is said to have been founded. There was a distinction made between part of the ancient cit}' situated on the high rocky hill and the other part which was subsequently built in the valley below. The first settlements were made upon the hill and called Acropolis, or the "upper city/' where theparthe- non and other splendid edifices afterwards stood. The buildings in the plain where eventually Athens stood were called the " lower city." Nothing remains upon the 112 TRAVELS IN EGYPT hill at this time except the ruins of the magnificent build- ings which at one time were the ornament of the city and the pride of the Athenians. " This people have been admired in all ages for their love of liberty, their courage and for the great men that were born among them ; perhaps there is not one single city in the world that can boast of so large a number of illustrious citi- zens, both in military achievements and in the walks of civil life in the same period of time, as in the city of Athens." Here lived the poet, the artist, the philos- opher and the historian. Athens now has a population of eighty-five thousand. It is a well built city and ail the modern part has good, wide, well-paved streets, nice parks and beautiful buildings ; but, like other cities in this part of the old world, it has its narrow, dirty streets and shabby buildings. The country around the city is mountainous and barren, and affords but little timber, and is thinly clad with scanty 'vegetation. The valley lands are productive, but they do not appear to be very extensive in area. Doubtless they owe their produc- tiveness to the large amount of fertilizers used by the agriculturists. The Acropolis on which the city was first built, as stated above, was separated from Mars hill by a wide cut made perhaps to increase the extent of perpendicular bluff sides of the hill as a means of easier defense, or to give a level foundation for the wall by which the Acropolis was at one time surrounded. This hill is the natural center of all settlements in the plains around. It is a rocky plateau of crystalline limestone, rising precipitously to a height of several hundred feet. " It was the seat of the earliest Athe- nian kings, who here sat in judgment and assembled their councils. At a later period the judicial and pop- AND THE HOLY LAND. 113 ular assemblages were moved to the lower portion of the city and the' Acropolis was devoted solely to the gods, and was covered with the most magnificent tem- ples the world ever saw. The Parthenon, the most perfect monument of ancient art, occupied the highest point of the Acro- polis, " towering above all of its neighbors." It excelled all other buildings of ancient Athens in its plastic embellishments and the brilliancy of its various colors. But little of these, however, can now be seen among the massive ruins of the Parthenon remaining. The present structure, the ruins of which we now see, was erected in the time of Pericles, i. e., about 450 B. C., to take the place' of an old^r temple. The year the Parthenon was begun can not be defi- nitely ascertained, but some idea of the length of time it must have taken to build it may be gathered from the fact that it included sixty-two large and thirty-six small columns and fifty life-size statues (which were used in the decorations), a frieze five hundred and twen- ty-four feet in length, three and one-half feet wide, with ninety-two Metapes or interspaces, and a figure of the goddess Athena thirty-nine feet high. The plat- form upon which the column stands is two hundred and twenty-eight feet longandone hundred and one feet broad. On this rise stood forty-six Doric columns, forming the outer framework of the temple. Eight of these are at each end and seventeen on each side, counting the corner columns twice. These columns are thirty-four feet in height, the lower diameter six feet three inches, the upper, four feet ten inches. These columns are all fluted, each having twenty flutes, which diminish in width, though not in depth, as they approach 114 TRAVELS IN EGYPT the capitol. The crowning glory of this superb temple was the unequaled sculptures with which it was adorned by the chisel and under the direction of that master sculptor Phidias, whose plastic work has never been surpassed. It may not be uninteresting to know what this work was, and how it was done. The central figure or por- tion of the material used was wood. On this the figure, was modeled in some plastic material, and this in turn covered with plates of ivory and gold. From the most authentic calculations made the value of the precious metals used in making the goddess Athena amounted to fifty-two thousand dollars. This goddess Athena Swas regarded as the guardian of the city, and with other deities had their shrines in the Erichtheon, a smaller, but, if possible, a handsomer, temple than the Parthenon itself. The original external form of this temple can still be traced in the present ruins, but the temple, like the Parthenon, has undergone numerous vicissitudes, being used at one time as a Christian church and at another as the harem of a Turkish Pacha. The main building of this temple was sixty-five feet long and thirty-seven feet wide, and stood upon a base- ment raised three steps, each step being ten inches high and thirteen in width. The columns supporting the roof were twenty-three feet high. The portico of the Maidens was a part of, or attached to, the last named temple. The roof of this portico is supported by six figures of maidens larger somewhat than life, standing on a parapet eight feet high. These figures are regarded as perfect in form, of an " elevated and vigor- ous beauty, full of the spirit of youthful grace and vitalitv." AND THE HOLT LAND. 115 The Propylsea, the most important secular work in ancient Athens, is the gateway leading to the sacred pre- cincts. It is constructed entirely of fine marble from Pentelicon mountain. This structure was begun 437 B. C., and completed in five years, i. e., as far as it ever was completed. This portal was the brilliant jewel on the front of the conspicuous rocky coronet of the Acro- polis. It rivaled the Parthenon in the admiration of the ancients, and as one observer truthfully says, "even now, when time and the destructiveness of men have done their worst, we recognize in its noble design the bloom of eternal youth." The imposing structure con- sists of a central gateway and two wings, occupying the whole upper west side of the Acropolis. About forty steps from this structure is a large platform cut into the rock, upon which it is thought, stood the colossal statue of Athena Promachus (fighter of the van). This mag- nificent bronze statue was executed by Phidias of spoils of Marathon. This figure of the goddess was sixty-six feet high. Near the base of the Acropolis, on the north side and near the west end, the theater of Bacchus was located. This theater or, as it is usually called, temple of Bac- chus, may be properly regarded as the cradle of the dramatic art of Greece. This is the place in which the masterpieces of ^Eschylus, Sophocles, Euripides and Aristophanes first excited delight and admiration. The old stage, in the front of which are reliefs of statues which seem to be bent under their burdens, is in a fair state of preservation. The seats were partly excavated in the solid rock of the hill and sweep around in front of the stage in a semi-circle, with a radius of one hundred and fifty feet. The seats rise in tiers one 116 TRAVELS IN EGYPT above another, and are divided by narrow aisles, as our theaters are at the present day. The seats were formed of blocks of stone. The front, now consisting of chairs, made of Pentilic marble. It would seat thirty thousand people. From th , theater of Bacchus, running west on the lower terrace of the hill in the form of a colonnade (we will, find one somewhat similar at the site of old Samaria in Palestine), is the so-called Stoa Eumenia, five hundred and thirty -four feet in length, one side of which was formed by the arched wall in front of the masonry supporting the terrace above, or the upper terrace. This colonnade, which I took to be fifty or seventy-five feet in depth, extended from the temple of Bacchus to the theater of Dionysus, or the Odeion, and was divided lengthwise by a row of columns. The basement of the columns may be seen in situ. The Odeion theatre is the loftiest and most conspicuous among the ruins at the base of the Acro- polis. This theater was built by Claudius Herod us Atticus, in honor and to the memory of his wife. The stage of the theater was one hundred and sixteen feet long and twenty-six feet deep; at the back of the stage is a massive wall pierced by three doors. The audito- rium was two hundred and sixty feet in diameter and accommodated six thousand people. The seats rise one above another on the rocky slope of the Acropolis. These seats were all covered with Pentilic marble, and, unlike other ancient theaters, the whole was covered in with a magnificent roof of cedar. The roof has been destroyed, but the remainder of the building is in a fair state of preservation. " The Acropolis, once covered as it was with mag- nificent temples, then unequaled in grandeur, beauty AND THE HOLY LAND. 117 and artistic design, was filled with statuary deities of unsurpassed workmanship and elegance. Its capacious theaters where dramatic art had its origin, its colon- nades and other wonderful structures of equal elegance, have been for ages the wonder and admiration of the world ; the theme of oratory and the burden of song. It is even now sublime in its ruins, and we can but look upon this historic hill&nd regret that its glory has for- ever departed." About seventy -five steps to the north of the second bend and near the west end of the Acropolis is the rocky hill, which in ancient times bore the name Areopagus, or Mars hill. The entire hill seems to be one solid rock, totally destitute of soil. The northeast end is precipitous, and the highest part of it. From this part it slopes off gradually to the plain below. From this elevated point the entire city of Athens is in view. Platforms may be seen hewn in the rock in all directions as sites for the ancient altars, statues, etc. A flight of rude steps was cut in the rock as a means of ascent. They are now in a state of ruin. "The ancient court of the Areopagus, consisting of venerable and eminent Athenian citizens, exercising supreme jurisdiction in all cases of life and death, held its sittings on this hill above the spring of Eumenides." The market place of the ancient city lay on the north side of this hill. It was here that St. Paul in the spring of 54 A. D. delivered that memorable sermon of which we have an account in the 17th chapter of Acts, as follows: "Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him and some said, What will this babbler say ? Othersome, Heseemeth to be a setter-f orth of strange gods : because he preached 118 TRAVELS IN EGYPT unto them Jesus and the resurrection. And they took him and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May \ve know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is? For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears : we would know, therefore, what these things mean. Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious." This I admit is the authorized version, but does he not mean that they were " in all things mindful of the divine or unseen influence?" It would seem to me that this was the meaning, from the follow- ing verses, to-wit: "For as I passed by and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, To the unknown god. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. " God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands, etc." Reader, on our way from Mars' hill to the hotel we passed the Theseum, the best preserved edifice, not only of ancient Athens, but of the whole of ancient Greece. It is an oblong building surrounded by columns. Its age and preservation are all that makes it of any interest. AND THE HOLY LAND. CHAPTER VI. BUT, reader, there are other rums of noted things of the past which we must visit. Here is the temple of the Olympian Zeus or Jupiter, described by Aristotle as " a work of despotic grandeur." The original temple on this site dates back to the earliest period of Athen- ian history, although it was not finally completed until the days of Hadrian, that is, in the beginning of the second century A. D. The level plateau upon which this temple stood was artificially formed on the steep slope of a hill. The temple was originally constructed with one hundred Corinthian columns, five and one- half feet in diameter and fifty-six and one-half in height. On the north and south sides there were forty of these columns arranged in double rows, and eight at the ends. It was the largest Greek temple known, measuring on the upper platform three hundred and fifty -three feet in length, and one hundred and thirty- four in breadth. The enclosure around the temple was six hundred and seventy-six feet long and four hundred and twenty-six broad. The temple contained a statue of Jupiter and a statue of Hadrian. The area contained also a great number of Hadrian's statues, he being worshiped as the founder of the Pan-Helenic or national feast connected with this temple. All that remains of this grand, imposing structure is now rep- resented by fifteen of the large columns standing in situ on the open plaza. Just across the street from where this huge temple stood is now a small, unpre- tending Protestant church (Presbyterian, if I mistake 119 120 TRAVELS IN EGYPT not), and the only Protestant church except the English church in the city. Over the doors, written in Greek, it says : " The gospel is preached here every Sabbath at 11 o'clock A. M. Pews free." This little church looks lonely in this city of eighty-five thousand inhabitants, where they have several 'hundred fine Greek Catholic churches. Out at the foot of the hills in rather the outskirts of the city you find the Stadion, the scene of the Pana- thenean games. " It was built by the statesman and orator, Lycurgus, a patriotic, art-loving, and yet frugal ruler, who not only made extensive improvements in the way of public buildings, but filled the arsenals and harbor with materials of war, and, it is said, still left the public treasury full." The Stadion was built about 330 B. C., and was formed by the artificial expansion, or widening out, of the head of a hollow that runs up to the foot of the hills. Seats were made sweeping around three-fourths of a circle on the slopes of the hills, leaving an arena six hundred and seventy feet long and one hundred and nine broad. As far as can now be seen there were about sixty rows of seats, accom- modating fifty thousand people. As in the temple of Bacchus, the lower tier of seats were marble chairs. Some historians say that a rich Athenian gentleman, Herodes Atticus, of Marathon, who erected the Odean theater, provided the entire Panathenean Stadion with marble seats. " Up to this period, Athens had continually progressed in external splendor. Thousands of people from every land poured into the city to attend the philosophic schools and gymnasia. It was also regarded as the AND THE HOLY LAND. 121 ' mother of arts and eloquence.' ' : It was, as it were, the university of the ancient world. We will leave the city in a carriage and take a run down to the gulf of Eleusis, some fourteen or sixteen miles distant, and take a survey of the remains of the old temple of " Mystery." Eleusis is now a poor, fever- haunted village of about twelve hundred inhabitants, mostly Albanians. The widespread notoriety of Eleusis has grown out of the mysterious religious worship of " Demeter." The Eleusinian mysteries were fegarded as symbolizing the highest and holiest feelings of mankind, but we will speak more of this after we have seen the ruins of the old temple. The " sacred way," as it is called, begins at the Dipy Ion, or" double gateway;" this gateway derives its name from the fact that, unlike all the gates of Athens, it possessed two entrances, an outer and an inner, separated by an intervening court. Outside the gate we find a number of tombs on each side of the road, just as we found them outside the walls on the Appian way at Rome. The designs sculptured on some of these tombs are not only beau- tiful, but give expression to sentiments and feelings very touching indeed. On one, a lady was bidding her husband and children farewell, shaking hands with them, as though she realized she was going on a long journey. f Another lady was giving her box of jewels to her husband, in the presence of family and friends. The expression of the countenances in these groups was an index to the feelings which filled their breasts. One large, handsome tomb was crowned with a statue of a bull, life-size, in the act of making a charge. I suppose the tornb was that of a warrior. These tombs were in a wonderfully good state of preservation, con- 122 TBAVELS IN EGYPT sidering they had been underground for thousands of years; the earth, or debris, surrounding the excavations being twenty or more feet higher than the excavated parts (they having been excavated only in recent years). On the road to Eleusis we passed a place where the high rocky bluff approaches so near the gulf as to leave only a road wide enough for a carriage to pass. This is called Daphne Pass, a pass very similar to the Ther. mopilae. Before reaching Eleusis we pass on our right a beautiful salt water lake comprising an area of seven or ten acres, which doubtless receives its supply of water from springs issuing from the hills in its rear, as the surface of the water in the lake is some three and a half or four feet higher than the water in the gulf, from which it was not more than one hundred yards distant. In this lake- in ancient times the priests of Euleusis alone had the right to fish. To the right of the entrance to the modern village lie the ruins of the gateway to the ancient precincts. Passing a large cutting in the rock at the lower part of the present village, we reach the plateau on which stood the great " Temple of the Mysteries." " The portico of Phi Ion, in front of the southeast side, is one hundred and eighty-three feet long and thirty-seven feet deep, and was formed with twelve Doric columns, with two others behind those at the corners. The inte- rior of the temple was one hundred and seventy- eight feet long and one hundred and seventy feet wide, and contained forty-two columns, disposed in six rows. Two other smaller temples adjoined this " and the entire ruins which you see in all directions around you show that there stood there in the days long gone by one of the oldest and grandest of the Grecian temples." Classical AND THE HOLY LAND. 123 history informs us that this, the most celebrated of all the religious ceremonies of Greece, was founded 1350 B. C., upon an old legend which relates that " Deme- ter," in the course of her despairing search for her daughter Proserpine, who had been carried off by Pluto, arrived at Eleusis in the guise of an old woman and was hospitably received into the household of King Keleas. This kindness the goddess repaid by giving some seed corn (wheat) to Triptolemos, the son of the king, and teaching him the art of husbandry. The memory of this inestimable gift which raised men from the roving state of hunters and shepherds and rendered them capable of uniting in a well ordered com- munity was celebrated twice a year at the " greater" and " lesser " Eleusiana. None but the initiated or the " mystic " were permitted to take part in the cere- monies. Persons of both sexes and all ages were initiated, and once being initiated, to neglect this sacred part of religion was regarded as a heinous crime. This neglect constituted one of the gravest accusations which lead to the condemnation of that wise Dhiloso- pher, Socrates." The ceremony of initiation into this order was as follows : " The candidates, crowned with myrtle, were admitted by night into a place called the mystical tem- ple. As they entered they purified themselves by washing their hands in holy water, and received for admonition that they were to come with a mind pure and undefiled, without which the cleanliness of the body would be unacceptable. After this, the holy mysteries were read to them from a book made of two stones fitly cemented together, and then the priest propounded to them certain questions, to which they readily 124 TEAVELS IN EGYPT answered. After this, strange and fearful objects pre- sented themselves to their sight. The place often seemed to quake and to appear suddenly resplendent with fire, and immediately to be covered with gloomy darkness and horror. Sometimes flashes of lightning appeared on every side, at other times, thunder. Hide- ous noises and howlings were heard, and the trembling spectators were alarmed by sudden and dreadful appa- ritions. This was called initiation. "When these cere- monies were ended a word was uttered by the officiat- ing priest,- which implied that all was ended and that those present might retire. This ceremony was regarded as a profound secret, and if any one revealed it it was supposed that he had called divine vengeance upon his head, and it was unsafe to live in the same house with him ; such a wretch was put to an ignomin- ious death. The most conspicuous feature of the festi- vals, which were celebrated twice annually, i. e., in March and September, and were thus synchronous with the revival and decay of nature, was the solemn torch- light procession that left Athens on the evening of the fifth day and passed along the sacred way to Eleusis. The details of the ceremonies, etc., connected with the mysteries are now in a great measure lost beyond recall ; but our most reliable authorities state that the doctrine taught in the mysteries was a faith which revealed to them hopeful things about the world to come, and which, not so much as a condition, but as a consequence of this clearer light, this higher faith, made them better citizens and better men. Cicero was initiated into the order, and has recorded that it taught its devotees "not only to live happily, but to die with a fairer hope." AND THE HOLY LAND. 125 The ancient writers are full of the praises of the Eleusinian mysteries, of the ad vantages of the initiated, or of being permitted to participate in the ceremonies, claiming that it secured to them the favor of the gods while living, and brighter and more cheerful hopes in death. Reader, let me call your attention to the little shrines with glass fronts containing pictures of the virgin and the infant Jesus, with burning lamps placed in front of the pictures stationed every few miles alongside the road as we come. These are placed by the side of the roads in the country for the convenience of the devout Greek Catholics, that they may call a halt and worship the holy virgin at these shrines while travel- ing, without having to visit the cathedrals. You see also another strange sight to the American Protestant, that is, these representations or effigies of Christ nailed to the cross, erected here and there, along the railroad tracks and other highways all over this Catholic country. While the Roman or Latin Catholics pre- dominate in Italy, you see the Greek Catholics have their fetters of steel equally as firmly riveted upon this people. Now let me call your attention to this distinction in the old ruins of Athens and Rome, and also in the peo- ple. In Rome we found many or nearly all the old buildings made of tufa, concrete, etc., and veneered inside and out with thin marble slabs. Here in Athens they were constructed entirely of blocks of beautiful marble, and in addition to this the architecture is of a higher grade, more taste and elegance showing a higher order of refinement. Another striking differ- ence observed is the better condition and appearance 126 TEAVELS IN EGYPT of the laboring classes. Another thing you could not have failed to notice : It seems that soldiers do police duty when any is done, for you see all manner of indecencies and outrages unblushingly perpetrated in open daylight on the streets seemingly unnoticed, and uncared for by even the better classes of the citizens. Even Mars hill is used as a place of private resort. Reader, with your permission we will leave this sub- ject for the present and prepare to be off to Piraeus, at which point we expect to take shipment to Egypt. You will see some lovely olive groves and vineyards on the way, and notice that the road we travel is con- structed on the foundation of one of the old long walls that once connected Athens with its harbor, distant six miles. What a proud, independent people these Greeks seem to be. The women are very handsome, and carry themselves with an ease and grace which an American fully appreciates. You will observe that I have left out of my description of the ruins of old Athens and Rome many things which we saw, and which interested us very much indeed, but we must not weary those who are not familar with them for the sake of our readers who are, as there are other sources from which they can learn all the particulars of these monuments of grandeur and glory which crowned these cities in the centuries long- past. To me it has been a great pleasure to wander over the places, the descriptions and the fables and legends connected with which constituted so many of my hard lessons when a schoolboy. Well, here we are on board the Russian steamer Behera, at Piraeus, the ancient as well as the modern port of Athens. And here we find some six hundred steerage passengers (Mohammedans en route to Mecca). AND THE HOLY LAND. 127 You see they are of every hue, from fair to ebony black, while the majority are of a light copper color ; some of them are genuine thick-lipped flat-nosed Africans. They have tents spread over the upper rear deck ; these are the harems where they keep their wives and con- cubines while en route. I am told one of these fellows has three women in that small tent or harem, another five in a somewhat larger one, and in that large tent which is about eight feet wide by twelve or fourteen feet long there are fifteen women. You will notice they don't laugh and talk as much as our women. If you had that many American women shut in a harem like that it would not be two hours until they would organize themselves into a Woman's Rights Conven- tion, or a W. C. T. U., or a Sewing Bee, or an Aid Society, and have a committee out here collecting money for some kind of an enterprise. You see mats, blankets and thin mattresses spread upon the deck in every available space, and the men sitting upon them with their feet doubled under them like so many tailors. Remember, these are oriental people, and, as we will find before leaving their country, are entirely different in their habits, manners, customs, dress and religious belief from the people of our own country. See what a wonderful contrast is here pre- sented, a contrast applicable to nations as well as to individuals. You see the ladies of our country mixing freely with the gentlemen, their fellow travelers, enjoy- ing themselves in social conversation, in reading aloud, in entertaining the gentlemen with music, and engag- ing together in every social enjoyment common among our people, while the gentlemen pay them every respect and attention, regarding it as a pleasure to do their 128 TRAVELS IN EGYPT bidding, holding them in high esteem, regarding them as by far the better part of humanity, treating them under all circumstances as worthy not only of confi- dence and esteem, but of superior consideration and respect. "Who but the heathen or barbarian can doubt their purity, their fidelity, their constancy, and our indebtedness to them for the early impressions made by them upon the opening bud of youth, which develop into those high and noble qualities of manhood which characterize the civilized Christian nations ? We have an Egyptian princess on board. She is from Constantinople on her way to Alexandria, to attend an entertainment to be given by the Khedive. Her Highness is seasick and confined to her stateroom. It appears that the ever restless sea is no respecter of persons. It makes all sick alike, the high, the low, the rich, even the millionaire; the poor, even the pauper; no matter of what nationality, no matter of what race or of what color, nor what their previous condition, all alike come under its baneful influence and settle promptly this claim made upon all by the restless waves of both sea and ocean. But, reader, let me again revert to the contrast in the condition and appreciation of women that is here presented to us. In all the christianized countries where the social status of women is the outgrowth of the^christian religion, inculcating refinement, culture and advanced civilization, all of which grow out of a belief in, and a practice of, the teachings of Christ, as given us in the New Testament, women are placed upon a plane of social equality with man. The Bible being of God, woman takes the posi- tion which God designed her to occupy. The Turk and Arab have a man-made bible, and women take AND THE HOLY LAND. 129 the status in which it places her. The Mohammedan bible or Koran, enunciated by Mohammed and compiled by Abu Beker, Mohammed's successor, allows every man four wives and as many concubines as he chooses. You see he pens them in his harem as we pen sheep. They are regarded as chattels. The men marr_y them and divorce them at will, and when they appear in public they have their faces closely veiled. You now see another sight you perhaps never saw before. The Mohammedans are saying their noonday prayers. They first remove their sandals, wash their hands and feet, spread down a carpet or rug, turn their face first to Mecca, then to the right, that is, look over the right shoulder, then over the left. They do this to salute Munkar and Nekar, the names of the good and bad angels which they believe are ever with them to record their good and bad deeds. The Mohammedans believe they are accompanied by these angels through life, and that they remain by their side one night after death. Their bible ( the Koran ) requires them to pray five times a day. Their strict adherence to this relig- jous duty under all circumstances, regardless of envir- onments, has caused some one to give expression to a certain degree of admiration for their fidelity in the following lines: "Most honor to the men of prayer, Whose mosque is in them everywhere. Who amid revel's wildest din, In war's severest discipline, On rolling deck, in thronged bazaar, In stranger lands however far, However different in their reach Of thought, in manners, dress or speech, Will quietly their carpet spread, To Mecca turn their humble head, And as if blind to all around, And deaf to each distracting sound, 130 TRAVELS IN EGYPT In ritual language God adore, In spirit to his presence soar, And in the pauses of the prayer Best as if wrapped in glory there." Before we have gotten through our travels in Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Turkey, etc., we will have opportuni- ties of observing the truth of this in every particular. You see now on this rolling deck they "Quietly their carpet spread, To Mecca humbly turn the head, And as if blind to all around, etc. " Don't you see that old black ugly negro there, dressed so that you could not tell whether he was a she, or she was a he, so far as the dress would indicate the sex? But we know it to be a man, because the women are all in the harems. Now you see him going through his devotions while his traveling companions all around him are engaged in various ways, some eating, others talking, others smoking, and a large number stretched out full length on their scanty bedding. Nothing short of a stroke of lightning could stop that fellow or make him waver in the discharge of his duty. If a hissing serpent were within six inches of his head, or if the alarm of fire, or an order to "man the life-boats, we are sinking " be heard, that man would finish his devotions before he moved. I say this because Omar, second caliph after Mohammed, was engaged in prayer when he received a fatal stab from a fire worshiper, but the historian tells us he com- pleted his devotions before leaving the spot. All Mos- lems follow this example. Nothing deters or distracts them from a faithful discharge of duty. You see after saluting the recording angels he puts his thumbs to his ears and spreads out his hands; he then places his hands to his waist in front and rather AND THE HOLY LAND. 131 to the left side, then he places them on his thighs, bending forward, then he assumes the erect position, then he bends forward again, placing his hands upon his thighs as before ; after this he kneels and puts his face upon the floor, then raises his body up, continuing on his knees, and again puts his face to the floor, after which he rises to his feet. It would seem that they repeat a certain portion of the prayer in each new position, as they retain each position about the same length of time. " The uniformity and regularity of their motions and prostrations remind one of the move- ments of well drilled soldiers." Now we see twenty- five or thirty all going through their bowing and genuflections at the same time. The prayer usually repeated by the Mohammedans in their daily devotions is the first chapter or Sured of the Koran ; it reads as follows : " Praise be to God the Lord of all creatures ; the most merciful, the King of the day of Judgment. Thee do we worship and of thee do we beg assistance. Direct us in the right way of those to whom thou hast been gracious, not of those against whom thou are incensed, not of those who go astray." These people regard this prayer some- what as Christians do the Lord's prayer, and repeat it often in private and in public. Their hours of prayer are at daybreak, mid-day, about an hour before sun- set, at nightfall, and about one and a-half hours after sunset. 1 will find time and place to tell you more about this further on. Just now I want to call your attention to that group of four eat'ng out of the same vessel. See how they twist off pieces of thin-baked bread and twist it so as to make it somewhat the shape of a spoon. Every fellow dips this into the bowl of 132 TRAVELS IN EGYPT gruel or porridge, or whatever it is, and eats with a relish. They are truly "sopping with each other in the dish." When the dish of gruel is too hot to be eaten they cool it by fanning it. Reader, you ask me what route and what course we are now traveling ? Piraeus, you remember, is situated on the eastern coast of the Saronic gulf, opposite the island of Salamis. We have been traveling a southeast course, and the many beautiful islands through which we have passed belong to the.group called the Cyclades. Many of them are little more than barren rocks, but are inhabited by fishermen ; the larger ones are pro- ductive, and are inhabited by husbandmen. This is quite a little run we have had ; it is some- thing over five hundred miles from Piraeus to Alexan- dria, but those of us who had to contend with the winds, waves and storms of the dreaded Atlantic are prepared to call this a nice, pleasant voyage. And now, as we come in sight of Alexandria, on the Egyp- tian coast, our Egyptian princess has condescended to show herself cmd her eyes, for the eyes are all of her face that can be seen, the balance being covered with a veil. It looks odd to me, and I suppose it does to you, reader (as you are going this trip with me), to see a pretty, nice-looking young lady being waited upon by a tall, lean, lank, raw boned, black, African man. He is both a eunuch and unique man. I suppose this is the fashion in her country, and, you know, women will follow the fashions, let them be what they may, and it is right and proper in them to do so. A woman out of style had as well be out of the world. I copy the following description of the princess from my note- book : " She is of medium size, dressed in black, her AND THE HOLY LAND. 133 dress made something like a loose wrap, of fine mater- ial; complexion very fair, hair and eyes black; her feat- ures (as well as can be seen through a thin veil) seem to be regular, and would be called pretty. She looks to be not more than eighteen or twenty years old; has a fresh, girlish appearance." But here come the little boats to take us ashore. Among them are four very fine ones, lined and cushioned with velvet, and rowed by slaves in uniform. Three of them have Moham- medan women in them, an escort for the princess. The boat in which the princess goes ashore is richly and handsomely trimmed and decorated, and rowed by ten handsomely uniformed but barefooted negroes. All four of the boats have nice, tasty awnings to protect the inmates from the heat of the sun, for we will find it quite warm here, although it is only the 1st of April. Of course, you noticed how these Arabs are dressed; those big, loose pants with the seats corning down below the knees looking as though they had their yellow legs stuck out at the corners of a meal bag, and their long, loose gowns, like our dressing gowns, coming down to theknees, some of them reaching to the ankles. All wear slip-shod slippers or sandals on their feet, and fezes or turbans on their heads." Now, reader, here we are at the Abbot hotel in old Alexandria, a city of three hundred thousand inhab- itants, one of eighteen cities founded by Alexander the Great, 300 B. C. The present city, however, does not occupy the same site as the old ; but little of the old city is left to .mark the locality where it stood. " The first inhabitants of Alexandria were a mixture of Egyptians and Greeks, to whom must be added numer- ous colonies of Jews, transplanted thither in 336 to 320 TRAVELS IN EGYPT and 312 B. C. to increase the population of the city. It was they who made the well-known Greek translation of the Old Testament under the name of Septuaginta or the Septuagint." We will find but few things here to interest us. The first to which we will -go is Pompey's pillar. This pillar is of red granite from Assuan, which is seven hundred and fifty miles up the Nile, above Cairo, near which place is found the only quarry where this pecu- liar species of granite is to be found. It is a mixture of red, blue and white, admits of a high polish and makes a handsome shaft. This pillar has withstood exposure to the elements for many centuries, and looks like it could stand as many more without injury. The height of the column, including the pedestal and Cor- inthian capital, is one hundred and four feet. It is about nine feet in diameter below and eight above. It is well proportioned and so located that it makes a good appearance. " This handsome column does not derive its name from Pompey the Great who was murdered on the Egyptian coast, having been defeated by Ca3sar at the battle of Pharsalia. He sought an asylum in the territory of his wards, but on landing in Egypt was slain at the instigation of Ptolemy. The most reliable historians state that it derives its name from the Pre- fect Pompeius, who, according to the inscription (on the column), erected it in honor of the " TJnconquered Diocletian, the defender of the city of Alexandria." There is no ground for supposing that this column once bore the brazen horse, which the citizens are said to have erected as a token of gratitude to Diocletian. After that emperor had besieged Alexandria for eight months and had destroyed the water works, he at length AND THE HOLY LAND. 135 took the city and slew the usurper, Achilleus (accord- ing to the popular story); he then commanded his sol- diery to massacre the seditious populace until their blood should reach his horse's knees. His horse soon after stumbled over a dead body and wetted his knees in human blood, whereupon the emperor was pleased to regard this as a sign that the unhappy citizens had been sufficiently chastised. Out of gratitude, particularly to the horse, they are said to have erected the brazen horse which was known as that of Diocletian. That the horse did not, however, occupy the summit of the column is proved by an ancient illustrated plan of Alexandria, in which Pompey's pillar is represented with a figure of a man on top. The inscription, more- over, indicates that the column was erected by Pom- peius II, whose prefecture did not begin till A. D. 302 ; whereas, the defeat and death of Achilleus took place about 296. The column has, therefore, no connection with the story of the brazen horse, but was probably erected chiefly in commemoration of a gift of corn (wheat) presented by Diocletian to the citizens during a period of scarcity Now, reader, I have given you the history of this magnificent column as it is given by the best author- ities upon this subject. Alexandria, from a historical standpoint, is an exceedingly interesting city, but there are but few things here now worthy of our atten- tion. Caracalla, emperor of Rome A. D. 211, visited Alexandria during his reign, and having attracted all the male population capable of bearing arms to one spot he caused them to be massacred. This was done to weaken their powers of defense. It was here that the Saracens, at the command of Caliph Omar in A. D. 136 TEAVELS IN EGYPT 642, burned the largest and most valuable library then in the world. It is said he asked if there was anything in the library which was not found in the Koran. If so, he said, it ought to be burned. And if there was nothing in the library but what could be found in the Koran it ought to be burned. Some historians say a large part of this valuable library was burned during the siege of Alexandria by Julius Caesar, but the fact is this loss was replaced by the library of Pergamus which Anthony presented to Cleopatra. Mohammed Ali improved Alexandria by constructing a canal one hundred and twenty miles in length. By means of this canal fresh water was conducted to the city from the Rosetta branch of the Nile. It also afforded the means of irrigating the adjoining lands, and connected Alexandria with the Nile and the rest of Egypt. The work of making the canal was begun in 1819, employing no fewer than two hundred and fifty thousand laborers. Cleopatra's needle, which vied with Pompey's pillar in general interest as a monu- ment of antiquity, was presented to the city of New York by Khedive Ismail, and is now a prominent feat- ure in Central Park. A companion of this that lay by the side of Cleopatra's needle covered in the sand for centuries now adorns the Thames embankment at London. Both were brought from Heliopolis to Alexandria. Before leaving this city with whose history many distinguished men are associated, I will call your atten- tion briefly to three : Apollos. who at one time was regarded by some as a greater preacher than St. Paul or Peter, and who, it is now believed, wrote the book of Hebrews, was born at this place. " John Mark, a AND THE HOLY LAND. 137 bright young man, preached here, whom God inspired in after years to write one of the gospels." Then it is said Alexander the Great, who founded the city and gave it his name, although he died in Babylon, was removed here for burial. He was the man of whom it was said, "at the age of thirty-three, having conquered all known nations, wept because there were no more worlds to conquer." John Mark about the same period of life was giving the world a mathematical problem which has never been solved : " What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?" This is a question which eternity alone can answer. There is no doubt but that Alexander was great in human exploits, nor is there any doubt but what Apollos was " mighty in the scriptures." Alex- ander shed rivers of human blood, Apollos "turned many to righteousness;" which did the world the greater good ? Reader, we will not consume any more time at this place, as we will find many more things new to us, and of more interest, in traveling across the far-famed valley of the Nile, than we can find by riding over this old city. So we will be off to the depot. There is no country in the world that is furnishing us with more interesting history of the long ages past than the country we are now in. " There is no people in the world whose history is traceable to so remote a period as that of the people in whose country we now propose to spend a short time." It is true, this history was a sealed book to other nations for many long centuries, but it was chiseled in stone, burned in clay, or written on leather or scrolls of papyrus, and much of it lay buried beneath the sand of the desert, hermetically sealed, and preserved in such a 138 TRAVELS IN EGYPT state of perfection as to challenge the admiration of all who are permitted to behold it. How far back in the annals of the past this history carries us, is a question which has not yet been authentically answered, for the whole book has not as yet been found ; but year by year new items and new facts are being brought to light, and the links of the chain are being put together slowly, but surely, and we hope and may reasonably expect before many more years the earnest, indefati- gable laborers in this field of science will be able to give to the world a complete volume, containing a connected history of this wonderful people, reaching back to a period of time that now seems almost incredible. In truth, when compared by the standards of Jewish and Christian chronographers, the remote dates with which Egyptian chronology now deals seems unreal, particularly when compared with the conjectural date of the creation, which date, however, is acknowledged to be in a great measure conjectural, for inspiration tells us that "In the beginning, God created the . heaven and the earth," and no man knoweth when that beginning was. There Hs no data given by which man can fix a period of time from which to estimate or even approximate the cycles, of time that intervene between the beginning and now. The beginning is but a point marked by the finger of God on the unending cycle of eternity. God says, u ln the beginning ; " who knows what that means, or to what it refers ? It may mean the beginning of time, as time relates to this earth, or it may mean the beginning of his omnipotent creative power, when he spake into existence the elements of the world " without form and void." The answer I find to this and many other mysteries which AND THE HOLY LAND. 139 are all around, about, and in us, is " that hidden things belong to God; revealed things to us and to our children." When we come to speak of Egypt we can but repeat the language of Herodotus who said 456 years before the Christian era " that Egypt contains more wonders than any other land, and is pre-eminent above all countries in the world for works that one can hardly describe." That is equally true now. You see and wonder, but find it hard to describe. From. Alexandria to Cairo is one hundred and fifty miles. The width of the Nile valley varies from ten to thirty -six miles. Our route, therefore, does not go straight across the valley, but we go a southeast course, which carries us up the Nile a hundred and fifty miles or more above its outlet into the Mediterranean. We find the following prophecies standing recorded against the ancient Egyptians: " Egypt shall be the basest of kingdoms, neither shall it exalt itself any more among the nations. The pride of her power shall come down and they shall be desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate, and her cities shall be wasted in the midst of the cities that are wasted. I will sell the land into the hand of the wicked, I will make the land waste and all that is therein by the hand of strangers. And there shall be no more a prince of the land of Egypt/' These prophecies have been construed by some as referring in part to the land of Egypt. I differ with them in opinion, however. Every clause of the prophecy refers to Egypt as a nation. The tribes of ancient Egypt were consolidated into a nation four or five thousand years before the Christian era by Menes, and Egypt was one of the most prosperous and cultivated 14:0 TRAVELS IN EGYPT nations of the earth for thousands of years before these prophecies were uttered. To Egypt as a nation the predictions have been faithfully and literally fulfilled in every particular. Egypt as a nation has been debased, nbr can it ever exalt itself again among the nations. Its glory has forever departed. The pride of her power has come down, fallen, crushed, and will forever remain so, and they as a nation, as a people, are deso- late. And her cities shall be wasted. Where is Thebes? The jackals have their dens amid her majestic columns and beneath her sacred altars. Where is Memphis ? Buried from thirty to forty feet beneath the mud of the Nile, not only dead, but buried, and its site so far lost that one hundred years ago its grave was not known. The birds sing merry songs from the palms that wave their feathery foliage over the grave of this once renowned city. Where is Heliopolis, the city of the Sun? Where Bubastis? Where Tanis? Buried beneath the sands of the desert. Owls hoot over the palaces of the Pharaohs, and the summer breezes sing requiems through once renowned temples. It is true that no prince has sat upon the throne since Ezekiel's prophecy was fulfilled. Egypt, as the nationality referred to, has fallen and will only exist in the historj 7 of the past. But as a country, its resources are untold. Though a small country and poorly tilled-, yet its exports amount to ninety millions of ' dollars annually. Its area of culti- vable lands has remained unaltered since the remotest 'antiquity and comprises only about eleven thousand three hundred and fifty square miles, as given by one writer, and five thousand five hundred geographical square miles, as given by another. The difference must AND THE HOLY LA.ND. 141 be in their way of computation, and not in the area of arable land. It has one of the most magnificent bodies of land in the known world, the only valley whose river irri- gates and fertilizes it annually so that age has never impaired its productiveness. " The valley of the Nile from Khartoum to the Delta, although from its great length (fifteen degrees of latitude) necessarily possessing great varieties of climate, forms one unbroken tract of country, the fer tilizing soil of which is brought down by the Blue Nile from the Abyssinian mountains." ftof inundations of the Nile are therefore dependent* on the rainfall among the Abyssinian mountains. For that which falls in central Africa is more constant and uniform in quantity, being regulated by the influence of the trade-winds. The annual rise in the Nile varies only a few days from year to year in its advent. The rise always begins about the first of June and swells slowly until about the middle of July, when the rise becomes more rapid. Towards the last of September it comes to a standstill and remains so for about two weeks. Then it rises again and reaches its highest level, some time about the middle of October, after which time it grad- ualty subsides, slowly but steadily for a time and then more rapidly until it reaches low water-mark. This annual excess of water is not allowed to over- flow the banks of the Nile and spread itself over the valley as it gets higher and higher, as rivers usually do in our country. On the contrary, it is conducted into a vast network of reservoirs and canals, and dis- tributed as required. Special engineers superintend 142 TRAVELS IN EGYPT these canals and reservoirs, keeping them always in order and directing the . distribution of the water. In January, February and March the fields from which the water has been drained gradually dry, the river reaching its lowest level the last of April or first of May. Reader, while we are being carried over this favored land at the rate of forty or fifty miles per hour, you will notice that every mile or so we cross one of the canals referred to, and as far as eye can reach you see every acre of land producing an abundant harvest. While we are looking at this lovely valley and enjoy- ing the sight of many new and novel things to be seen nowhere else, I will tell you something more about this strange land. In the time of Herodotus (450 B. C.) a depth of sixteen cubits or twenty-one and a half feet of water in the Nile was sufficient for irrigation. . When at Rome we saw a statue of the goddess of the Nile in the Vatican represented as surrounded by sixteen children, each child representing a cubit rise of water in the river. The depth of water now necessary to inundate the lowlands or such as are irrigated by the rise of the river is twenty-three cubits two inches, or forty-one feet two inches. These figures apply to the river at Cairo. A single cubit more is apt to cause terrible devastation by inundating that portion of the valley lying between the Damietta and Rosetta rivers (out- lets of the Nile below Cairo) and other lands which are destined for the autumn crop ; while a deficiency of two cubits causes drought and a famine. These inundations not only saturate the ground suf- ficiently for the remaining moisture to admit of the AND THE HOLY LAND. 143 ripening of the crops without additional irrigation, but a stratum of mud several inches in thickness is deposited by the water. The ground is seldom prepared for sowing by being plowed. The seed is scattered or sown over the ground while it is still soft and moist, and pressed into it by means of a wooden roller, or beaten into it by paddles, or trodden in by oxen. This planting of the winter crop is done at different times of the season. The higher up the valley you go the sooner in the season the water subsides and gets later as you go down. In upper Egypt seed-time begins as early as the middle of October ; in central Egypt, i. e., from Sin to Cairo, at the beginning of November ; in the Delta about the end of December. The winter crop, which is the largest crop grown in this country, consists of bearded wheat, barley, clover and beans. It is estimated that there is- some four and a half million acres of land in central and lower Egypt which are above high water-mark ; that is, the water can not be turned on them from the reservoirs, and to be made available for agricultural purposes the water neces- sary for its irrigation has to be raised by water- mills. These mills are exceedingly rude affairs and consist of one large horizontal wheel, which turns another perpendicular to the first, over which a rope or band runs with wooden or clay buckets attached every two or three feet, which bring up the water and, as the} 7 pass over the wheel, discharge it into a prepared reservoir. They are made on the same principle as that by which water drawn from a cistern with an endless chain with tin cups attached. 144 TRAVELS IN EGYPT X" These mills are erected on mounds of the requisite elevation to conduct, the water into the reservoirs. There are more than fifty thousand of these water- mills in this valley giving employment to one hundred thousand persons, and requiring two hundred thousand workstock to keep them running. Yonder you may see some men raising water witha basket made of rushes of oblong shape, two ropes are attached to its ends. It is made broad and shallow, somewhat the shape of a tray. The men stand on either side of a narrow ditch leading out from the canal, each holding an end of the ropes. They swing the basket between them, dipping it into the water, and by a dexterous motion pour it into the reservoir or irrigating ditch. The rain-fall in central Egypt averages about one and a half inches per annum, an amount wholly insuffi- cient for making crops. The summer crops are much more varied than those of winter, comprising maize (Indian corn), rice, sor- ghum, cotton, ramie indigo, lentels, peas, etc. Throughout the whole of Egypt a period of four months elapses between seed-time and harvest. The lands are owned by the government and the tillers of the soil are life-time renters. Besides the articles mentioned above there are many other farm products grown in Egypt, such as hemp, tobacco, castor beans, poppies (for the manufacture of opium), most all kinds of garden products, also dye stuffs. Henna is used in Egypt and Palestine by the peasant women for dyeing their nails, the palms of their hands and soles of the feet a yellowish red. It is now March, and we see the fellahin (tillers of the soil), as they are called, harvesting the winter crop. AND THE HOLY LAND. 145 You see them cutting the wheat and barley with the old-fashioned reaping hook or sickle. Some are pulling it up by the roots. They load it on donkeys and camels, and in this way carry it to market. They have no wagons they would not know how to use them if they had. This people carry on their farming oper- ations and till the soil with the same implements their forefathers did five thousand years ago. They have what they call the Norag, or threshing sledge, which consists of a kind of sledge resting on a roller provided with sharp semicircular pieces of iron and drawn by oxen or buffaloes. This sledge crushes the stalks and ears and- sets free the grain or seeds. The grain is then freed from the chaff by winding, as I have seen done in this country in my boyhood days. Reader, you say you see no farm-houses, or cribs, or barns scattered over this fertile valley. No, but you see every now and then a village built upon some elevated piece of ground. These tillers of the soil or fellahin live in these villages. Their houses are built of sun-dried brick which in time melt and crumble down. Soon another is erected on the site of the old, and that is what makes the mounds or elevated plateaus of land upon which the villages are built. You must remember this process of building and re-build- ing on the same locality has been going on for- thou- sands of years. Many of these mounds cover ancient cities and temples. Their houses are covered with old pieces of matting, straw, dirt, sorghum stalks, etc. ; every family having only one room with a single door and a small square window put high up in the wall. They have no furniture of any description, neither table nor bedstead. They sleep on the floor of the hut 146 TRAVELS IN EGYPT on a mat, sheep or goat skins, or some old, worn-out garment. Wood, in Egypt, as it is in Palestine, is very scarce, and the peasants have to use the excrement of animals for making fires to cook with. The fire is built in the middle or to one side of the room, and a hole left in the roof for the escape of the smoke. The poorer peas- ants' mode of living is poor indeed. The staple of his food consists of a peculiar kind of bread made of flour of sorghum seed ; wheaten bread being eaten alone by the wealthier classes. Sometimes this sorghum flour is mixed with bean flour, which gives the bread a green- ish color. Next in importance in the bill pf fare is broad beans called " f ul." Their supper, which they regard as the principal meal of the day, usually consists of a highly salted sauce made of onions and butter or of onions and linseed oil ; into this sauce they put various kinds of herbs. When eating, each member of the family dips into the wooden bowl pieces of bread held in the fingers, and eats with a relish. The milk of the buffalo, goat or sheep is also an article of food both in town and country. The milk is churned by being put in a goatskin bag and hung up and turned about to agitate the milk. The population to Egypt is about seven million, or abouj, four to six hundred to the square mile, and is, therefore, denser than that of most European states, and composed of the following ten different elements: First, the fellahin (singular fellah), the "tillers-' or " peasants," form the bulk of the population and may be regarded as the sinews of national strength. Second, the Copts, the legitimate descendants of the ancient Egyptians. Third, the Bedouins, a name AND THE HOLY LAND. 147 applied to the roving or nomadic Arabs. They differ materially from the village dwelling Arabs and from the fellahin, who usually called themselves " sons of the Arabs." Then there are a great many sub-divi- sions of the Beduins. Then there are the Arabian dwellers in towns who are manufacturers and shop- keepers, servants, donkey attendants, coachmen, etc. Fifth, Berbers Berberi, singular; Barabra, plural. The word denotes, " non-Egyptians, to be unable to speak or speak imperfectly." The Berbers of North Africa and the town of Berber in South Nubia doubtless have the same origin. Sixth, negroes. This element of the Egyptian population was first brought into Egypt as slaves. They are distinct from and are wholly unmixed with the other elements. Seventh, Turks. The difference between the Turks and Arabs is one of locality. The Turks come from the northern provinces of Turkey and the Arabs from the southern, just as our northern brethren are called " yankees " and the southern people called " rebels." Eighth, the Levantines ; a link between the various classes of dwellers in Egypt and the visitors to the banks of the Nile is formed by the members of the various Mediterranean races known as Levantines, who have been settled here for several generations. Ninth, Armenians and Jews. The Armenians are gen- erally a bright, intelligent people. Many of them are weathy goldsmiths and jewelers, and they often hold important government offices. The Jews are readily recognized by their peculiar cast of features and their red hair. Most of them are from Palestine, but recently many of them have imigrated from Wallachia. All, or nearly all, of the money changers whom we see sitting in the streets of the oriental cities, as well as the 148 TRAVELS IN EGYPT wealthiest merchants in Egypt, are Jews. Tenth, Euro- peans. The number of Europeans in Egypt is about eighty thousand, comprising Greeks, Italians, French, English, Austrians and Germans. The Fellahin are a medium-sized people, they never grow fat, and are a dark copper color. They keep their heads shaved and for dress wear long shirts, indigo dyed, nothing more ; in hot weather, less. They are Mohammedans. The Copts are a smaller and a fairer complexioned people than the Fellahin. They are distinguished from the latter by their darker clothes and dark turban. They are classed as Christians. The Bedouins,as the name implies, are a restless,roving people who live in tents made of black goat's hair cloth. They are of somewhat darker complexion than the peasant Arab, and dress in the long-bodied Joose trousers and long gown. They are Mohammedans. The Negroes are coarser or larger featured and far uglier than the negroes here, and blacker than the blackest. Many of them remain in slavery through choice. They are Mohammedans. The Levantines are almost white, apt to learn, and are largely employed as shopkeepers, clerks, etc. They are Latin and Greek Catholics. You see, reader, that of the seven millions of the population of Egypt at least six million are Mohammed- ans. But as we ate now drawing near Cairo, we will resume our conversation after reaching our hotel. SOUDAN AFRICAN. AND THE HOLY LAND. CHAPTER VII. NOW, reader, here we are in the city of the Caliphs, and before we go out for a ride let me read you this little piece of history: " When Egypt was con- quered by Cambyses, 525 B. C., the Babylonians are said to have founded new Babylon on the site now occupied by old Cairo, and during the Roman period that city became the headquarters of one of the three legions stationed in Egypt. In A. D. 638 New Babylon was captured by the general of Caliph Omar, and when he started on his victorious progress toward Alexandria he commanded the tent he had occupied during the siege to be taken down; as it was discovered, however, that a pigeon had built her nest upon it, the general ordered the tent to be left standing until the young birds should take wing. After the capture of Alexan- dria, Amru, Omar's general, requested the Caliph to allow him to take up his residence there. Omar refused to accord permission, as Alexandria appeared to him to be rife with elements of discord, and, moreover, too far distant from the center of the conquered country to be suitable for his capital. Amru accordingly returned to his tent, around which his adherents encamped. A new city thus gradually sprung up, and the name of Fostat continued to be applied to it in memory of its origin." Under the Fatimite sovereigns of Egypt, who reigned from 961 to 11YO A. D., the modern city of Cairo was built adjacent to the old. Cairo now has a population of about four hundred thousand. It is situated on the right or east bank of the Nile, about nine miles above 149 150 TRAVELS IN EGYPT the point where it divides into the Rosetta and Dami- etta arms. It has been styled " the jewel on the handle of the fan of the Delta." The city covers' an area of eleven square miles, and on the east side of it the Mokattam hills rise to a height of six hundred and fifty feet, forming the commencement of the eastern desert. The city was originally built some distance from the river, and Bulak was its harbor, but it has now extended so far west that it reaches the bank of the river and includes Bulak. It is now the largest city on the con- tinent of Africa, and one that interests the traveler as much as any city in the world. Before going out on the streets let me say to you that you thought yourself besieged by beggars in Naples, but I can assure you that they were not a cir- cumstance to what you will have to contend with here. Here you will hear for the first time the word " bakhshish," which will be sounded in your ears by every Arab man, woman and child with whom you meet, no matter where you go. It is usually pro- nounced " buckshee," and means " Give me something." So you had as well learn to say "Ma fish," " There is noth- ing," or " Allah ya tik," " May God give you," now as any time, for either one of these answers usually silences them. But you will find them like flies, when you get rid of one two come to take its place. Wherever you meet with Arabs, you are sure to be annoyed with beggars. More, you will learn to appre- ciate and to have a sympathy you never experienced before, for the poor little donkey. You will find that it is smaller and swifter, more docile, patient, and persevering than the European donkey, and wholly unlike our own donkeys. Here you see him bearing all AND THE HOLY. LAND. 151 manner of burdens, in fact he is the Arab's wagon, wheelbarrow, fruit carrier, go-cart, wood-carrier, veg- etable carrier. All the vegetables, fruit, etc., brought to market in this city of four hundred thousand people are brought in the main on the backs of donkeys. Occasionally you see a camel loaded thus. You saw him as we were coming from Alexandria, with a good cart load of clover on his back, covering the little imp from his ears to the root of his tail, with one or two Arab boys on top of that to hold it steady. Whole families ride him, eat with him, sleep with him, at least he stays in the room with the family. When I was in Cairo, I saw a peanut roaster fixed on a donkey's back, and being driven around distributing hot roasted nuts to customers. You also saw the donkey and buffalo cow yoked together, drawing one of the forked stick plows, called " Lisan." What we would call the beam is made about six feet long and attached to the yoke. The upright to which we attach the plowshare is shod, instead, with a three-pronged piece of iron. I have seen them using this plow without the iron point. To the other end of the upright beam a single handle is attached. These rude light plows penetrate but slightly into the ground; in fact, they do but little bet- ter work than could be done with one of our iron tooth harrows. They use no lines on the plowstock, nor do they guide the team by teaching them the meaning of " gee" and " haw," as do our plowmen. They urge the team on and guide them with the goad. When the Arab wants his team to go to the right he pricks the near or left-hand animal with the goad, and vice versa. I have seen baskets made of rushes swung across the donkey's back like saddle-bags and each end filled 152 TEAVELS IN EGYPT with Arab children, and, as it is a custom among the Arabs to use asses' milk, the donkey is both a wet and dry nurse for the Arab mother. I know the donkey is not handsome nor his voice melodious. I know also that he can make more noise to the square inch than any animal I ever saw, except a colored preacher. I also admit that he is as stubborn as an obstinate woman. I saw some Arab children one day trying to get one of these little animals down a steep bank to the water. Some pulled and others pushed, but go he wouldn't. Finally two Arab women came to the help of the children. They all pulled and pushed, but the donkey sat down. It was no go. Finally one or two men joined in and by a united effort they got him to the water's edge. The donkey backed his long ears and said, in language easily understood : " "Well, you have gotten me here, but I defy all the Arabs in Egypt to make me drink." For all this, if I had to live in Egypt or Palestine and be a woman, a donkey, or a a dog, I would first be a dog and then a donkey, and never a woman, God pity them. But I have seen this little patient animal beaten and cuffed about, over- burdened and abused in so many ways, and yet so docile, uncomplaining and cheerful under it all, that I have come to the conclusion that he has far more merit than he gets credit for. One of the first things you will hear when you go down on the street will be the donkey boys. Perhaps a dozen or more will surround you, each extolling the merits of his own donkey, " good donkey." If you are taken for an American, the boy will be shrewd enough to tell you his donkey is named " Yankee Doodle." Some of the streets of old Cairo are still unpaved, and AND THE HOLY LAND. 153 are too narrow for carriages. In fact the narrow lanes (for they are not worthy of being called streets), between the rows of houses, are so very narrow that there is hardly room for two riders to pass. In many of these old streets the projecting balconies of the upper stories (with their gratings) nearly meet. These upper stories are used for harems, where the women are penned in. We will now see what makes Cairo so interesting, romantic and novel for the visitor. It presents scenes and incidents, barbarous and civilized, which forcibly strike and interest even the most indifferent. Here we see people of all nations, with their varied manners, customs and dress, and hear as great a diversity of language, perhaps, as was heard at Babel. The traffic in the street, called "Muski," is so great, the street being rather narrow, that the long string of men, women and animals, of walkers, riders, and hacks of every description, looks like an interminable proces- sion ; a truly motley company. Now while looking, listen. You hear the cracking of the drivers' whips, the ringing of bells, the jingling of money (the money changers sit out on the street corners as of old), the braying of donkeys, the moaning of camels, the barking of dogs, and the yelling of the donkey boys. The donkey boy runs along behind the donkey, giving him a pretty severe rap with his driving stick every few yards, and yelling " Ya-a-ar" at the top of his, voice. He hits him first on one side, which careens him over to one side, and then he has to hit him on the other side to straighten him up. The various cries of street venders and other per- sons who transact their business on the streets, the warning shouts of outrunners of coachmen, and the 154 TRAVELS IN EGYPT cry of the Sakka, or water carrier, with his goat skin of water on his own or his donkey's back, all com- bined, produce as discordant a compound of sounds as can well be imagined, but better appreciated when heard than when imagined. You remember when Elijah went up on Mount Carmel and prayed for rain, after sending his servant the seventh time, the servant reported that he saw rising out of the sea a little cloud "like a man's hand," that Elijah said to him, " Go, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot and get thee down that the rain stop thee not. And it came to pass in the meantime that the heaven was black' with clouds and wind and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel and the hand of the Lord was on Elijah and he girded up his loins and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel." Now you see it stated here that Elijah girded up his loins. Doubtless this was done with a belt wrapped several times around his waist, such as you see all these Arabs here and in Palestine wear. Again it is said, " he ran before Ahab, *'. e., before Ahab's chariot, to the entrance of Jezreel." How long has it b3en since that occurred ? Answer. Nearly two thousand eight hundred years, and yet this custom of having a run- ner to go before chariots or carriages is still kept up by these people and can be seen at any and all times herein Cairo. It was some twelve or fourteen miles from Carmel across the valley of Esdraelon to Jezreel ; it was during a hard rain, and the soil of Esdraelon is red and sticky when wet, something like the prairie soil of Texas in that particular. So you see it was no easy task per- formed by Elijah. WATER CARKIER. AND THE HOLY LAND. 155 Let me call your attention to the water carriers ; although Cairo has its water-works and could easily supply every house in the city with water, still the old custom of retailing water from goat skins is kept up. The carrier has his bag of water on his back and a shallow tray suspended from his neck, in front on which he carries several drinking cups or brazen saucers. They offer a draught to every passer-by, for which they are paid a small copper coin of the value of about one-fifth of one cent. Some of these carriers use five- gallon earthenware jars instead of goat skins suspended on their backs, from which they dispense water. This water is brought from the Nile, an instance of labori- ous work and poor pay. Many of the streets are sprinkled by these carriers ; the water in skin bags being carried on their own or the backs of donkeys. The cry of the fruit and vegetable venders when interpreted is curious to the stranger. The common- est expressions are, perhaps, "Allah yehawwinheh ya lemun " (God will make them light, O lemons ; i. e., he will make the basket light by enabling the vender to sell them). Another expression is, " Asal ya burtukan asal " (Honey, O oranges, honey ; i. e.> sweet as honey). From a very early period it has been customary for the Arabs to distinguish their different sects, families and dynasties by the color of their turbans or head- gear. The green turbans form the badge of the " Sherifs," or descendants of the Prophet Mohammed. The green turban is also frequently worn by the Mohammedan who has made the pilgrimage to Mecca. The " Ulama," or clergy and scholars, usually wear a very wide and evenly folded turban of light color, 156 TRAVELS IN EGYPT wrapped several times around the fez, or brimless skull-cap. These turbans are usually made the length of the body, in order that it rnay be used as a winding sheet when the owner dies. The wearer, knowing it will be thus used, is thereby often reminded of death. The Copts wear blue turbans and the Jews yellow, and other Moslem citizens have theirs dark colored. The women of the poorer classes wear nothing but blue gowns and veils. Their ornaments consist of sil- ver or copper bracelets, ankle rings and ear rings. They tattoo their chins, arms and chests. Now and then you will meet one with nose rings. These, how- ever,are more fashionable in upper than in central Egypt. Many of the Egyptian women color their eyelids and eyelashes and the nails of their fingers and toes with henna, a brownish-yellow tint, as before mentioned. When equipped for riding or walking the streets the better classes wear a silk cloak, generally light-colored. This with the burko, or long veil, covering the whole face except the eyes, reaching nearly to the feet, con- stitutes their outdoor dress. The married women wear the habara, a kind of mantle consisting of two breadths of black, glossy silk. The wealthier classes when rid- ing in carriages are usually attended by eunuchs. Among other customs we may as well mention here that the mother carries her child astride her shoulder or her hip. It is no uncommon thing to see the little coons sitting astride their mother's shoulder, with their head resting on the head of their mothers, sound asleep. Out of the four hundred thousand population of Cairo, between eighty and eighty-five thousand are Europeans, who have built up the modern part of the GARMENTS OF WEALTH. Isa. 52-1. AND THE HOLY LAND. 157 city in modern style, i. e., with nice substantial edifices ; wide, well-paved streets, parks, etc. On some of the streets in Cairo you would think you were in ISTew York or Chicago, and by walking a few blocks it would bring you to another portion of city that would make you think you were in another and an entirely foreign city, so great is the contrast in the new or modern and the old parts of the city. The bazaars (small shops) you will find inferior to those of Damascus or Constantinople, but superior to the bazaars in Jerusalem. In all these places the arti- cles offered for sale are manufactured in the shop or bazaar where offered, and it is interesting to the traveler to see these artisans work with their very primi- tive tools. For instance, you will see the carpenter plying his trade without bench, vise, rule or auger. When dressing a board he holds it steady by sitting on one end while dressing the other. For boring holes they use an iron spike fastened in a circular piece of wood, which is turned by means of an instrument resembling a fiddle bow. The blacksmith and silversmith use a bellows consisting of a conical bag made of goat skin, which is open at the larger end, where it is provided with wooden handles, the other end terminating in a tube, usually a piece of an old gun barrel which runs under a small mound of clay to the fire. The handles of the larger end of the bag are adjusted so that the large end of the bag is opened and closed rapidly, thus forc- ing the air out through the tube. The lathe of the turner is equally as rude and primitive. It consists of two upright pieces of wood ; between these the piece of wood to be turned is secured on the end of two nails. The piece is then turned back and forth with 158 TEAVELS IN EGYPT a stringed bow used with one band, while the chisel is held with the other hand and the toes. These bazaars as you see, consist of narrow, dirty streets, or rather lanes, covered in with awning with narrow shallow shops opening into the street on each side; the floors being about two feet above ground. The proprietor sits upon the floor, with his goods and chattels in reach of him on all sides. " In this city one sees a living museum of all imaginable and unimagin- able phases of existence, of refinement and degeneracy, of civilization and barbarism, of knowledge and ignor- ance, of Paganism, Christianity and Mohammedanism," one conglomerate mass of all the elements which go to make up the nations of the Orient. There are some places in the neighborhood of Cairo which we must visit, as they possess such an historic interest that we can not afford to pass them by. We must visit the pyramids, Heliopolis, Sakkara, and the Bulak museum at least. There are other places we would like to visit, but time forbids, as we have a long journey before us yet and will see many things about which I must talk to you. So tomorrow morning we will ride out and see the pyramids, as everybody has heard of the pyramids, but comparatively few have seen them. It has been said " that everything fears time, but time fears the pyramids." They are the most wonderful monuments of human industry and enter- prise known to mankind. From Cairo out to the Gizeh group of pyramids is a magnificent drive. The road crosses t]ie Nile on the great iron bridge, which is four hundred and twenty yards in length and fifty-five in width. It was built by a French company. The road is thrown up and for 160 TRAVELS IN EGYPT several miles out is shaded by a row of trees on either side whose branches meet overhead and form a beauti- ful shaded archway. It is about one and one-half hours drive to the slope of the elevated plateau upon which the pyramids of Gizeh stand. This plateau gradually ascends from east to west. The east and north ends of it are very steep in places, it extends nearly a inile from east to west and about three-fourths of a mile from north to south, and rises some seventy- tive or one hundred feet above the level of the Nile valley. This plateau is the margin of the Libyan desert. The pyramids extend along a line of twenty- five miles in length, and include five groups, namely, the Abu Roash. Among this group is the remains of one made of Nile mud. This group, however, pre- sents but little attraction and is not worth visiting. The pyramids of Abusir, the ancient Busiris, are located some eight miles southeast of the group we visit. The Sakkara; there are eleven inlbhis group. The Dahshur, consisting of two of large size and two smaller pyramids of limestone and two made of brick, together with the remains of others, all of which are at a considerable distance from each other. One of these stone pyramids is three hundred and twenty-six feet in height and two hundred and thirty-four yards on its sides, nearly as large as the Great pyramid. These and the Gizeh are all near the Necropolis or old burying- place of ancient Memphis, and all of them can be seen from the top of the Cheops, as the Great pyramid is called. But here we are nearing the foot of the hill or plateau upon which stand the pyramids. You see the AND THE HOLY LAND. 161 Bedouins coming to meet our carriage. Now you will see the yellow-legged scamps, for they have on noth- ing but a long shirt, throw sand before the carriage with the hope of getting the driver to employ them to scotch the wheels and otherwise assist him in getting up the hill, for it is quite a long steep pull for the horses. Well, here we are at the foot of the Great pyramid, and there is the Sphinx that you have read about and seen pictures of ever since your schoolboy days. Don't you remember seeing pictures of the pyramids and the Sphinx in the geography you studied when a child ? And here are dozens of Bedouins, all of whom want to be the favored ones to assist us in getting to the top of this immense pile of stone. Out of this motley crowd we must select three apiece, for it is not safe or prudent to undertake the ascent without their aid, and even with their assistance we will find it a laborious under- taking, and will wish a dozen times before reaching the top that the ascent could be made by an elevator. But before we begin the ascent, suppose we sit here in the carriage for a time, and I will tell you something about these wonderful structures. The name pyramid, according to some authorities, is derived from the Egyptian word " Pi Rama," meaning " the mountain ; " others think it derived from a word meaning " wheat ;" and another, meaning "measure." Some Arabian historians claim that the pyramids were used by Joseph to store away the grain that served. the Egyptians during the seven years of famine. I think the first explanation the best of the three and perhaps the correct one. As you sit here and look at this pyr- amid you find it difficult to realize its immensity. It 162 TRAVELS IN EGYPT doesn't look to be as large as it really is. I suppose that is on account of its wonderful proportions. This one is called Cheops, after its builder. The authorities upon the subject say that it was built by Khufu or Cheops. In a recent article in Harper's magazine oy Miss Amelia B. Edwards, home secretary of the Egyptian Exploration , Fund, she says that the explorations and excavations made at Bubastes within the last few years have resulted in finding an inscription fixing the date of Khufu's reign at 4206 B. C. We are therefore looking at a monument which has been standing, just as you see it, over six thousand years. The Egyptians call it "The glorious throne of Khufu." The pyramid you see just over there about a hundred paces from this one is not so large. It is said by the same authorities to have been built by Khafra, or "Cephron," a brother of Khufu, about 4150 B. C., and the third one by Men- kaurao, or "Mycerinus," 4100 B. C. These immense structures were continually being erected by the kings of Egypt down to about the time of the Pharaohs. "After that, the kings, as well as their su bjects, seem to have preferred rock tombs or mausolea above ground." Herodotus, who wrote about 450 B. C., as before stated, says " that the stone of which this pyramid was built was brought from the quarry which we will soon visit across the Nile. More recent authorities say they were brought from up the Nile. He further states that one hundred thousand men were employed for three months annually in quarrying the blocks of stone and transporting them to the river ; another one hundred thousand ferried them across, and yet another one hundred thousand conveyed them to the base of the AND THE HOLY LAND. 163 Libyan hills ; that it took ten years to construct the road over which they were carried ; that the road was one thousand and seventeen yards in length, sixty feet in width, and its height in the highest place forty-eight feet, and that it was constructed entirely of polished stone." Diodorus Siculus, who wrote in the last century before Christ, says : " It is said that three hundred and sixty thousand men were compulsorily employed in the building of this pyramid, and that it took them ten years to complete it." An Arabian historian, Masudi, says, " that the pyra- mids were built three hundred years before the flood by Surid, in consequence of the interpretation of a dream which predicted the flood. Having been assured, himself, that the world would be re- peo- pled after the deluge, he caused the pyramids to be erected and in them deposited his treasures, the bodies of his ancestors, and records containing all the knowl- edge of his priests, etc., in order that they might be preserved for the benefit of those who should come after the flood. According to an Egyptian legend, Surid had this inscription put upon one of the pyramids. " I, King Surid, have built these pyramids and completed them in sixty-one years. Let him who comes after me and imagines he is a king to compare with me attempt to destroy them in six hundred years. It is easier to destroy than to erect. I have covered them with silk, let him dare to cover them with mats." " Professor Lepsius, to whom the world is indebted for a systematic method of utilizing fragmentary historical records, found on the walls of temples and tombs, on 164 TRAVELS IN EGYPT statues and on implements and trinkets, asks and answers the five following important questions in relation to the pyramids : " " First, how does it happen that the pyramids are of different sizes ? Second, after Cheops and Cephron had erected their gigantic mau- solea, how could their successors be satisfied with monuments so much smaller and of so different propor- tions ? Third, how is the fact to be accounted for that an unfinished pyramid is never met with ? Fourth, how could Cheops when he ascended the throne and chose an area of eighty-two thousand square yards, nearly thirteen acres, for his monument, know that his reign would be so unusually long as to enable him to complete it ? Fifth, if one of the builders of the great pyramids had died in the secdnd or third year of his reign, how could his sons or successors, however willing to carry out the plan, have succeeded in com- pleting so gigantic a task, and in erecting monuments for themselves at the same time? And how comes it that many other kings did not, like Cheops, boldly anticipate a reign of fifty years, and begin a work of the same kind, the design for which might have been so easily carried cut by his subjects ?" To all these questions the researches of Lepsius and Erbkam afford but one satisfactory answer, and to me, reader, it appears to be the most philosophical answer yet given to these questions; "Each king," says Lepsius, in his letter from Egypt, " began to build his pyramid when he ascended his throne. He began it on a small scale in order that if a short reign should be in store for him his tomb might be a complete one. As years rolled on he continued enlarging it by the addi- tion of outer coatings of stone until he felt that his AND THE HOLY LAND. 165 career was drawing to a close." If he had died before the work was completed, the last coating was then finished, and the size of the pyramid was accordingly proportioned to the length of the builder's reign, so that had the progress of these structures always been uniform, it would have almost been possible to ascer- tain the length of each king's reign from the incrusta- tions of his pyramid, in the same way as the age of a tree is determined by the number of concentric rings in its trunk." The views above expressed by these learned Egyptol- ogists give a very plausible and satisfactory answer to the series of questions asked. Another question in regard to the pyramids which has perplexed the minds of many inquirers in this field of research is, what were the pyramids built for? Some of our learned men who have visited these struct- ures,and measured the distances, angles and courses of the passages leading to the different chambers, have expressed the opinion that they were erected for astronomical purposes if erected for this purpose, why the necessity of so many in one locality ? It is more generally believed, however, in view of the strange and mysterious religious doctrines entertained by the ancient Egyptians, an outline of which I give, that the reader may understand what influences induced them to erect these stupendous mausoleums, that they were erected for other purposes. They believed in a supreme being which they called Ptah. The first great moving power, or cause, was personified and called Nun. The principle of light and the creative power of nature which implants in matter the germs of existence and light was called " Khepera," 166 TRAVELS IN EGYPT or the Scarabaeus with the sun's disk, whose emblem was the beetle. As that bug rolls up into a ball and covers over with dirt the eggs which hatch out its off- spring, so this deity was believed to have concealed within the globe of the world the germs of organic life. Ptah was regarded as the greatest of the Gods, and represents the embodiment of the organizing and motive power developed from Nun, or moisture. It is Ptah which imparts form to the germs sown by Khepera, and breaks the ball rolled along by the beetle, or, in other words, the eggs of the universe from which emerge his children, the elements and the forms of heaven and earth. B,a was a deity which was represented in seventy-five different forms. At first as Turn, the evening sun ; after sunset, during his passage through the lower hemisphere, that of night is known as Knum. He is supposed to die when he sets, and when he appears in the morning it was regarded as a new creation. Evening and night precede the morning and day, hence Amen- thes, or the dark regions, were believed to have existed before the upper regions, which formed the scene of human life. After breaking the egg of the world, the universe was thought to dissolve into three empires : Heaven (Nut) ; earth (Seb) ; and the dark regions, which were presided over by Ptah. Here, you see, was a natural division of their gods; Harmachis, the sun at sunrise ; Ra, the sun at mid- day ; Turn, the setting sun. These were supposed to be in continual warfare with the gods of darkness, Amenthes. The reader will bear in mind that I am now endeavoring to give a brief outline of the religious AND THE HOLY LAND. 167 beliefs of the Egyptians when Father Abram visited Egypt nineteen hundred yoars before the Christian era, and for centuries before that time. Moses was no doubt familiar with this mysterious religion in all of its details, as we are told that he was " learned in all their wisdom," and that was saying a .great deal, for they were at tbat time the most cultivated nation upon the face of the earth. By accompanying the departed soul through its peregrinations in the regions of Amenthes, we may form a more correct idea as to what influences prompted these ancient and learned people to erect such wonderful structures as we now see in the pyramids, sphinx and the Mastabas, which, although some five or six thousand years have elapsed, are still the grandest architectural works ever accomplished by the genius of man. Conducted by Anubis, the guide of the soul, a god represented by the figure of a man with a hawk's head, " the soul traverses the labyrinth, and by the aid of a clew, guiding it through its windings, at last penetrates to the judgment hall, where Osiris, god of time, seated on his throne, awaits it." Osiris is assisted by forty- two other gods as associate judges. They pronounce sentence in favor of or against the soul, according to its weight. The soul was regarded as consisting of soul, or sahu, the heart and the intelligence. When a man died it was believed these immortal parts of his being sepa- rated from the body and that it was only the heart which was put into the scales of divine justice with truth. The intelligence was regarded" as an emanation from the divine being. It was believed that when the soul first reached Amen- 168 TRAVELS IN EGYPT thes, the lower regions, that it had to fight with and overcome ferocious beasts ; that it had to fight with and overcome demons, storm castles and struggle with invisible powers. Its triumphs in these conflicts must be accomplished through the virtues which resided in certain charms and amulets, such as sacred texts and hymns, the scarabs, or sacred beetle, etc. These amu- lets, charms, etc., are found in every mummy case. If the heart upon being weighed was found to be lighter than truth, it was condemned to suffer the tor- ments of Amenthes or continue its existence in the bodies of animals going from the body of animal to animal for a period of three thousand years. This per- egrination or transmigration, however, was not begun nor did the soul enter the body of an animal until the body decayed, the time required for its decay being deducted from the period of 3000 years, and here we find a potent reason, not only for mummifying the body, but also for erecting costly mastabas, mausoleums, and even pyramids for their preservation. After the body decays the soul begins its three thousand or less years of transmigration, after which it appears before Osiris for a new trial. In this new trial the individual is obliged to give proof of his knowledge. Each of the forty-two judges question him in turn. He is required to tell each one his name and what it means, and must give an account of his whole life. Champollion called it the " Negative confession." The deceased addresses successively each of his judges and declares in the way of justification that he has not been guilty of such and such crimes. He does not stop, however, upon entering a plea of general denial, but asserts with all the solemnity of death which sur- AND THE HOLY LAND. 169 rounds him " that he has made to the gods the offer- ings which were their due ; that he has given food to the hungry drink to the thirsty, and clothes to the naked. " These assertions of innocehcy of crime go farther and acquaint us with some of the police regulations of those ancient people. Thus the deceased asserts that he has never intercepted the irrigating canals or pre- vented the distribution of the water of the river over the country. He declares that he has never injured the stones for mooring vessels on the river. He also declares his innocence of crimes of a religious charac- ter ; says, "he has never altered the prayers nor interpo- lated them ; " that he has never touched any of the sacred properties, such as flocks and herds, or fished for the sacred fish in the lakes of the temples, or stolen offerings from the altars. " I have not blasphemed," says the deceased; " I have not stolen, I have not treated any person with cruelty, I have not been intox- icated, I have not allowed my mouth to tell secrets, I have not wounded anyone, I have not slandered any- one." In short, he makes himself out as perfest a man, as was the ideal perfect man, Job. His heart being now weighed, it is founa as heavy as truth. The forty-two judges assert that he possesses the requisite knowledge. The great Osiris pronounces sentence, and Thoth, the recording god or angel, records it in his book, and he is allowed at last to enter into bliss. Reader, so great were the mysteries of the priesthood of the ancient Egyptians, and so intricate their reli- gious doctrines, each peculiar tenet of their faith being represented by a god or goddess, but few Egyptologists 170 TRAVELS IN EGYPT oi the day pretend to understand it in all its minutse. Every manifestation of deity in nature was worshiped through some divinity. Their faith in a hereafter was not only full and entire, but they also had a distinct idea of a process of devel- opment in a future state of being. The doctrine of the transmigration of the soul after the decay of the body gives us an insight into the rea- sonableness of mummifying the bodies of the dead, and also their reason for regarding certain animals as sacred. Judging from the pyramids, the mastabae, the resplendent tombs and sarcophagi, filled with the wealth and jewels of kings, queens and princes, one would believe they cared more for the dead than for the living. One supreme being, however, above all other deities, is worshiped as the maker and preserver of all things. The hyrnns and ritual of the dead, the belief in the transmigration of souls, in the day of judg- ment, in the trial of the soul before Osiris, all this made the future life of the ancient Egyptian almost as real as the present. " Their sacred books teach the unity and spiritu- ality of God, immorality of the soul, a final judgment, besides a morality of justice and mercy." Entertaining these views, it was necessary tnat the body, the earthly tabernacle of the soul, should be pre- served. In order, therefore, to preserve the bodies and remove them from the influence of the an nual inundations of the Nile, they were buried in the dry rocky soil of the desert ; the wealthier making rock houses, or masta- bas, in which were set the sarcophagi, or stone coffins, of the members of the family, and kings in a place worthy of a king. It is probable, therefore, that it was AND THE HOLY LAND. 171 customary to cover the rock tomb of a king with blocks of stone and raise a mound over it. But as time rolled on and kings became more and more desirous of per- petuating the memory of their reigns as well as pre- serving their dead bodies, pyramids were erected for this purpose. This is the opinion, at least, of a majority of Egyptologists who have thoroughly explored these pyramids and brought all the light to bear upon the subject to be found in the history of this people, and since my visit to them I am convinced they are cor- rect. But, reader, we are here and must climb to the top, however difficult and dangerous it may be. And let me tell you one thing, before we start, these Bedouins will begin to cry " buckshee " and beg you every step of the way up, and when we get on top they will tell us unless we pay them more than we agreed they will leave us and not assist us down. They know that the descent is per- haps even more dangerous than the ascent. We must pay no attention to their demands or their threats. They really don't mean it. They are thoroughly trained liars. They regard it more of an accomplishment than a disgrace. So here we go, a Bedouin holding to each hand, who climbs up step by step above us, pulling us after them, with another behind to give us a lift. The stones of which the pyramids are built are about three feet square and from four to six feet long. So in making the ascent you have to step up three feet at a stride. It is five hundred and sixty-eight feet up this sloping side to the top. The length of each side is seven hundred and fifty feet. The perpendicular height is four hundred and fifty-one feet. Before the apex was thrown down it was four hundred and eighty-two 172 TRAVELS IN EGYPT feet. The apex has been thrown off until the top is now twelve or fifteen feet square. Well, reader, here we are ou top of the great pyra- mid at last, and if you feel as I do you are thoroughly tired, so we will sit down and enjoy the prospect while we are resting. Here you see as far as vision can reach one broad expanse of reddish brown sand. How still, how lifeless. Not a living thing to be seen. Not a green sprig ot grass or a rustling leaf, no cheering brook or spring or running river. Not even a chirping bird or wandering insect to be seen or heard buzzing through the air. What a striking type of eternal death ; a vast, dreary, wild waste, seemingly shoreless, boundless, endless! Now, reader, turn and cast your eye over the rich lux- uriant and fertile valley of the Nile. Here you have " fields arrayed in living green and rivers of delight." Here are fields laden with green, intersected in every direction by canals, on the banks of which are stately palms, waving their feathery fan-like leaves and interlacing their shadows over the fellahin villages, perched like ant-hills on embankments or mounds. Here is life, animation ; everything looks bright, cheer- ful, hopeful. God's blessing seems to rest here, giving peace and plenty. The blight of his curse seems to rest there ; yet but a line, as it were, divides the one from the other life here, death there. If we expect to visit the chambers of this miniature mountain of stone, which measures three million fifty- seven thousand cubic yards, and weighs six million eight hundred and forty-eight thousand tons, it is time we were climbing down its steep, rugged sides. You found it, in reference to the threats of the Bedouins, as AND THE HOLY LA.ND. 173 I told you. A stranger who had not been warned would think they were going to leave him helpless, upon the summit of the pyramid, and comply with their demands, which are always exhorbitant. The usual fee or hire for two assistants is an amount equal to our fifty cents each. The two pullers pay the pusher, but nearly all travelers give them twenty-five cents apiece extra, or as " buckshee, " when they return from the chambers. On the north side of this pyramid, some fifty feet on a perpendicular from the base level, we find the entrance to the passage which leads to the interior chambers. This passage is about three feet square and descends in a straight line one hundred and six and a half yards at an angle of twenty-six degrees forty one minutes. Twenty yards from the entrance we encounter a trian- gular trap-door made of granite. It is let into the ceil- ing and kept in place by iron clamps. It is so hard that the Arabian treasure hunters cut a way around it in the softer limestone, or this was probably done by the Persians, who entered the pyramids 500 B. C. Just beyond this door we find another passage lead- ing upward at about the same angle. This downward passage terminates in a horizontal corridor twenty- seven feet in length, three feet in height, and two feet in width, which leads to the subterranean chamber, a chamber hewn in the rock upon which the pyramid is built. The east and the west sides of this chamber are forty-six feet in length. The north and south sides twenty-seven feet ; height of ceiling, ten and a half feet. The floor of this chamber is one hundred feet below the level of the stone upon which the pyramid sits. This chamber evidently was dug out in the stone and the passageway made as far as the surface before the 174: TRAVELS IN EGYPT pyramid was erected ; the passage way being continued as the work progressed. Now we will retrace our way up from this chamber back to where the ascending passage leading upwards intercepts it. We travel this way forty-one yards and enter the great hall, and now we feel thankful, for we can straighten up and take a good, full, deep breath, for we have been crawling baby fashion all this time. I don't know how you felt going down that long damp pas- sage. I felt like I was crawling down the barrel of one of those old long Choctaw rifles, expecting it to go off every minute. This great hall is twenty -eight feet high, six feet wide, and one hundred and fifty-five long. At the end of the great hall is a small horizontal passage twenty-two feet long, three feet eight inches high, which at about the middle expands into a small ante-chamber ; we pass through this and soon reach a chamber called the " Kings' chamber." The north and south sides of this chamber are seventeen feet in length. The east and west sides are thirty -four and a half feet ; height of ceiling, nineteen feet. The floor of this chamber is one hundred and thirty-nine and a half feet above the level of the plateau upon which the pyramid rests. This chamber is lined with granite and roofed with immense granite flags eighteen feet long. There is an old mutilated empty sarcophagus without a lid sitting in this chamber. Its length is seven and a half feet, width three feet three inches, height three feet four inches. Now we retrace our way to this chamber until we pass through the great hall, and then follow the horizontal passage which we saw diverging at that point. Here we are; this you will find leads us to AND THE HOLY LAND. 175 what is called the " Queens' chamber" or the "Cham- ber of the Queens." This passage, as you fully realize while crawling through it, is only three feet nine inches in height, but before reaching the chamber the floor sinks down somewhat, and the height increases to five feet eight inches. This chamber is seventeen by eighteen feet ten inches, the height twenty feet. The architect who superintended the erection of the pyramid was careful enough not to place these cham- bers one over another, as the immense superincumbent weight might have crushed them in. Another pre- caution was taken by letting the ends of slabs of stone forming the roof extend far enough over the side walls to be worked into the outside masonry. The roofs being made pointed, the ends of the slabs from each side rest against each other at the top. Then again, they placed hollow chambers above these large chambers, to make less weight immediately above them. These are not so large, and are difficult of access. In one of these cavities, when discovered by Colonel Campbell, the name of Khufu was found engraven. The notches or steps on the side of this pyramid were originally filled in with blocks of triangular stone, making the outer surface smooth. It was just as we see in the upper part of the pyramid of Cephron, which is near this. The pyramid of Cephron, being on a higher plateau, looks to be as high as Cheops, but actual meas- urements show that to the apex, which has never been disturbed, it is only four hundred and fifty feet, while Cheops was originally four hundred and eighty-two feet in height. Cheops contains stone enough to run a wall two feet thick and six feet high from Boston, Massachusetts, to San Francisco, California. 176 TBAVELS IN EGYPT The pyramid of Cephron contains several chambers, the dimensions of one of which is sixteen and one-half by forty-six and one-half feet, and twenty-two and a half feet to the ceiling. When this chamber was dis- covered by Belzoni in 1815, or about that date, it contained a sarcophagus made of granite let into the ground and filled with rubbish. The lid was broken. The entrance of the passage leading to this chamber can be seen when standing at the foot of the pyramid. It is about thirty-eight or forty feet above the base on the north side of the pyramid, as are all of the entrances to the interior chambers in all of the pyramids, i. e., they open out on the north side. This one has another entrance, the mouth of which is on a level with the base. This passage at first is at an angle of twenty -one degrees forty minutes, and reaches a trap-door, after which it runs horizontally a distance of fifty-nine feet, then ascends, terminating after a distance in all of ninety -seven feet in a corridor leading to the chamber above described. From this corridor another passage leads off to another chamber. How could these pas- sages be used for astronomical purposes ? The third large pyramid near the other two was built by Menkaura. It is smaller than the others, the perpendicular height being only two hundred and four feet, the sloping sides each two hundred and sixty-two feet. Menkaura, or My cerinus, the son of Khufu or Cheops, reigned after the death of his uncle Cephron, and built this pyramid. The sarcophagus which was found in one of the chambers was lost off the coast of Carthagena, south of Spain, with the vessel in which it was being transported to England. It was finely executed, composed of brown basalt, showing a blue AND THE HOLT LAND. 177 tint when broken. The inscription on the wooden lid, now in theJJritish museum, reads as follows : " Osiris, King Menkaura, ever living, who art descended from heaven, who wast born under the heart of Nut and heir of the sun. Thy mother, Nut, spreads herself over thee in her name, which is the mystery of heaven. She has granted thee to be like a god annihilating thy enemies. King Menkaura, ever living." Herodotus says Menkaura built this pyramid, and the discovery of the sarcophagus and this wooden lid with the above quoted inscription confirms it. Let me say to the young reader of these pages that there is a difference of opinion entertained by Egyptologists as to the date of the erection of these pyramids, growing out of an inability to determine the number of years to be included in a dynasty, or the length of time a family reigned. If only one member of a family reigned at a time the sum of years of a dynasty would extend over a longer period of time necessarily than if two or more of the same family were kings over different sections or provinces of Egypt, at the same time. If, for instance, the families or dynasties of the Thinites and Memph- ites and others reigned in succession and their reigns be simply added together, the sum which results would be large and run dates much farther back than if it be assumed, as is done by Manetho, that several of the same family reigned cotemporaneously in different parts of the country. This difference of opinion renders uncertain not only the exact time the pyramids were built, but it also throws a doubt or uncertainty as to when old Memphis was founded by Menes, who is regarded as the first 178 TRAVELS IN EGYPT earthly king of Egypt, all others prior to him being considered mythical. The priest Manetho, who was said to have been born at Sebennytus, where the interesting modern town of Semen nud ( a densely packed mass of low mud hovels), now stands, being acquainted with the Greek language, was employed by King Ptolemy II B. C. 2S4-Si46 to translate the ancient historical works preserved in the temples. " This history enjoyed a high reputation at a later period, but was lost with the exception of his lists of the kings and their dates, which has been partly transmitted to us by Josephus and partly by Christian historians." Mariette, adopting Manetho's dates, places the date of the building of the three great pyramids which I have imperfectly described at something over four thousand years before the present era, while Professor Lepsius, the distinguished German Egyptologist, who was president of the Prussian expedition and who has made' several important discoveries and found no fewer than thirty pyramids which had been unknown to previous travel- ers, fixes the date at 3124/B. C. Sir Gardner Wilkinson fixes it at 2450 B.C., so that, according to the most recent date preferred by those who have investigated and studied this question, fixes the build ing of these wonderful colossal piles of stone at over four thousand years ago. The recent discovery at Bubastes, before men- tioned, sets all these dates back at least eight hundred years, which would place the date of the building of the pyramids at not less than five thousand years ago. If my readers have had their curiosity excited by what I have told them of the pyramids, and they desire AND THE HOLY LAND. 179 to learn more of the particulars of these world- wide wonders, they will find Dr. Ford's work on the " Pyra- mids " very interesting, although I differ in opinion with the Doctor as to the purposes for which they were built. About six hundred paces east of the second pyramid we find the Sphinx. Until recently, the head, neck and a small part of the back was all of the Sphinx that could be seen, the balance being covered by the ever-shifting sand of the desert. The greater part of the body and all the trunk down to the stone upon which rest the paws of the lion can now be seen. The Sphinx, like the pyramids, because it stands as they do on a vast plain of sand, with no object near it by which a comparison could be made, looks much smaller than it really is. The Sphinx measures from the slab upon which its fore-paws rest to the top of the head, seventy-four feet. It is a huge crouched lion, ninety feet long and seventy- four feet high, having a woman's face. This woman's face measures thirteen feet across. The ears are four and one-half feet long, the nose five feet seven inches, and the mouth seven feet seven inches. Think of a mouth seven feet seven inches long, and belonging to a woman ! Jerusalem ! I would love to hear her shout she would count for two at a camp-meeting. If you stand upon the upper part of the ear you can not stretch your hand as far as the crown of the head. The face is now very much mutilated and defaced, the nose being entirely destroyed. It is a shame that the face of this celebrated monument of antiquity should have been used by the barbarous Mamelukes for a target in the thirteenth century of the present era. 180 TRAVELS IN EGYPT These blacks were purchased b\ T the sultans of Egypt and trained as soldiers for the purpose of forming their body-guard, and to act as a nucleus of an army. The Arabs call the Sphinx Abulhoe, i. e., Father of Terror ( I don't see why they don't call it " Mother of Terror," except that they think it would be too great a compliment to women), or formerly " Belhit," signifying a person who carries his heart or his intelli- gence in his eyes, or "the watchful." They believed that the figure possesses the supernatural power of pre- venting the sand of the desert from encroaching upon their arable lands. In 1817, Caviglia, a bold but uneducated seaman, partially excavated the Sphinx, but since then the entire body has been excavated by Mariette. When partially excavated by Caviglia an inscription was found back under the breast of the lion, bearing the date of the reign of Thothmes the Third, of the eight- eenth dynasty, about 1600 B. C. In 1843, however, it was pointed out by Lepsius that the Sphinx must have been founded earlier than that date. As the Sphinx lies nearly in a line with the pyramid built by Cephron, it was not unnaturally thought that he was the founder of both. This opinion seems to have been confirmed by the discovery of the rock statue of Cephron in the granite temple adjoining the Sphinx. It was founded by Cephron, and dates back to the period of his reign, i. pictures of scenes, places, objects, etc., once impressed upon it, remain perpetually photographed thereon ; and by the power of speech and the use of that faculty of the mind called " imagination " dupli- cates of these pictures (more or less imperfect, I con- fess) may be conveyed from mind to mind, as the photographer prints many pictures from one and the same negative. I trust in reading the foregoing pages you have not only learned many useful facts, but that I have also been enabled to impress upon your mind scenes of countries, cities, old ruins, and monuments of antiquity, that the recollection of them may be a source of pleasure to yo*u in the years to come. Now, if you will stand with me on the deck of our steamer as she lies at anchor in the quiet blue waters of the Mediterranean off the coast of Palestine opposite the old far-famed city of Joppa, I will try to draw the outlines of a picture upon the trestle board of your mind, which I trust may never be dimmed during your probationary pilgrimage in this life. Yea, more. Let me ask our common Heavenly Father to so impress the picture of this earthly Canaan upon your mind and heart that it will only fade and pass away when replaced by a vision of the brighter and more glorious heavenly Canaan above. 274 AND THE HOLY LAND. 275 The mellow gray dawn of morning is just being brightened and lit up with the roseate tints of the rising sun as it climbs slowly but grandly and majestic- ally over the Judean hills. See how those grand old mountains of Judah and Benjamin take shape and form a,nd reflect back a cheery greeting as their hoary summits are kissed by the first rays of the rising sun. Now the darkness and gloom which precedes the dawn of day has been dispelled and we have spread out before us this bright beautiful spring morning the land of Palestine, the Holy Land, the Land of Promise. This is the land of the patriarchs, the land of prophets and prophecy, the land of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob ; the land which gave us a Savior, a Redeemer ; the land that gave birth to Him " who spoke as never man spake;" the land that gave to man knowledge of the true and living God ; the land that gave to man God's revelation of himself ; a revelation that will continue to unfold and reveal new truths, new promises, and new comforts to fallen man till time shall be no more. One has said of this land that u its very hills and mountains, its rocks, rivers and fountains, are symbols and pledges of things far better than themselves. It is true it is now a land of solitary hills, plains and mouldering ruins ; these, however, vindicate the truth of God and rebuke the pride of man. It is a land where trees speak parables and brambles allegories, while little sparrows sing hymns to the happy, and lilies give lessons of comfort and wisdom to the poor/' Those grand old mountains standing like so many fortresses bound on the east the valley of Sharon. That little village sitting on the water's edge and reclining as one asleep on the side of the hill, which 276 TRAVELS IN EGYPT gradually rises to the height of one hundred and fifty or more feet, is the old, old city of Joppa. As you run your eye up the coast, seemingly near by we see the old time-honored mount of Elijah, Mount Carmel, projecting its rugged crest into the valley. Now turn south, and in the distance you see the old city of Gaza. Tlfese are the landmarks of the great valley of Sharon, the former home of the Philistines, with whom the children of Israel had so many hard-fought battles in the years long gone by. This is the land of Israel, the chosen people of God ; the land of which the Lord said unto Abraham, the father of the faithful, "Arise, walk through the land, in the length of it, and in the breadth of it, for I will give it unto thee. For all the land which thou seest to thee will I give it and to thy seed forever." If this is to be understood literally, it has yet to be fulfilled ; and many theologians and bible scholars so think, and believe, that the Jews will yet be restored to the promise land again, as before, and dwell together there as a distinct nationality. Others perhaps with more consistency interpret this and other like prophe- cies by the aid of the scriptures as recorded in the 3d, llth and other chapters of the Hebrews ; and also in the 3d chapter of Galatians, as not referring to a literal res- toration of this people to *he land of Palestine. I leave these vexed questions for the D. D.'s to settle. This is Palestine. Take the landscape on your mind and carry it with you all through the remaining years of your life. For it has witnessed scenes nowhere else enacted on this earth of ours. Here come the Oriental hacks (little boats), and AND THE HOLY LAND. 277 among them one which has floating from, its bow the stars and stripes, the flag of our country, which was hailed with hats off by a hearty hurrah. Those who have never been out of their native land can scarcely conceive, or imagine, with what pleasure they will greet the flag of their country when traveling in foreign lands. Our company had read of the dangerous coast of Palestine, especially the danger of attempting to go ashore in small boats when the sea was rough. The Mediterranean is like a bad-tempered woman, it can get up a little storm at any time and on short notice. All along the coast large boulders extend out into the sea covered to various depths with the restless water, against which vessels are dashed to pieces dur- ing the prevalence of the frequent storms which occur here. Less than twelve months preceding our visit, some six or eight vessels were driven ashore here during a storm and dashed to pieces against these hidden bould- ers, and many lives lost. But now the sea is as calm and quiet as heart could wish. Mr. Kolla Floyd and his corps of assistants came aboard, took charge of our' baggage, and leading off in the little boat, unfurling the American flag to the breeze, conducted our grateful party ashore. We landed in the custom-house, in the old city of Joppa, which lies nestled on the shore like a sleeping infant in the arms of maternal love, young in size, but old in history and fame. You will find a great many of the names of these old cities spelled and pronounced differently by different people and at different periods. For instance, we find this place spelled Jaffa, Jaffe, Joppa, Japho, and now 278 TRAVELS IN EGYPT by the natives Yafa. A pretty little town of fifteen hundred or two thousand inhabitants, it lies at the foot of a rock one hundred and sixteen feet in height. Except some modern buildings erected by Europeans, the houses are low, one-story, flat-roofed structures, built of tufa stone, a soft or porous stone formed by depositions from water, usually calcareous. The streets are narrow, crooked, and filthy beyond description. The old town itself is of more interest to the traveler than the scriptural localities pointed out, on account of the uncertainty which pertains to the latter. When you have passed through the custom-house where you have to go and exhibit your baggage, you have to walk up the hill, on the sloping side of which the town is built to the hotel, there being no hacks, carriages, or omnibuses kept for the accommodation of travelers as in our country. Even baggage is carried from the custom-house to the hotel on the backs of a class of men who supply the place of baggage wagons, drays, etc. When the baggage of our company was being carried to the hotel I saw one of these men loaded with four steamer trunks, a greater burden than we would impose upon a mule. The only wonder is, how- ever, that they don't make the women do this work, as every other kind of hard labor and degrading occu- pation seems to be imposed upon the women. Leaving the hotel we follow our guide who will con- duct us to the reputed site of Simon, the tanner's house. We go back down the street we came up from the quay, until we reach a small open square which is called here the bazaar or market place ; here we find old Arab women sitting around on the ground with their baskets of vegetables, fruits or wares before AND THE HOLY LAND. 279 them, men with their donkeys or camels loaded with the products of the country, children and dogs, making a motley set. On the north side of the plaza we enter a narrow street we would call it an alley which leads off in a northwest direction, a gate once stood here at the entrance of this street, called the Jerusalem Gate. This street is about ten feet in width, very crooked, and reeking with filth. It is enough to take all the romance out of the tourist to go along a street like this, I am sure. This one we find crowded from one end to the other with old broken down Arab men, old hags of women, half-clad and nude children, dogs, donkeys, and all sorts and sizes of beggars. These Arabs seem to think they are complimenting a stranger by asking for Backshee. If in truth it is so intended, they are the most complimentary people to be any- where found. At the far end of the street we come to a t\vo-roomed one-story building situated at the water's edge. This is a Latin hospice and was founded in 1654, and from that period tradition points it out as occupy- ing the site of the house of Simon the "tanner." The scriptures read as follows : " And now send to Joppa and call for one Simon whose surname is Peter. He lodgeth with one Simon, a tanner, whose home is by the seaside." This hospice is by the seaside, as are many other houses all along the coast here. This, however, and a tradition since 1654, leaving a silent period of nearly sixteen hundred years before that time, is all the evidence furnished of its being Simon's house. We will go through the east room to the rear of the house, up a rude stone stairway, to the top, where, if it was Simon's house, Peter fell into a trance and saw heaven open, and a certain vessel descending unto him, 280 TRAVELS IN EGYPT as if it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners and let down to the earth. " Wherein were all manner of four-footed beasts of the earth," etc. The rear of this building adjoins a light-house and from the top of the building we get a very pretty view of the sea. A large fig tree which has grown up near the wall of the house spreads its branches over the roof, which, if it were there when Peter was on the house top, afforded him a nice shady place to take his noonday nap while waiting for dinner, as he says he was. I call your attention to the door sils and lintel of the rear door of the room through which we passed in going to the rear of the building. They are of fine marble. The door sill is worn down more than half through its thickness in the center. It is said these two slabs of marble are all that is left of the original house of Simon. If his house was constructed of material like this and corresponded with these two slabs, Simon must have resided in a fine dwelling, and lived sumptuously every day, and I expect he did, as Peter was lodging with him for a few days. Brother Peter, you know, was a preacher of the gospel and was stopping in Joppa, and it is reasonable to suppose that he would stop where he could get the best accommodation. This custom prevails to a considerable extent, even to the present day, you know. Somewhere along this coast, near or at all events not far from where we now are, the cedar and fir wood cut on Mount Lebanon and used in building Solomon's temple was landed, being brought from Lebanon to Joppa in floats and carried overland to Jerusalem. AND THE HOLY LAND. 281 Here Jonah, son of Amittai, got aboard a vessel, paid his passage, full rates, and tried to get over to Tarshish. The Lord had told him to go to Ninevah, that great city, and cry against it, but Jonah fled from the pres- ence of the Lord. That was a strange idea those ancient people had. They seemed to think if they went from a country having a certain form of religion they could leave behind them all religious obligations, and be free to adopt the system of religion of the country unto which they went. Jonah thought by running away from Palestine and going over to Tarshish that he could get away from God and the duty which God required at his hands. But it is a good deal the same way now. A Baptist will move into a Methodist neighborhood and, Chameleon-like, turn Methodist, or a Methodist under like conditions will be a Baptist, or Presbyterian, or a reformer, or something, or anything, that happens to be popular in that immediate neighborhood. Their religious faith seems to be very unstable and latitudin- arian in its nature, to say the least made out of India rubber, I guess j it's convenient, at all events. But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken, etc. Fear seized the crew, "and every man prayed to his god." People do the same now. Let death come and stare a man in the face and you will see him calling upon God to help him and save him, if he never prayed before. Then they lightened the ship by throwing the wares, etc., overboard. But this didn't seem to do any good; so they finally come to the conclusion that it was a disaster sent upon them for the evil-doing or sin of some one on board 282 TRAVELS IN EGYPT the vessel. So they cast lots and the lot fell upon Jonah, and at his own request they cast him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. Jonah was evidently sea-sick and didn't care whether he lived or died, so he told the sailors ' to take him up and cast him overboard.' The scriptures further tell us that the Lord prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah " and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights." The strange thing about that event to me is how that fish could swim around for three days and nights with one hundred and twenty-five or one hun- dred and thirty pounds of sea-sickness in his stomach before thro wing it up. I couldn't keep even half a pound of anything in mine when I was sea-sick. Jonah tells us that he was in very uncomfortable quarters during that time and that he did some responsible praying. I have often wondered if Jonah in this instance was not like the majority of mankind, put off praying until he got into trouble or danger. I guess those three days and nights were the longest days and nights of Jonah's life, and when that fish vomited him up on dry land Jonah was a changed man. He was very willing to do now what God commanded him to do at first. If God was to punish his people in these days as he did Jonah for disobedience, I wonder how manv of us would be riding around in the Mediterra- / o nean or the Atlantic in our fish steamers? The site of the former residence of Dorcas, or Tabi- tha, whom Peter raised from the dead, as recorded in the scriptures, is pointed out, although the traditional site dates back to a much more ancient period. A church called St. Peter's, located on the south side of the town, was said as early as the eighth century to AND THE HOLY LAND. 283 occupy the site of her house. Some old walls also on the east side of the town are now shown the tourist as being the site of her house. The truth is, it is not now known where the house of Simon, the tanner, or the house of Tabitha was located. As before stated, there is but little of interest to be seen at Joppa except the site of the old city itself, which was given to the tribe of Dan in the division of the land by Joshua. "When the king- dom was established under David, it became the port of Jerusalem. As we leave Joppa for Jerusalem, which we do in second-grade hacks kept for the purpose by tourists' agents, we drive through beautiful gardens of orange, lemon, pomegranate, apricot and other tropical fruits, until we reach the plain of Sharon. These orchards can only be seen through the gaps and breaks in the high cactus hedge which flank each side of the road for some distance out from the town, that is, from one and a half to two miles. These orchards and gardens are irrigated by means of water-wheels or water-mills, as you may please to call .them water being found everywhere at a moderate depth. After passing these orchards and gardens we come into the lovely valley of Sharon, which in the spring, the season I passed through it, is covered with a variety of wild flowers ; the rose of Sharon being in great pro- fusion. To see this valley at this season of the year you do not wonder that Solomon made it a theme of song, for it is one of nature's flower gardens. The valley is from twenty to twenty-five miles Vide, reaching from the sea east to the foot of the mountains of Judah and Benjamin. Soon after 284 TRAVELS IN EGYPT entering the valley we pass on the right some exten- sive modern brick buildings. This is a Jewish agri- cultural school, established by Charles Netler, of Paris, France, in 1869. Leaving this we pass on the left a modern Arab vil- lage, thought to be on the site of ancient Hazarshual. The village is situated on an eminence or sandy ridge in the valley. This is where Sampson lived when he took revenge on the Philistines by catching three hun- dred foxes and, tying their tails together two and. two and putting a fire-brand between them, and set them on fire and turned them loose in the ripe wheat fields of the Philistines and burned them up. This looks to us as a bad thing for Sampson to have done, but he said : " Now shall I be more blameless than the Philis- tines, though I do them a displeasure." " Displeasure " is certainly a very mild way to put it. The next place of any importance is Ramleth, four- teen miles from Joppa. And, reader, here we see a deplorable sight. Here about twenty lepers crouched down by the roadside, poor, despised, forsaken creatures. Some this dreadful disease has made blind, others have no nose, others the hands have fallen off. They gather in here to beg. Listen to the unearthly gutteral nasal sound which comes up through their hollow palateless throats. It is enough to excite the sympathy of the most heartless, unfeeling wretch that bears human form. Death certainly would be a mercy to these poor crea- tures. It appears that they have been perpetuated in this land and especially around Jerusalem from the remotest antiquity. It is not confined to this par- ticular locality, however. Other countries are afflicted with this horrible, loathsome disease to as great an AND THE HOLY LAND. 285 extent as Palestine. I made particular inquiries in regard to this disease in Palestine, and was informed that it was gradually on the decrease. I will have more to tell you about this unfortunate class of humanity when we reach Damascus. Before reaching Ramleth we crossed the grade of a railroad now being constructed from Joppa to Jeru- salem. But from the way they are building the grade I think Gabriel will blow his horn to wind up things in this little world before they complete it. The earth to make the road-bed is spaded up by Arab men and put in baskets, which the women take up and carry on their heads or shoulders and pour out on the grade ; it looks like children's play. Ramleth is quite a nice town for this country. It has about twenty-five hundred or three thousand inhabitants, or thereabout. One-third are Latin and Greek Catholics. It is surrounded by luxuriant orchards, which, in connection with the thrifty growth of the olive, sycamore and Corab trees, show conclusively the fertility of the soil. We are now fourteen miles from Joppa on the road leading directly to Jerusalem. In looking over this plain as we come you see that this pretty valley of Sharon is not a level plain. In every direction are ele- vated plateaus varying in extent or area. These differ from what we would call ridges, the ascent being more abrupt, and when you have reached the top of the elevated plateau it spreads out as a pretty level, unbroken plain before you. Ramleth is the traditional Arimathae. You remem- ber it is said in Matthew ''that in the evening of the day our Lord was crucified there came a rich man of Arima- 286 TRAVELS IN EGYPT thea named Joseph who was a disciple of Jesus, and went to Pilate and begged the body of Jesus. And Pilate commanded the body to be delivered unto him, and he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth and laid it in his own new tomb which he had hewn out in the rock, etc." This custom of preparing a tomb while living in which to be buried when dead is still kept up in Palestine. When we reach Jerusalem I will show you what I believe to be Calvary and a tomb wherein I believe Joseph of Arimathea laid the body of our Lord and Savior. Now, whether this pretty little town now called Hamleth be located on the site of the old Arimathea where this good man Joseph lived or not, we don't know. The bible doesn't tell us just where the town was. Tra- dition says it was here, and by common consent it is conceded that this was its location. We will now visit that great stone tower which we passed on our right a few hundred yards before reach- ing the town. This stone tower is claimed by the Mohammedans to have been built by the son of Caliph Omar, the second Caliph from Mohammed ; but it is more generally believed and probably more justly thought to have been built as a part of a Christian church erected by the Franks; whether about the time of the crusades or ante- dating that period is a fact undetermined. Near this tower may be traced the quadrangular walls of an ancient building which was about six hundred paces in circumference. The mosque or church, for it, like the mosque of Saint Sophia at Constantinople, may have been used as a church and then again as a mosque, was AND THE HOLY LAND. 287 repaired in the time of Saladin, 1190, and about the same time Sultan Bibars added a dome and minaret. The present tower looks as though it was erected- for a minaret. Various openings in and around the ground floor of the old building leading to vaults beneath show that the whole of the ground here was undermined with subterranean chambers. There is a tradition to the effect that there are forty companions of one of the Caliphs, or, if the Christian version of the matter is to be believed, forty Christian martyrs repose in these subterranean chambers. Near the remains of this old mosque or church, as the case may be, is a large cemetery. In the center of the remains of the court of the church is the remains of a fountain. The tower is ascended by a winding staircase of one hundred and twenty stone steps on the interior. The steps are very much worn, but well lighted by openings through the wall. The upper part of the tower tapers, and near the top is a low narrow door opening out onto a balcony, from which we get a magnificent view of the whole surrounding country. Here we have spread out before us and all around us the valley of Sharon. In the distance, to the west we see the valley is bounded by the silvery band of the Mediterranean, which can be seen as far as the moun- tain range, Carmel on the north and Gaza on the south; while in the east, in full view, are the blue but barren hills of Judea, to which you will find distance lends enchantment. "Within this radius we find a nest of scriptural towns, which I will now take pleasure in pointing out to you, 288 TRAVELS IN EGYPT and at the same time give you the scriptural reference to them. You see that elevated little piece of ground a little east of south ? Take your field glass, and you can see an Arab village on the highest point of it. That is Ashdod-. In the days of old a battle occurred at Eben- ezer, not far from Shiloh, between the children of Israel and the Philistines. The children of Israel hav- ing been defeated, losing about four thousand men, the Israelites sent to Shiloh and had the Ark of the Cove- nant of the Lord brought to them, believing that it would save them out of the hands of their enemies. In the second engagement, however, the Philistines were again successful. " Israel was smitten, and every man fled unto his tent. And there was a very great slaughter, for there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot men. And the Philistines took the Ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to- Ashdod" the place we are now looking at. The Ark of the Covenant of God proved to be a white elephant to the Philistines. They brought it over there to Ashdod and put it in the house of Dagon, their god, and set it by Dagon. I infer from the read- ing of the scriptural account that they set it by Dagon in the afternoon, for it says, " And when they of Ashdod rose early on the morrow, behold ! Dagon was fallen on his face to the earth before the Ark of the Lord." Not being satisfied with this exhibition of God's dis- pleasure, they took his majesty and set him in his place again. And when they went early the next morning to see about him, he had fallen to the ground before the Ark and cut off his head and the palms of both hands on the threshold. " Only the stem of Dagon was left AND THE HOLT LAND. 289 to him." That gave the priests and worshipers of Dagon such a scare that they were ever afterwards afraid to tread on the threshold of Dagon. This was but the beginning of the troubles and disasters, however, which befell this people for bring- ing the Ark of the Covenant into their country. For the hand of the Lord was heavy upon the people of Ashdod, and many of them died. All the people around the place were sorely afflicted with hemorrhoids, to such an extent, in fact, that they said that the Ark of the God of Israel should not abide with them. " They sent therefore and called the lords of the Philistines and asked them what should be done with the Ark of the God of Israel." And the lords told them to let the Ark be carried to Gath, the village you see on the plateau to the right, or just west of Ashdod. That is where the boasting giant Goliah lived. You remember him. He was a regular Sullivan of a fellow, thought he could clean up Saul and his whole army. As we go to Jerusalem I will show you where tradi- tion says this little encounter between the giant and the little Jew boy occurred. But I must tell you what troubles and afflictions were visited upon the Philistines on account of the presence of the Ark. After they moved it over there to Gath the " hand of the Lord was against the city with a very great destruction and he smote the men of the city, both small and great." And they too suffered with the same disease the Ashdodites had done. So they moved it again and carried it to Ekron, a few miles south of Gath. Josephus tells us that the god of Ekron was a " fly." That was a funny deity, " a fly." Of all the gods I ever heard of, this is the most insignifi- 290 TRAVELS IN EGYPT cant and annoying. We see people now-a-days who worship very small gods, but their worship aspires to a higher object than this. But these people would have none of it. They cried out, saying, " They have brought about the Ark of Israel to us to slay us and our people." So they gath- ered all the lords of the Philistines, and said, " Send away the Ark of the God of Israel and let it go again to its own place, that it slay us not and our people, for there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city. The hand of the Lord was very heavy there." It had now been in the land of the Philistines seven months. The Philistines called on the priests and diviners, and consulted them as to what to do with the Ark. And they said, " If ye send away the Ark of the God of Israel, send it not empty ; but in anywise return him a trespass offering." Then they said, What shall be the trespass offering which we shall return to him ? They answered, " Five golden emerods and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Phil- istines, for one plague was on you all and on your lords." It appears that their crops had been injured by wood mice, consequently golden mice were added to the trespass offering. The priests and diviners advised them to make a new cart, and take two milch kine on which there hath been no yoke, and tie the kine to the cart and bring their calves home from them." So they took their advice, and made a new cart and laid the Ark upon it, and put the trespass offering in a coffer and set it by the Ark. The priests and diviners told them further, " If, when the cows were turned loose with the cart, they took the straight road that led AND THE HOLY LAND. 291 to Bethshemesh, and went lowing as they went, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left, that they might know that their afflictions were sent upon them. But if not, then they might know that it is not his hand that smote them but that it was a chance that happened to them. The men of Philistia did as they were told, and when the cows were turned loose with the cart they took the straight way to Bethshemesh and went along the highway, lowing as they went, turning neither to the right nor left. And the lords of the Philistines went after them to the border of Bethshemesh. Some of the people of Bethshemesh were harvesting their wheat in the valley, and, lifting up their eyes, saw the Ark coming and rejoiced to see it. The cows carried the cart with the Ark on it into the fields of Joshua (a Bethshemite.) and stopped where there was a great stone. When the five lords saw that the covvg had stopped they returned to Ekron. These Bethshemites, it seems, had a good deal of curi- osity and looked into the Ark of the Lord, and as a consequence fifty thousand and seventy men were killed, and they said, " Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God ? " So they sent messengers to Kirjath- jearim, informing the people that the Philistines had brought the Ark of the Lord, and requested them to dome and get it. The citizens of Kirjath-jearim went down and got the Ark of the Lord and carried it up to the house of Abinadab, up in the hills of Judea, and sanctified Eleazar, his son, to keep it. And here it remained for twenty years. "We are still on the tower of Ramleth, with our faces to the south. Now if you will look to your left, that TRAVELS IN EGYPT is, a little east of south, you will see Gezer, a Canaan- ish town, which Pharaoh, king of Egypt, came up and took and burned and then gave it to his daughter, Solomon's wife. Solomon afterward rebuilt the city of Gezer. Looking still further east just north of Gezer we see where old Gimzo stood. There is an Arab village there now, you can see it in the distance. Our route to Jeru- salem, however, runs between Gezer on the right and Gimzo on the left, and as we ride on to Jerusalem on the morrow we will have a better view of both these historic places. This city was taken from the Israelites by the Phil- istines in the reign of the wicked and idolatrous King Ahaz. Now turn around and look just over there north and you will see the city of Lydda (ancient Lod). It is only a couple of miles off. The first city of which we have any account of being built there was called Lod and was erected fourteen hundred j^ears B.C. by the sons of Elpaal. You know on one occasion Peter came down to Lydda to " see the saints that dwelt there," and found a poor paralyzed man named ^Eneas, who had been bedridden eight years, and the apostle healed him in the name of Jesus Christ, saying to him, " Arise and make thy bed," and he arose immediately. It was while Peter was here that they sent two men for him to go speedily to Joppa to see Dorcas. She was dead, however, when he got there, " but Peter put them all forth and kneeled down and prayed, and, turning him- self to the body, said, Tabitha, arise, and she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. He called the saints and widows and presented her to them alive." AND THE HOLT LAND. 293 This is the only instance on record that we know of where the Lord ever conferred a special blessing upon an " old maid." By raising our eyes from off the town of Lydda and casting them far up the plain we can see Mount Car- mel. But as we will be near this celebrated mountain, perhaps at it, as we go from Jerusalem to Damascus, I will not detain you upon this tower to talk about it. I trust you have enjoyed looking at the sites of these old scriptural towns, which in the scriptures are called cities. And as you see them now, built by piling rough stone one upon another, as we would build a rock fence, and then daubing it .with mortar, in like manner they were built in the old bible days. You perhaps noticed that all these Arab houses are built upon mounds, just as we saw in Egypt. These mounds are created in the same way, by the melting down or disintegration of former buildings which stood on the same site. The accommodations for tourists at Kamleth are fairly good. After leaving Ramleth we travel for some eight or ten miles over the red, gravelly soil of the valley of Sharon before reaching the foot of the Judean hills. A few miles out from Ramleth we passed Gimzo on our left and Gezer on the right. Gezer was a royal Canaanitish city on the frontier of the tribe of Ephraim. Ephraim allowed the Canaanites to dwell in Gezer, not- withstanding the city was apportioned to him. At about six or seven miles we cross the valley of Ajalon. We frequently hear people say "that some of the stories in the old bible they don't believe." For instance, they will say, "I don't believe the story about 294 TRAVELS IN EGYPT Jonah and the great fish, and I don't believe the story about Sampson and the foxes, nor that the sun and moon stood still at Joshua's command." And yet their own life to live is a far greater mystery and a much more wonderful exhibition of God's omnipotent power than either or all of the three narrations objected to. Header, if you slept as long and as soundly as I did at Kamleth in the Latin monastery last night you were, so far as any consciousness of your own existence was concerned, as though you were dead for eight hours. Is it any more of an incredulous phenomenon for the Lord to stop the earth in its diurnal revolution upon its axis for one day, or even longer, for the scriptures tell us that Joshua u spake to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered the Amorites, etc." I say, is it any more strange or incredulous than that your heart should dilate and contract with a far greater exactness of regularity than the tick of your watch, sending a rich stream of life-blood through every mi- croscopical atom of your body, making its round or circuit seventy times a minute, or four thousand two hundred times an hour, or thirty-three thousand two hundred times while you are asleep and wholly uncon- scious that you had a heart; when your judgment was at rest and your will held in captivity ? And would you say to me, " I don't believe it," were I to say to you that during that'eight hours sleep, while my body was resting and being prepared for another day's labor, my mind took an eight-thousand-mile journey across the continent of Europe, the Mediterranean sea and the stormy Atlantic, leaving the electric spark which flew along the submerged wires of the Atlantic Cable Company far behind,crept into my far-away happy AND THE HOLY LAND. 295 home and there received new pictures of the dear ones at home and showed them to me in all their beautifully clear delineations and endearing associations the moment I awoke ? Can you deny this when your own experience confirms the truth ? And yet you say you don't believe that God commands and controls the universe and the laws by which the universe of his own creation is governed ? Are you not permitting yourself to strain at a gnat and swallow a camel? u The world is His, for He made it." The valley of Ajalon, like the so-called valleys around Jerusalem, are for the most part what we would call ravines, or water drains, in the wet season of the year, and Ajalon is a depression in the vale of Sharon, near the foot of the hills with a water drain running through it. The occasion of the moon standing still in this valley and the sun upon Gibeon, which is a valley over and at the foot of a hill which rises just east of Ajalon, is exceedingly interesting. Let me relate it. Five Amoritish kings had com- bined forces and made war upon the Gibeonites, because Joshua had entered into league with them. The Gibeonites played it sharp on Joshua and his princes. Hearing what Joshua had done for Jericho and Ai and their kings, they sent embassadors to Joshua's headquarters at Gilgal. They made these embassadors dress in old worn-out clothes, take old sacks to put on their donkeys, and old rent and bound-up wine bottles (their wine bottles were made of skins of animals) and dry mouldy bread, and old dilapidated sandals, and they represented to Joshua that they came from a very far country, that they lived a long way off ; but, having heard of Joshua and the success of his 296 TEAVELS IN EGYPT army, not only at Jericho and Ai, but also on the east side of the Jordan, they said they had been sent to him by their people to make a league with him. Joshua, being deceived by these men as to their place of habitation, entered into a league with them, promis- ing immunity from hostilities, etc. Joshua soon found he had committed a blunder in this. The Gibeonites being one of the strong tribes of Canaan, occupied one of its greatest cities. To punish them for the misrepresentations and duplicity, Joshua put them in bondage and made them " hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation of Israel." When the five Amoritish kings moved their com- bined forces and encamped before the city of Gibeon, the Gibeonites sent word to Joshua to come up quickly and help them, saying " all the kings of the Amorites had gathered against them." As soon as Joshua heard this, he made a forced march by night and surprised the enemy and " slew them with a great slaughter before Gibeon," putting them to route, chasing them along the way that led from Gibeon to that mountain which I showed you yonder on the far left Beth-horon. While fleeing before Joshua's victorious army, when nearing Azekah, the Lord sent a terrific hailstorm from heaven "upon them and they died." We are told that more of them were killed by the hailstones than were killed by the sword. It was while Joshua and his army were engaged in this running fight that he asked the Lord to prolong the day by making the moon to stand upon Ajalon and the sun to stand still upon Gibeon part of his army being in one place and the remainder in the other that a decisive victory might be gained. AND THE HOLY LAND. 297 We next come to the Hotel Latron, where we get a fairly good lunch and rest for an hour. Just beyond the hotel we pass a small village by the same name There is a magnificent spring here of good, sweet water Our road now enters the " Wady All," a mount- ain gorge which comes down between the mountains. This valley widens out as we ascend it, and, after riding a mile or so on the side of the mountain the gorge or valley being to one side of us we leave the valley and soon come to a grove of Terebinth and fruit trees, called "the trees of the Inman AH," with an adjoining spring. The hills here are covered with undergrowth, among which you see the wild olive and Carob trees. The Carob tree resembles our wild honey locust. From this point we turn north up the hill for a short distance, and then east again, going up and down hills, going up a great deal more than down, however. After riding a few miles we see a small village on the north side of a hill to the right and below us. This is Abu Gosh, named for a notorious robber chief, who, with six brothers and eighty -five descendants, were a terror for a number of years to this whole section of country, especially to pilgrims ; and the muleteers, I am told, still fear to pass the castles of this notorious family. These castles, or the village of Abu Gosh, is located on the site of old Kirjath-jearim, where, as before stated, the Ark of God remained twenty years, and was car- ried from there by David to Jerusalem. At Kirjath-jearim we enter the land given the tribe of Benjamin, and a little further, on from the top of a hill, Mizpah, or, as it is now called, Neby Samwie, may be distinctly seen (a village on the top of the highest peak in this part of Palestine.) 298 TRAVELS IN EGYPT A very sad occurrence took place at Mizpah about 1250 B. C. At the time I speak of, a Gibeonite, a mighty man of valor, was living there. He had been driven from his father's house by his brethren, because his mother was " a strange woman." He was a married man, having an only child, a gay, happy daughter. Trouble, war and oppression came upon his father's house and his people. The Amorites were gathering their forces and waging war on the Gibeonites. The latter were without a leader, and in the emergency they thought of Jephthah, whom they had driven from his father's house, and sent the elder men of the family to see him and beg him to return and take command of their army. Jephthah finally consented to do so, " and vowed a vow unto the Lord, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands, then it shall be, that what- soever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the Lord's, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering." This was a rash, foolish vow, made by an ambitious leader. God didn't ask Jephthah to make this vow ; as far as it entered into or became a condition of his success, it was made so by Jephthah himself. He took command of the army and passed over into the enemy's country and made a successful campaign against them, capturing twenty of their cities, and with a very great slaughter bringing the Amorites in com- plete subjection to Israel. "The Lord delivered his enemies into his hands/' which he would have doubt- less done had Jephthah not have made the vow. When he returned to Mizpah unto his house, " behold, his AND THE HOLT LAND. 299 daughter, his only child, his beloved child, came out to meet him, her heart bounding with joy and gladness at the safe return of her father. She run to meet him with timbrals and dances. " When Jephthah saw her he rent his cloths and said, Alas, my daughter ! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me : for I have made a vow unto the Lord." This child insisted upon her father f ufilling the vow, which we are told he did. Poor, rash, ambitious father, your hasty vow doubtless sent your gray hairs to the grave in sorrow. You remember that it was here that Samuel anointed Saul king. The Israelites saw Samuel was growing old and feeble, and he had also made his sons, Joel and Abiah, judges of Israel in Beer-sheba. It appears that they were avaricious, money-loving fellows, and were accused of taking bribes and perverting judgment. So all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together and went to Samuel and demanded that he be made king to rule over Israel as other nations had. The Lord said to Samuel, "They haye not rejected thee but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. " They have forsaken me and have been serving other gods ever since I brought them out of the land of Egypt. Therefore hearken unto them and do as they desire, make them a king, but protest solemnly against it and tell them just the kind of a king they will have. And Samuel told all the words of the Lord unto them that asked of him a king." And Samuel told them that the king that would reign over them would take their sons to attend his chariots and to be horsemen and some to be runners 300 TRAVELS IN EGYPT before his chariot, and that he would appoint captains over thousands and fifties, and make them plant his ground and harvest his crops, and that he would make others of them make war and chariot instruments. And that he would make cooks, confectioners and bakers of their daughters ; that he would take the best of their olive groves, their fields and vineyards and give them to his servants; that he would take the tenth of their seed and of their vineyards and give it to his officers and servants, that he would take their men servants and their maid servants and their goodliest young men and their donkeys and put them to work, and that he would also take the tenth of their sheep, and that they would be his servants. He further said "You will cry out in that day because of the king you have chosen." Notwithstanding all this, they would not hearken to Samuel, but still demanded that he make them a king, and in obedience to the demand of the people, and under the direction and command of the Lord, Samuel at Mizpah, on that high peak you see off to our left, anointed Saul, the son of Kish, king of Israel. "When we descend this hill, which we will do by a zigzag road, you will see off to the right, across a ravine, a very pretty little town, situated in the midst of vineyards and fruit trees. Now look just over there and you will see it. That is Ain Karim. This place has been handed along down the line of centuries as the birth-place of John the Baptist. " And Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Judah and entered into the house of Zacharias and saluted Elizabeth." This village of Ain Karim is located on a bench of AND THE HOLY LAND. 301 land that runs out from the ravine in the shape of a horse-shoe between two hills. It is a pretty little vil- lage. At the foot of the hill that we are now descend- ing by this zigzag road is a narrow valley with a brook running through it. The valley is known by the name of Kuloniah. This is where tradition says the little Jew shepherd boy killed the giant Goliah. Four miles fur- ther on we reach Jerusalem. TRAVELS IN EGYPT CHAPTEK XII. JERUSALEM. A FTER a long wearisome journey of over eight J-JL- thousand miles we find ourselves at last at the city of David, Jerusalem, " vision of peace." To every Christian this is a place of untold and inexpressible interest. ~No man can give expression to the feelings which he experiences when this long thought of, often read of, and a thousand times imagined, city first comes into view and is fully spread out before him in all of its reality. He involuntarily sa} 7 s to himself, if not aloud, " and this is Jerusalem, the venerable type of the heavenly Jerusalem." And now, when you see it, a feeling of disappoint- ment and sadness comes over you, and you say, " Can it be possible that this is the place of which so much has been said, so much written and so much sung ? Is this all that there is of the great and glorious city of Zion and Moriah,the far-famed capital of the Jewish empire? Can this old city, with its low, flat-roofed houses ; its narrow, crooked, filthy streets ; its degraded, ignorant population, be the "Holy City," once the fountain head from which the knowledge of the true God was wont to be vouchsafed to mankind, and which has exercised the supremest influence on religious thought throughout the world ? " How fallen, how degraded ! "What a wonderful material decline ! What a melancholy moral decay time has brought about! What stupendous scenes AND THE HOLY LAND 303 were once enacted in this old royal city ! What do we find here now ? Blind superstition, combined with the merest ritualism or formalism, everywhere forces itself upon you. " The chief modern characteristic of Jeru- salem as we see it now is the fanatical idolatry, and the Pharisaical arrogance and egotism of the various so- called religious sects or communities comprising its population ! " A population numbering twenty-four thousand. Of these about thirteen thousand are Mohammedans, seven thousand so-called Christians, and about four thousand Jews. The city is surrounded by a stone wall, twelve to fifteen feet in thickness, thirty -eight and one-half feet in height, on the top of which are thirty-four towers. The area enclosed is an irregular quadrangle two and a half miles in circumference. The city is built upon four mountains; the valle} T s between the mountains within the city walls, however, have been filled in with the accumulated rubbish of ages, until they are nearly obliterated. It is also surrounded by mountains. David says : " As the mountains are round about Jeru- salem, so the Lord is round about his people from hence- forth, even forever." You noticed after leaving the plain of Sharon and climbing the hills of Judea that very many of these hills were susceptible of being brought into cultivation and being made to yield profitable crops of olives, figs, pomegranites and grapes, and I have no doubt that in the time of David and Solomon, more particularly dur- ing the long peaceful reign of Solomon, and perhaps long before that period, an abundance of fruit and cereals were raised throughout all this hill country north and west of Jerusalem. TRAVELS IN EGYPT Now, reader, I have tried to the best of ray ability to explain to you all the sights, new and strange, which have fallen under our observation since we first landed on this side of the Atlantic ; our travels have extended over a distance of eight thousand miles, and now we are in comfortable quarters at the hotel near the north- west corner of the walls of Jerusalem. And as we expect to spend at least a week in and around the old city, and you will be asked, when you reach home, a great many questions, sqch as, "Were you at Jerusalem ? Did you visit Mount Calvary ? Did you see where the cross of Christ stood ? Did you see Joseph's new tomb in which the body of our Savior was laid? Did you see Pilate's house and his judgment hall? Did you see any part of the cross upon which the Savior was crucified? Did you see the crown of thorns which was placed upon his head ? Did you see any of the nails with which he was nailed to the cross ? Were you in the large upper room where the Savior instituted his supper, and where the disciples were gath- ered together on the day of Pentecost ? and many, many other such questions now, let me say you will be shown all these, and many other places and things, which were directly or indirectly associated with the trial, condemnation, crucifixion, descent from the cross, burial, resurrection and ascension of our Lord. And you will be told that the places shown you are the identical places, and the things shown you the identi- cal things, associated with that tragic scene. I want to prepare your minds, therefore, by the relation of some historical facts concerning Jerusalem and the finding of the so-called sacred places and things, so that you may be able to draw your own conclusions, and at the same AND THE HOLY LAND. 305 time feel assured that your conclusions and decisions are rational and intelligent deductions, drawn from and arrived at with all the facts pertaining to the matter in question fully before you. I will first give you the scriptural account of the crucifixion. " Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered with- out the gate. Pilate said unto the Jews, ' Behold your king.' But they cried, 'Away with him, away with him ! ' ' Crucify him ! ' The chief priests answered, * We have no king but Caesar.' Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus and led him away. And he bearing his cross went forth unto a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha: where they crucified him and two other with him, on either side of him, with Jesus in the midst. And Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross ; and the writing was 'Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.'' This title was written in Hebrew, Greek and Latin. The chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, ' Write not, The King of the Jews ; but that he said, I am King of the Jews.' But Pilate answered, ' What I have written I have written.' " And as they came out they found a man of Gyrene, Simon by name : him they compelled to bear his cross. And when they were come unto a place called Golgo- tha, that is to say a place of a skulls, they crucified him. " The particulars of this tragedy are so familiar to my readers that I regard it as unnecessary to repeat it here in full. If the reader will open the bible and read the 19th chapter of St. John's gospel and the 27th chapter of Matthew, he will find a full and clear relation of the whple matter, and from these scrip- 306 TEAVELS IN EGYPT tures we learn the material facts. concerning the Cruci- fixion. We learn first that the Jews almost to a man rejected Christ and regarded him not only as an imposter and pretender in claiming to be " He of whom the prophets spoke," but also a blasphemer in claiming to. be " the son of God." We further learn that he was crucified without the gate and consequently outside the wall which at that time surrounded the city ; the gate spoken of referring to one of the several gates leading out of the city. These were then, as now, closed and securely locked at night, and no one was allowed to enter or leave the city after a certain hour in the after- noon until the gates were opened on the following morning. This custom is kept up at Jerusalem, Damascus and other oriental cities at the present time. You see, from what the Jews themselves say, that Palestine at the time of the Savior's crucifixion was a Roman province. You know it was such at the birth of the Savior, for Herod had been made king of the Jews thirty-seven years before the birth of Christ. Our Lord was crucified when he was in his thirty- third or thirty-fourth year, i. e., A. D. 33 or 34. Toward the close of the year 64, or thirty years after the Crucifixion, the Jews in Palestine revolted against the Roman authority, and Nero, then emperor, sent Vespasian with a large army into Palestine to quell the revolt and to bring the Jews again into subjection to the Roman authority. Here Vespasian, the comman- der of the Roman army, was joined by his son Titus, who came up from Egypt with twelve thousand addi- tional troops. Vespasian threw his army around Jerusalem and laid AND THE HOLY LAND. 307 siege to the place, and while thus engaged Nero died by suicide, and Vespasian, leaving the army in the com- mand of his son Titus, went to Rome and entered into a contest with Yitellius for the crown. When the Roman army approached Jerusalem there were four contending factions in the city. The Zealots, under Giscala, occupied the castle of Antonia, a strongly fortified place and named for Anthony. This castle was at the northwest corner of the temple precincts and the court of the Gentiles. The upper part of the city was held by what was known as the robber party, commanded by one Simon of Gerasa, and the} 7 were all the name implies they continued their vocation, robbing the temple of its gold and silver vessels after it had been set on fire by the Roman soldiers. A third party, under Eleazar, were in the possession of the inner temple and court of the Jews ; and lastly, the conservative party were also established in the upper part of the city. Josephus says of these three factions, " I suppose that, had the Romans made any longer delay in coming against these villains, the city would either have been swallowed up by the ground opening upon them, or been overflowed by water, or else been destroyed as the country of Sodom perished, by fire, for it had brought forth a generation of men much more atheistical than were those that suffered such punishment. For it was by their madness that all the people came to be destroyed. "Ever since the land had become a Roman province a storm had been gathering. The Jews, being swayed by national pride, were unwilling to yield to Roman subjugation. Factions had sprung up and these soon began warring one with another. 308 TRAVELS IN EGYPT " In addition to this marauding parties under daring leaders infested the city and hill country around Jerusalem. The whole country was in a disquieted and truly demoralized condition." When Yespasian's army entered Palestine thousands of the people from the surrounding country fled to Jerusalem as a place of safety, and when the place was besieged it was estimated that there were not less than six or eight hundred thousand or more people within the walls of the ill-fated city. The four factions above mentioned were at war one with the others, each making desperate efforts to gain supremacy and power and get undisputed control of the defenses of the city. " This was the state of affairs in this doomed city when in the beginning of the year 70 A. D. six legions of Roman soldiers were sta- tioned in the environs of Jerusalem. The people in the overcrowded city blindly trusted in some divine inter- position of providence to save them and destroy their enemies. They had been taught that God had often fought the battles of Joshua, and they seemed to think that he would do the same for them in this emergency." Surely it was a deplorable condition, a sad picture indeed, to see the old renowned, revered city, its strong walls filled with people riven by contention, strife and internecine war, while the Roman army,serpent-like,was drawing its deadly coil around it. After the city had been closely invested by the Romans, the Jews, seemingly with suicidal intent, refused all terms of capitulation. During each cessation of hostilities with the besieging army these factions fell upon and butchered each other with an insane madness and a barbarity unparalleled in the annals of AND THE HOLY LAND. 309 history. Famine in all its horrors prevailed to such an extent that, Josephus tells us, the inhabitants were driven by hunger to chew strips of rawhide and leather and wisps of hay gathered up in the filthy streets; that they devoured things that even their starving ani- mals refused to eat. It is related that a poor, starving mother, driven by hunger to the verge of insanity, killed and like a ferocious beast devoured her own child. The following extract describes the horrors which prevailed in the doomed city the last night of the siege. And while the picture may be somewhat over- drawn in some particulars, it will give the reader insight into the total destruction of the city and the horrors which accompanied it. This writer represents himself as being in the fated city. He says : " The fall of our illustrious and unhappy city was supernatural. The destruction of the conquered was against the first principles of the Roman policy, and to the last hour of our national existence Rome held out offers of peace and lamented our frantic determination to be undone. But the decree was gone forth from a mightier throne. During the later days of the siege a hostility, to which that of man was as a grain of sand to the tempest that it drives on^ over- powered our strength and senses. Fearful shapes and voices in the air. visions startling us from our short and troubled sleep, lunacy in its most hideous forms, sudden death in the midst of vigor, the fury of the elements let loose upon our unsheltered heads. We had every terror and evil that could beset humannature but pes- tilence, the most probable of all in a city crowded with the famishing, the diseased, the wounded and the dead. 310 TRAVELS IN EGYPT Yet, though the streets were covered with the unburied, though every well and trench was teeming, though six hundred thousand corpses lay flung over the ramparts and naked to the sun, pestilence came not. If it had, the enemy would have been scared away. But the "abomination of desolation," the pagan standard, was fixed where it was to remain until the plow passed over the ruins of Jerusalem." " On this night, this fatal night, no man laid his head on the pillow. Heaven and earth were in conflict. Meteors burned above us, the ground shook under our feet. The volcano blazed, the wind burst forth in irregular blasts and swept the living and the dead in whirlwinds far into the desert. We heard the bellow- ing of the distant Mediterranean, as if its waters were at our sides, swelled by a new deluge. The lakes and rivers roared and inundated the land. The fiery sword shot tenfold fire, showers of blood fell. Thunder pealed from every quarter of the heavens. Lightnings in immense sheets, of an intensity of duration that turned the darkness into noonday, withered eye and soul, burned from the zenith to the ground, and marked its track by the forest of flame and the shattered summits of the hills. Defense was unthought of, for the mortal enemy, had passed from the mind. Our hearts quaked for fear, but it was to see the powers of heaven shaken. All cast away the shield and spear and crouched before the descending judgment." I know the sufferings and horrors endured by the Jews during the siege of Titus are familiar to manv of my readers. But to some they are not, and I speak of the siege and the fall of Jerusalem under Titus to impress upon the mind of the reader the devastation, AND THE HOLY LAND. 311 ruin and, I may say, total destruction of the city and all that it contained. The city was reduced to heaps of shapeless ruins, and their beloved sanctuary, the temple, burned, and as many of the Jews as escaped and sur- vived these awful calamities were scattered over the face of the earth and rendered a mockery, a proverb and a reproach among nations. After the lower part of the city had been burned, the upper still resisted, and on the 7th of September it was burned to the ground. The fall of the city took place in the year 70, some thirty-six or seven years after the crucifixion of Christ. Please bear this in mind. For half a century after this, Jerusalem had ceased to exist and lost its identity, and it was not till A. D. 130 that the Emperor Hadrian erected a town on the site of the Holy City, which he called Aelia Capi- tolina, or simply Aelia. We are informed that at the end of the fourth cen- tury a statue of Jupiter occupied the site now occupied by the church of the Holy Sepulcher, and that a tem- ple of Jupiter, containing statues oi Jupiter and Hadrian, stood on the site of the ancient Jewish temple. Now, reader, the object I have in view in writing the foregoing historic facts in relation to the real condition of Jerusalem at the time it was visited by Helena, the mother of the Emperor Constantine, who claimed to have been converted to Christianity, and was regarded as the first Christian Emperor of Rome, is to show you and to forcibly impress your mind in regard to the true condition of Jerusalem at the time this fanatic and old crank Helena visited it. Saint Helena visited Jerusalem A. D. 325 and claimed to have discovered the sepulcher of Jesus, and also the 312 TRAVELS IN EGYPT cross on which he died. In addition to these it is now claimed that she found the crown of thorns, and the nails with which our Lord was nailed to the cross. You will see from the abov r e that about three hundred years elapsed from the time of the crucifixion of Christ to the professed finding of the cross and the identifi- cation of the several places mentioned in connection with his crucifixion, burial, resurrection, etc. In addition to this, let me call your attention to another fact : there is not a word or a line in the scriptures which would indicate that the apostles or any of the disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ ever visited the cross of Calvary, the place where it stood, or the tomb in which his body was laid after his resurrection and ascension. There is not an expression in the scriptures to indicate that they cherished a feeling of reverence or adoration for any of the instrumentalities of his passion. If idolatry means the worship of idols, images or any- thing made by hands, or which is not God, you will see here in this old city as gross idolatry robed in the garb and bearing the name of Christianity as was ever practiced by Jeroboam at Bethel and Dan, where he erected the golden calves and tore down the altars of God and erected the altars of Baal. I repeat, you will see as much idolatry in this city among professed Christians as can be found in heathen" lands. If to be a Christian means to be like Christ, or Christ-like, the sects here which are called "Christian," in contradistinction to the Mohammedans, are as far from being Christ-like in their lives, in their creed and mode of worship as the Mohammedan or the heathen ; yea, farther. AND THE HOLY LAND. 313 Without further comment I will now go into the city and let you see for yourself and judge for yourself, and hear for yourself, the lies, the frauds, the base imposi- tion and the mockery of Christianity practiced by the priests, abbots, monks, nuns and leaders of the various so-called "Christian sects" and by them through a system of ritualism, consisting of bells, images, holy water, a service in a dead language, choirs, processions, incense, confessions, fasts, purgatory, a reverence for a divine mother and child, relic worship, pilgrimages, shrines of saints, and every other imaginable tom- foolery that could possibly be imposed upon a credu- lous, ignorant people, to fall down and worship these fictitious places invented by their leaders from mer- cenary motives, and for the sole object of gaining proselytes and money. Now, reader, our hotel, as before stated, is located near the northwest corner of the wall which encircles the city. By going east along a wide road which runs just outside the north wall, at about half the length of this wall we come to the " Damascus gate." Here we will enter the city and then turn to the left or east and ascend the hill of Bezetha ; on the top of this hill we come to a house belonging to one of the Turkish officials, from the roof of which we get a magnificent view of the whole city. Permission to go upon the roof of this house is always granted to tourists. You see a large majority of the houses are one and two-story flat-roofed buildings thrown together, totally destitute of architectural skill or beauty. The taller .buildings with domes and minarets are mosques. Those with spires and crosses are Catholic cathedrals. The streets look like little winding paths running in every 314 TBAVELS IN EGYPT direction. Now, isn't it an old hard-looking place? If you will look over near the east wall of the city you will see a large octagon building, from the center of which rises a beautiful dome. That is the temple of Omar, situated on the brow of Mount Moriah, where stood Solomon's temple. Now look over somewhat to the west of the center of the city and you see another large building covered with a more conical dome. That is the church of the Holy Sepulchre. Beyond that and still farther west you see the tower of David. We will now descend to the street and work our way among these Arabs, Jews, donkeys, children and dogs that crowd these narrow, crooked, dirty streets from morning till night, and go to the "orphanage and school of the Latin Sisters of Zion," a large, new house said to be erected on the site of " Pilate's judgment hall." I here insert the 13th and 14th verses of the 19th chapter of the gospel of John, for you will under- stand better what I have to tell you about the house which we now propose to enter. It reads as follows : "When Pilate, therefore, heard that saying he brought Jesus forth and sat down in the judgment seat, in a place that is called the pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha, and it was the preparation of the Passover and about the sixth hour, and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your king. When they were excavating for the foundation for this orphanage and school building, they found an old stone arch (Ecce Homo), which was believed to be a part of the original building which constituted Pilate's judg- ment hall and the door where Pilate stood with the' Savior when he said, " Behold your king." This stone arch reaches over the street, one end of AND THE HOLY LAND. 315 which extends into the orphanage. It was left in situ and the wall of the new building incorporated with it, so that the arch can now be seen spanning the street. By going down a stairway into the basement of this building, some ten or twelve feet below the present level of the street, we find a considerable area of old Roman pavement, worn by travel. This is, doubtless, the same pavement once trodden by the Savior. Here you see, also, two large flat stones, which is believed by a great many to be the " pavement " from which, in the time of Christ, laws and judgments were promulgated. We now go back a short distance, the way we came up the street, and on the opposite side from the orphan- age we see a two-story house, which is now used for a Turkish barracks. This is said to stand upon the ground once occupied by the residence of Pilate, and was called the " Praetorium." Allow me to say just here that in the fourth century the site of Pilate's house was said to be in a different part of the city. And then again in the 6th century it was claimed to be in another place, and toward the end of the Crusad- ers' period it was located by tradition, where it is now revered. This is now claimed to be the beginning of what is called the Yia Dolorosa, " street of pain," or " way of grief," the way by which the Savior is said to have borne his cross to Golgotha. You see the barracks is upon the second floor and is reached by a broad flight of steps running up from an off-set in the street. And the so-called " holy steps " which I showed you in or near the Lateran church at Rome is said to have been removed from here by St. Helena on the occasion of her visit to this place A. D. 325. 316 TRAVELS IN EGYPT This street of pain was not claimed as the route traveled by the Savior until the 16th century, fifteen hundred years, or near that, after the Crucifixion. There is a small chapel in the barracks which the Cath- olics claim to be the first station, the place where the Savior stood before Pilate, or the place from which he started on his way to Golgotha. There are fourteen prayer stations on this route. The first one is the chapel in the barracks already mentioned, the second is in the street at or near the step leading up into the barracks. Here it is claimed the cross was laid upon the Savior. We now retrace our steps going west and pass under the stone arch above spoken of, going by the orphanage which is on the north or opposite side of the street, i. e., on our right. From this arch we go down a gradual descent. "We are now going down into what was formerly the Tyropean valley ; the valley was originally a deep ravine, but now comparatively a slight depression. The accumulated rubbish of centuries has filled it in until the original bottom is now fifty or more feet below the street that runs across it. This is the old cheese mongers' vallev, as it was once called. / s The street we are now in runs west and very soon enters at a right angle the street coming from Damas- cus gate. Soon after entering this street we see on our left a broken column leaning against the wall of a house. Near this broken column is where they say Christ sank under the weight of the cross. This event was formerly assigned to a different place. After pass- ing this the street runs a little to the south. About forty or fifty steps further on we come to the tradi- tional house of " the poor man Lazarus." If Lazarus owned this house, or even the lot upon which it is built, AND THE HOLY LAND. 317 he could have sold it for enough to have supplied all his wants. There must be a mistake somewhere. Either he was not the poor man who begged for the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table, or this house and lot did not belong to him. These relic wor- shiping people ought to make up a more plausible yarn than this. Beyond the house of Lazarus is the fourth station where they say Christ met his mother. Not a great way beyond this point the Via Doloroso turns into a street running west. At the corner of the street to the right is a handsome house for Jerusalem ; they say this was the house of Dives, the rich man at whose gate lay poor Lazarus full of sores and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. There was no mention of this being the house of Dives before the 15th century. Here is located the 5th station where Simon the Gyrene took the cross from Christ. Beyond this in the next house to the left a stone has been built into the wall having a depression in it, they say caused by the hand of Christ to keep from falling. They seem to have forgotten they placed the cross upon Simon just before reaching this place. We now go up the opposite side of the Tyropean valley about one hundred paces, to near an archway, where we enter a narrow doorway on the left side of the street. This leads us into a vault where we see the tomb and bust of St. Veronica. They say she wiped with her handkerchief the perspiration from the Savior's face at this spot, and they show you her hand- kerchief with the dim outlines of a face upon it, which is claimed to be the identical handkerchief which the young lady used upon the occasion. That's thin. The 318 TKAVELS IN EGYPT yarn is thin, and the handkerchief is thin. It is a very improbable story throughout. I say this to keep from appearing rude by calling it by its proper name. A little further on the street makes two bends and crosses a street running north and south. Just before crossing this street we are shown on the left a house against which the Savior is said to have leaned or where he fell the second time. This is pointed out as the seventh station. A little further on at the eighth station is where the Savior is said to have addressed the women who accompanied him. Here the Via Doloroso ends, the ninth station being in front of the Coptic monastery and near the church of the Holy Sepulchre. At this ninth station it is said the Savior again sank under the weight of the cross (which was being carried by Simon, the Gyrene), a strange statement. The last five of the fourteen stations are in the church of the Holy Sepulchre. The tenth station, or place where Christ is said to have stopped, is marked by a circular stone in the pavement constituting the floor of the church, and is the place where he is said to have been undressed. The eleventh, where he was nailed to the cross, is in front of an altar. The twelfth, that of raising the cross, is in a Greek chapel near to and adjoining the altar above mentioned. The thirteenth, where he was taken down from the cross, is between the eleventh and twelfth stations. And the fourteenth is the Holy Sepulchre itself. All of these last five places men- tioned are within a radius of twenty or thirty feet. We are informed in the Scriptures quoted at the beginning of this chapter that Golgotha lay without AND THE HOLY LAND. 319 the city, and one of the difficulties of locating this place has resulted from' the inability of determining where the city walls stood at the time of the Crucifix- ion, no two authorities agreeing in regard to it, so thoroughly and completely was the city walls destroyed or torn down by Titus. The church of the Holy Sepulchre, which is claimed to have been built upon Golgotha, is now in the center of the modern city. Another difficulty in the way is that there is no evidence that the spot was revered or regarded as sacred or even known in the early centu- ries of the Christian era. Nor do the old authorities agree as to the kind of building Hadrian erected on the place called Golgotha; some asserting that it was the temple of Zeus, others that it was the temple of Jupiter. Again, the whole story of St. Helena finding the cross, crown, etc., in a cave or grotto under the present church of the Holy Sepulchre in the fourth century of the Christian era, after a long and diligent search, goes far to establish the fact that there was not even a traditional locality known as Golgotha at that time. All we know is that there was a church erected here in or about 336 A. D; in 614 this church was destroyed by the Persians, and that it was rebuilt between 616 and 626 again ; again in 963 it was mate- rially injured by fire, and in 969 it was again further damaged by fire. It was very seriously damaged in 1010 by the Moslems, but was rebuilt in 1055. In the beginning of he twelfth century the crusaders erected over the locality a large church, which embraced all the holy places and chapels. Many additions have been made to this building, and many disasters have befallen it from time to time. 320 TRAVELS IN EGYPT We find now, however, a pile of edifices three hun- dred and fifty feet from east to west, and two hun- dred and eighty from north to south, containing seventy stations and " innumerable isles, windows, stair- ways, tombs, dark recesses, chapels, oratories, altars, concealed relics, and other holy inventions" It has been said, " Verily, nothing is too hard for stout-hearted credulity." And when you visit Jerusa- lem and witness the idolatrous worship of these invented places you will heartily endorse the saying. As before stated, there are some seventy places in this church, including altars of worship and places regarded as more sacred than others. I can only point out a few of these,, as it would be tedious, if not tire- some, to attempt a minute description of them all, and tend only to confusion. Upon entering the church, the first thing which attracts the attention is a squad of armed Turkish soldiers sitting in the vestibule. The Savior admon- ished his followers to " love one another," but the sects or so-called Christians worshiping in this church are so completely moved by jealousy and fanaticism and, I may add, the almighty dollar that they of ten quarrel and fight like cats and dogs, and it frequently becomes necessary for the soldiers to interfere to keep order. What a commentary upon their professions of Chris- tianity to have to record the fact that this armed force of Mohammedan soldiers, these so-called heathens, have to be stationed in a church to keep peace among the professed followers of Him who said, " Peace be with you, my peace I leave with you." Passing the guard we next see a large stone eight and a half feet long and four feet broad. This slab is AND THE HOLY LAND. . 321 about six inches in thickness, and is raised some six or eight inches above the stone-paved floor. You ask me what all these dozens and scores of people are crowding around that stone, dropping on their knees, putting first one cheek and then the other and then kissing it for? You remember the apostle John tells us that after the Savior was crucified Joseph of Arimathea went to Pilate secretly, being afraid of the Jews, and asked for the body of Jesus, that he might take it away for burial. And there came Nicodemus, bringing about a hundred pounds of a mixture of myrrh and aloes, and they took the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes, with the spices, as was the manner of the Jews. Now, I will answer your question. This is called the stone of anointment, on which they say the body of Jesus was laid when it was anointed by Nicodemus. What do you call such adoration as you see here? Before the period of the Crusades (the first Crusade occurring in 1099 A. D.), we are informed that a sepa- rate church, called the church of St. Mary, was. built over the place of anointment ; but when the Franks built a house covering all the sacred places it was moved to the place we now see it. We are further informed that the stone has -been frequently changed and has been in possession of the various religious sects at different times. " In the fifteenth century it belonged to the Copts. In the 16th to the Georgians, from whom the Roman Catholics purchased permission for five thousand piasters, or about a thousand or twelve hundred dollars, to burn candles over it." It afterward belonged to the Greek Catholics. The Armenians, Latins, Greeks and Copts are now entitled to burn lamps over it. This reddish-yellow marble slab which 322 . TRAVELS IN EGYPT you see these misguided creatures worshiping was placed here in 1808. Formerly pilgrims were in the habit of measuring this slab to have their burial sheet made the same length. Now look just over there a few steps off, and you see a circular stone fitted in the paved floor enclosed with iron railings. The railings, as you see, do not reach the floor by some fifteen inches or more. They are left in this way so that these devoted worshipers of wood, stone, etc., can put their heads under the rail- ings and kiss the circular stone which is said to mark the place where the women are said to have stood when Jesus was being crucified. That is fanaticism in the extreme. A few steps further on and to the right brings us to the center of the rotunda, where we find the Holy Sep- ulchre. This is placed under the great dome of the church. In the scriptures we read: " Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new sepulchre wherein was man never yet laid." If we have taught ourselves to believe all that is told us we see here the new sepulchre wherein was never man yet laid ; in which the body of Jesus was laid. This one fills the bill literally and truly, for it is a new sepul- chre, and no man was ever laid therein even to this day, not even the Savior. " Around the sepulchre of Jesus have clustered the hopes and affections of the Christian world since the day Jesus taught the world by example the grand soul- stirring truth of the resurrection of the dead. But it was the person of Jesus who arose, and who taught this grand doctrine, and the Christian's hope and affec- tions should follow him in his ascension to the right AND THE HOLY LAND. 323 hand of the Father, and there fix and chain him- as an anchor to the soul both sure and steadfast." It is not the cold, bare stones composing the tomb of Jesus or any saint which should be the object of our adoration. In the center of the rotunda, beneath the dome, is the so-called Holy Sepulchre, or sacred tomb of the Savior, the supreme object of veneration of the so-called Christian sects at Jerusalem. In the course of Helena's search for the sepulchre a rock cavern was discovered and a chapel was soon erected over the spot. The chapel of the tomb itself is a small marble room not more than six or seven feet in length and six in width. On the north side and to the right of the entrance lies the slab covering the tomb; the tomb being five feet long, two feet wide, and raised three feet above the floor. From the ceiling of this small chapel are sus- pended some forty or more fine gold and silver lamps, which are kept burning day and night. " This small chapel is surrounded by another, sixteen-sided, twenty- six feet long, and seventeen wide. In front of the low door on the east is a kind of ante-chamber, provided with stone benches and a large candelabra. When entering the chapel of the Holy Sepulchre, oriental Christians remove their shoes in the ante-chamber." ' Passing through the antechamber we enter a vesti- bule called the angels' chapel, sixteen feet long and ten wide. In the center lies a stone set in marble, which is said to be that which the angels rolled away from the mouth of the Sepulchre, and on which he afterwards sat. A fragment of this stone is said to be built into the altar on the place of Crucifixion. In this chapel another lot of lamps are kept burning continually. 324 TRAVELS IN EGYPT The Resurrection, like the Crucifixion, was announced by an earthquake; we are told, "There was a great earthquake, for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven and rolled back the stone from the door and sat upon it." It is a part of this veritable stone that is claimed to be in this chapel of the angel. In the time of the Crusades the sanctuary covering the Holy Sepulchre was circular in form and covered with a dome. In 1719 the whole building was renewed and enlarged. From the description given by Luke we would expect a tomb hewn out of the rock wherein the body was laid and then arched over, such as we see all around Jerusalem. But here, however, the whole surface was overlaid with marble as far back as the Middle Ages, and it would require very critical examination, and such as no one would be allowed to make, to ascertain whether a rock chamber ever really existed here or not. Under the Latin altar they raise a small marble slab and show you three holes chisled in the stone, or in a stone put there for the purpose, for all I know, which they say are the holes in which the three crosses were placed. These holes are cut round and are about six inches in diameter, and eight or ten inches deep, all three of the holes being placed in a row some eighteen or twenty inches apart. The whole space given the three crosses is not more than would be required for the erection of a single cross. To the right of this altar a silver slide in the floor can be moved to one side and brings to view a rent in the stone beneath, which appeared to me to have been made with a chisel, which you are told is where the rock was rent in twain on the day of the Crucifixion ; AND THE HOLY LAND. 325 and the credulous are told that a skull miraculously leaped from the crevice. In this church of inventions you are shown the tombs of Joseph, Nicodemus, and Melchisedec ; the place of Abraham's sacrifice, the center of the world where dirt was obtained to make Adam, and chapels without end. I mention a few only ; chapel of the Copts, chapel of the Syrians, chapel or prison of Christ, chapel of Mary Magdalene, chapel of forty martyrs, chapel of scourging, chapel of the crowning with thorns, chapel of the finding of the cross, etc., etc., almost ad injmitum. " During the festival of Easter the church is crowded with pilgrims of every nationality, and there are enacted, both in the church and throughout the city, many dis- orderly scenes, which produce painful impressions. During the Crusades the Roman Catholics used to represent the entry of Christ riding a donkey from Bethphage, spreading palms and olive branches on the way. And now they annually send to Gaza and get palm branches, which they consecrate and distribute on Palm Sunday. On Holy Thursday they celebrate a grand mass and walk in procession around the Holy Sepulchre, after which the washing of feet takes place at the door of the sepulchre. The Greeks also celebrate the washing of feet, but not on the same day with the Latins. The Franciscans used to celebrate Good Friday with a mystery play, which terminated with nailing a figure to a cross. I was told that the Greeks had a similar performance now. Reader, that you may have a more correct idea of the ceremonies enacted in the church of the Holy Sep- ulchre, under the garb of religion and religious worship, I give you a description of it as witnessed by Rev. W. 326 TRAVELS IN EGYPT M. Thomson, who was a resident of Palestine for many many years. He says : "I arrived from Ramleh fatigued, but as an important ceremony was going forward in the church I hastened hither at once. The whole vast edifice was crowded with pilgrims (it is estimated that it will hold six or seven thousand people), from all parts of the world, and it was with difficulty that I followed my companion into the rotunda, A priest who knew us came up, and after inquiring about the news of the day asked if we would be conducted into the interior of the Greek chapel, where the religious services were going on, and then summoning a Turkish Cawaas (officer) we began to move in that direction. To my amazement and alarm the Cawaas began to beat the crowd over the head, when down they crouched to the floor and we walked over their prostrate bodies. There was no help for it, those behind rising up thrust us forward. After proceeding some distance we paused to take breath where the crowd was more dense and obstinate than usual, and I was seriously informed that this was the exact navel of the earth. And these obstinate pilgrims were bowing and kissing it. (I never knew until I was in this church of the Holy Sepulchre that the earth had a navel. I am glad I saw it, however, although it is a different looking affair from all the other navels I ever saw. I don't dispute its being the navel of the earth, however. I have too high an opinion of respect for the veracity of these robed gentlemen who, indeed, and, in fact, with a holy regard for the truth, say it is the navel of the earth. It must have been very nicely done up and thoroughly disinfected, for it is a nice, pretty navel.) " Finally," says brother Thompson, " we reached the AND THE HOLY LAND. 327 altar at the east end without any serious injury to the living causeway which we had traversed, and I had time to look about me. The scene throughout had all the interest of entire novelty. I was young and fresh from America, and was seized with an almost irresist- ible propensity to laugh. The noise was deafening and there was not the slightest approximation to devo- tion visible, or even possible, so far as I could judge ; while the attitudes, costumes, gestures and sounds, which met the eye and stunned the ear were infinitely strange and ludicrous. Such splendor, too, I had never seen. By the aid of numerous lamps the whole church seemed to flash and blaze in burning gold. I stood near the altar, which was covered with gold cloth and decorated with censers, golden candlesticks, and splendid crucifixes. "A bench of bishops and priests filled the entire space within the railing, and two monks were waving, or, more accurately, swinging their censers before them. The ' cloud of incense rose wreathing and circling to the upper dome, diffusing on all sides a strong aro- matic odor.' " " After some delay the whole priesthood of those denominations which then united in this ceremony were assembled, properly robed and fumigated, and with a lighted candle in either hand stood ready for the grand feat of the day. In single file seventy priests and bishops in long robes of gold and silver texture marched out into the body of the church with solemn pomp. Turkish officers went before, beating the heads of the crowd who bowed down as they had done for us. Slowly the gorgeous procession worked its way along the north side, singing with nasal twang and stentorian 328 TRAVELS IN EGYPT lungs harsh harmony in barbarous Greek. In a few minutes they returned, laid aside their robes, extin- guished their tapers, and the multitude dispersed, greatly enlightened by a great number of wax candles, and edified by a devout manifestation of splendid canon- icals." In speaking of the miracle of the Holy Fire he says : " I will not shock sensibilities with details of the buf- foonery and the profane orgies performed by the Greeks around the tomb on the day of holy fire. I doubt whether there is anything more disgraceful to be witnessed in any heathen temple, nor are the ceremo- nies of the Roman Catholic monks on the night of the Crucifixion a whit less distressing and offensive. The whole scene in all its parts is enacted before a strong guard of Turkish troops stationed all around, to keep the actors in this dismal tragedy from being assaulted by the rival players in the Greek comedia, a precau- tion absolutely necessary, and not always successful. Furious and bloody riots have occurred several times since I have been in the country, and many travelers mention similar battles between the monks of former years. I was here in 1834, when several hundred pil- grims were crushed to death on the day of the holy fire. " Khaliff Hakim was told that the priests used to besmear the wire by which the lamp was extended over the Holy Sepulchre with some kind of resinous oil and set it on fire from the roof. Large sums of money are paid the priests by those who are allowed to first light their lamps at the sacred flame, which they are made to believe to have been miraculously sent down from heaven. The wild and noisy scene usually begins on AND THE HOLY LAND. 329 Good Friday. Large numbers pass the night in the church in order to secure favorable positions, and to hold them. Some tie themselves with cords to the sepulchre to prevent others from pushing them to a more unfavorable place. " On Easter eve, about two P. M., a procession of the bishops, priests monks, etc., moves around the sepul- chre ; all lamps are put out in full view of the crowd. The priests engage in loud chanting of prayer, and the patriarch enters the sepulchre, while the mob, for you can't call them anything else, are in the utmost sus- pense. At length the celestial fire gleams from the sepulchre, and the priests rush out with bundles of burning tapers. And now there is a general knock down and drag out rush, every one trying to light his taper. " It is easier to imagine such a scene that follows than to describe it. Candles are let down by cords from the galleries, and in a few minutes the whole church is illuminated. Fights are frequent, and deaths from being trampled underfoot not un frequent. In 1834 a general riot occurred. The Turkish soldiers, thinking they were being attacked, fired on the pilgrims, and some three hundred persons were killed. It was esti- mated that there were six thousand persons in the church on that occasion." The fire obtained from this pious fraud is carried thousands of miles to be used in their churches and shrines, being watched with jealous care to prevent its being extinguished during the year. On one occasion, it is claimed, the fire ran along the marble floor and ascended a stone pillar standing on the left-hand side of the doorway. The stone was said to 330 TRAVELS IN EGYPT have been rent or cracked by the flame, and now, day after day, hundreds of poor ignorant Catholics go to that pillar and kiss the rent stone. I saw long strings of men and women kissing this pillar in turn. As fast as one kissed the stone they gave way to the next, and so on. I know not what others think, but I do not hesitate to say that, in my judgment, any man or set of men who would resort to such fraudulent means as this to obtain a following, and to extort money from the poor and ignorant classes of mankind under the garb of religion, are worse than the thief or the midnight assassin. If that fire came from heaven, it would con- sume not only this den of thieves, but the hypocritical host of robed villains that play their nefarious game of fraud and deception at its numerous altars. AND THE HOLT LAND. CHAPTEK XIII. A FEW rods southeast of the Church of the Sepul- chre are the ruins of the hospital of St. John, called by some "Knights of St. John." The place is now called Muriston. Two hospitals were built upon this locality in the eleventh century for the reception of Christian pilgrims. In 1869 these ruins, or at least a part of them, were given by the Sultan of Turkey to the Crown Prince of Prussia, who had excavations made which, at a depth of fifty feet below the present level of the surface, brought to view the old Roman pavement of the streets, cisterns, etc.; proving conclusively that the modern city is now from twenty to fifty feet above the old Jerusalem of the days of the Savior. Now, all this seems very strange, that is, that, not- withstanding these people, and the thousands upon thousands of pilgrims who visit Jerusalem annually, can see for themselves that the rubbish which has been gradually accumulating over the site of the-old city for the past eighteen hundred years, has long since buried forever out of sight the streets, the sites of houses, and other places which might have been regarded as sacred in consequence of the very associations which render these invented places objects of idolatry, they still continue to revere and represent these as the true and holy places. " I am sure no one of all these places which I have endeavored to name and describe can truthfully be 331 332 TRAVELS IN EGYPT associated, even in the most remote degree, with any act of our Savior." Now, I ask the reader to read again the above expression, for I heartily, sincerely and conscientiously believe it to be true , and more, I believe every intelli- gent priest, monk, abbott, or other religious leader in Jerusalem believes and knows the same thing. In my humble opinion these, like many other places which might have become places of idolatrous worship, have been buried in oblivion, never to be made known until God sees fit to reveal them. The same watchful care which has concealed from the knowledge of man the last resting-place of Moses, Joshua, John the Baptist, Mary the mother of Jesus and other illustrious script- ural characters has wisely and graciously interposed to save his people from idolatry, and doubtless for good asd wise purposes has hid forever the instruments of our Savior's passion ; also the spot where his Cruci- fixion took place, the tomb in which his body lay for three days and nights and from which he arose to life again, and the place from which he ascended to the heavenly Jerusalem. " And since God has concealed the realities we have no need of all these fictitious shams," by which the igno- rant and unlearned are deceived and imposed upon to a pitiable extent. But there are other places in this city of David to which I must take you before we take a stroll around its walls. Since these places are located in the southwestern part of the city we will go south down the western wall, which you observe runs -a little east of south, the south wall being the shortest wall on the four sides of the city. After going about half the length AND THE HOLT LAND. 333 of the western wall we come to the Joppa gate. We go through this gate and enter Zion street. On our right near the gate rises the tower of David, the strong- hold of Zion. David was anointed king of Israel at Hebron, and when he and his men went up to Jerusa- lem tjie Jebusites spoke unto David, saying : "Except thou take away the blind and lame thou shalt not come in hither." The Jebusites depended upon this tower and the natural defenses of the city of Jerusalem; it being surrounded by deep ravines and perched upon high hills was thought by the Jebusites to be impreg- nable, and could be defended by the blind and the lame. " Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion: the same is the city of David." This city of David, or stronghold of Zion, consisted of an irregular group of five square stone towers. In the olden times it was surrounded by a moat or trench, and a part of this can now be seen. The chief or prin- cipal tower up to a height of about forty feet is built of large stone, some of them ten feet in length and from three to four in thickness, showing a rough face. The form and size of the stone indicate that this much, at least, of the old tower is very ancient. Above this the finish of the stone and the workmanship are different. When Titus captured Jerusalem and utterly destroyed it he left this tower standing untouched and unharmed. When Jerusalem was taken by the Franks this castle was the last place to yield, and at that period it was called the " City of David," from a tradition that David had his palace there. This is one of the interest- ing landmarks of the city, situated as it is on the ridge which was called Mount Zion. These so called mounts, such as Mount Zion, Mount Moriah, Mount of Olives, 334 TRAVELS IN EGYPT etc., are not, as one might suppose, sugar loaf in form, but they are what would be called high mountain ridges. Mount Olivet, for instance, north and south is half or three-fourths of a mile in length. Mount Zion was separated from Mount Moriah by the Tyropean valley. */ From the top of this tower it was said the mountains of Moab beyond the Dead Sea may be seen, and also the lower part of the Dead Sea. On the opposite side of Zion street (remember we are just inside the Joppa gate) is a large modern building, the foundations of which were laid in 1885. When the deep excavations were made they came to the tower of Hananeel, and a part of the foundation of the present building rests upon the foundation walls of that tower. Now let me call your attention to this prophecy made 600 B. C. It reads : " Behold the days come, saith the Lord, that the city shall be built to the Lord from the tower of Hananeel unto the gate of the corner. And the whole valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes and all the fields unto the brook Kedron, unto the corner of the horse gate towards the east shall be holy unto the Lord. It shall not be plucked up nor thrown down any more forever." The excavations made for the foundations of this structure, the first first-class building in Jerusalem which is non-sacerdotal, determined and located on the ground one of the corners or starting-points given in the above prophecy. That this prophecy is being ful- filled, one has but to notice how all the modern improve- ments and buildings start from this locality, and a street running from the Joppa gate as far as the hotel at the northwest corner of the wall of the city is now AND THE HOLY LAND. 335 built up with shops on both sides, and a lively trade carried on, while residences extend beyond both north and west. I have no doubt but that ere long these improvements will be extended even to the horse gate and the old location of the horse gate be thus shown and determined, for no one at this time knows where the horse gate spoken of in the prophecy was located. Another prophecy made 487 B. C. says, in speaking of Jerusalem, " that it shall be lifted up and inhabited in her place from Benjamin's gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king's wine-presses, and men shall dwell in it and there shall be no more utter destruction, but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited." These two prophecies, one made six hundred years before the time of Christ, and the other 487 B.C., are verily being fulfilled at the present time, at least as regards the building up of Jerusalem from the tower of Hananeel, and also as to its being safely inhabited. In fact, commencing at the tower of Hananeel, just inside the Joppa gate, as I have just shown, one can pass over the hills Gareb and Goath to the king's wine- presses, which are still to be seen, and are a well- preserved boundary mark, as mentioned in the proph- ecy, as well as a witness to its fulfillment. Then pass along the valley of dead bodies over to the ash heap and down the Kedron valley to the northeast corner of the city wall; within these boundaries, as laid down in the prophecies, nine-tenths of the modern per- manent buildings and improvements are now embraced. We now follow Zion street further down and soon come to a very large building said to be one of the larg- est in the city. This is the Armenian convent. It is 336 TRAVELS IN EGYPT said to hold eight thousand pilgrims. "Within this building we are shown the church of St. James, which is said to mark the site where he was killed by Herod. "Now about that time Herod, the king, stretched forth his hand to vex certain of the church, and he killed James, the brother of John, with the sword." In this church we are shown his tomb and chair, also three stones, one taken from Sinai where Moses received the law, one from the midst of the Jordan where the Israelites crossed and Jesus was baptized, and the third from Mt. Tabor, where some think the transfiguration took place. The end of each stone is left uncovered that pilgrims may kiss them. These pilgrims to Jeru- salem, as well as the resident so-called " Christians," are the greatest kissing people you ever saw. They kiss everything from Golgotha to the navel of the earth. Continuing along Zion street and passing out at the south gate, which leads out of the city, through the south wall, we find about half of Zion hill, outside and south of the south wall of the city. The south wall is the shortest of the four sides, as before stated. Just after passing through the Zion gate we come to an old building called the palace of Caiaphas, where it is said the " Savior was brought before the high priest, scribes and elders." "And they that laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas. the high priest, where the scribes and elders were assembled." Again we read : " And as Peter was beneath in the palace there cometh one of the maids of the high priest ; the maid, looking at Peter, said, "Thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth ; " but Peter shook his head and pre- tended not to know what she was talking about and denied being with him. Poor, self-confident Peter. AND THE HOLY LAND. 337 His courage failed him at that critical moment. " And the cock crew." I know Peter wished in his heart that he had hold of that old rooster by the neck to wring his head off. And a maid saw him again and, anxious to play a part in this exciting trial, she, too, said, " This is one of them." But Peter having told a " yarn " he bravely stuck to it and denied it again. By this time these officious maids, women-like, had excited the attention of the bystanders who said, " Surely thou art one of them, for thy speech betray eth thee." You can't go back on your tribe and country, Peter. I imagine Peter was very mad by this time, for he began to say curse words and swore by all that was good and bad that he didn't know the man. The second time the same old rooster crowed again, which lifted Peter out of his boots and sent a pang of shame and remorse to his troubled conscience for Peter called to mind the words that Jesus said unto him : u Before the cock crows twice thou shalt deny me thrice." Now, Peter, what can you say to this, what do you propose to do ? Jesus told you that you would deny him thrice before the cock crew twice, but you said : " If I should die with thee, I would not deny thee in any wise." And Peter was not alone in making this pledge of fidel- ity. " For they all said so likewise." Peter and all the others doubtless thought they would do just what they said they would ; but poor, fallen human nature often makes us do what we didn't intend doing and what in our hearts we don't want to do. Paul puts it about right when he says, " For that I do I allow not, for what I would that do I not, but what I hate that do I." I think if there ever was a man excusable for swear- 338 TRAVELS IN EGYPT ing a little when he was mad, it was Peter, for every- body knows that if there is any thing in this wide world of ours that can make a man cuss it is a provoking woman, and from the narrative given us of this circum- stance there were several of Caiaphas' long-tongued meddlesome maids worrying the very life out of brother Peter. Now, it is not my intention to make a joke of this matter, but Peter was a man having like passions as other men, and every honest, sincere man is ready to acknowledge his fault. Peter did wrong, and he knew it. How many of us do as Peter did, go out and weep over the frailties of our human nature, our shortcom- ings, open violation of God's law and our broken vows. In this building they show you where Christ was in the prison and where Peter stood when the cock crew, and the stone which closed the sepulchre door. Not far from the palace of Caiaphas is a cluster or group of buildings, over one of which is a black dome. This is said to be over the tomb of David, Solomon, Jeroboam and other kings of Israel. " So David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David." Josephus tells us that David was buried by his son. Sole mon in Jerusalem. When we enter this house we are conducted to a large upper room called the Caena- culum, a room fifty feet long and thirty wide. As early as the fourth century this has been pointed out as the place where the apostles were assembled on the day of Pentecost. It is a large stone building, and doesn't seem now to be much used. Peter acquitted himself like a man to whose heart had been "restored the joys of salvation" on that occasion, and in his sermon he referred to the tomb of AND THE HOLT LAND. 339 David as being with them. He said: "Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead, and buried, and his sepul- chre is with us unto this day/' That was the grandest sermon Peter, or any of the apostles, or any of their successors, have ever preached from that day to this, all the surroundiug circumstances being taken into consideration. Peter even beat our fashionable modern evangelists, who have reduced the making of church members to a science. Peter was not preaching to make church members, mind you. His doctrine was of a different kind. He cried out in all sincerity and from the depths of a genuinely converted heart, "Save yourselves from this untoward generation. And they that gladly received his word were baptized. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved." I suppose here is where the great mistake is made. We are told the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved, or the saved. And we are further told that they remained steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, etc. Unfortunately very few, lamentably few. of our modern church mem- bers added by fashionable evangelistic work " remain steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship." In this room the Koman Catholics at stated times wash the feet of pilgrims, as they maintain that here the Savior washed the disciples' feet. Before hearing this I had thought it possible at least that this might be the room in which the supper was instituted, but now I have changed my opinion. I would like to believe what these robed, sanctified hypocrites, these designing frauds, say, but, to tell the truth, would spoil their trade, and they never do it. 340 TRAVELS IN EGYPT Now, reader, if in your imagination you have kept with me, you will see that this part, the ridge of Mt. Zion, is not as wide as that within the city walls. We will now turn east and descend the eastern slope of Mt. Zion and re-enter the city by the dung gate, spoken of by Nehemiah 3:13. A short distance from this gate we come to the southwest corner of the temple area. I bring you here to show you, first, those large stones in the temple wall. Some of them measure thirty-eight feet in length, three and one-half feet deep and seven feet high. You see that they are now near the present surface of the ground, but they are seventy- five feet above the foundation of the wall. The wall was originally set into the side of the mountain near the bottom, I suppose, or it may have been on a level with the bottom of the Tyropean valley. You see how this valley has filled in. Near these stones was discovered what is called Robinson's arch. This was a bridge connecting Mt. Zion with the temple. A short distance northward is the wailing place of the Jews ; this part of the wall is the nearest to the tern pie that is accessible to them. The Jews resort to this place every evening, but in greater numbers on Friday afternoons between three and five o'clock. Here you will see numbers of them of all ages and both sexes. It is really pitiful to see these old, long-bearded men, barefooted, many of them dressed in rags and skins, bewailing the desolation of Israel and Jerusalem and praying for deliverance. They put their faces in the crevices of the cold unfeeling stone, and weep, and moan, with tears chas- ing each other down their wan, furrowed cheeks. On AND THE HOLY LAND. 341 certain occasions, an old man as a leader will sing aloud in the Hebrew tongue : LEADER For the place that lies desolate ALL THE OTHERS RESPONDING. We sit in solitude and mourn. LEADER. For the palace that is destroyed RESPONSE. We sit in solitude and mourn. LEADER. For the walls that are overthrown RESPONSE. We set in solitude and mourn. LEADER. For our majesty that is departed RESPONSE. We sit in solitude and mourn. LEADER. For our great men that lie dead RESPONSE. We sit in solitude and mourn. LEADER. For the precious stones that are buried RESPONSE. We sit in solitude and mourn. LEADER. For the priests who have stumbled RESPONSE. We sit in solitude. Another of these wailing prayers is as follows : LEADER. We pray thee have mercy on Zion. RESPONSE. Gather the children of Jerusalem. LEADER. Haste ! Haste ! Redeemer of Zion. RESPONSE. Speak to the heart of Jerusalem. LEADER. May beauty and majesty surround Zion. RESPONSE. Oh ! turn thyself mercifully to Jerusalem. LEADER. May the kingdom soon return to Zion. RESPONSE. Comfort those who mourn over Jerusalem. LEADER. May peace and joy abide with Zion. RESPONSE. And the branch- (of Jesse) spring up at Jerusalem. It is enough to stir the emotional part of any one to see these old Jews, whom we imagine resemble Abra- ham, Isaac and Jacob, praying and longing for their long-promised Messiah, their deliverer and their king. 342 TRAVELS IN EGYPT Looking forward to his coming as earnestly and sin- cerely as they did in the days of the advent of the Savior, never considering or believing that "He came unto his own and his own received him not." Now, as we wind our way back through these narrow crooked streets, see what poverty and degradation exist among this people Look in at the low doors of their mud-besmeared houses, see how bare and destitute of all household furniture, how filthy the bare dirt floors look. See the people, how old, pinched and dried up their countenances are, both Jews and Arabs. You see the Arabs are of every hue except fair. The majority of them are light yellow, but many of them are very dark skinned. The Armenians wear their hair cut short on the back of their heads, with long locks hanging down in front of their ears. "When I was a boy some people wore their hair cut in that style, and we called it " soap locks.". Here you see a man measuring grain. You see he gives the scriptural measure, " pressed down, piled up, and running over." This grain is in a small room, at the back of which, in a cellar, is a rude, horse mill. The screeching lever is drawn slowly around by an old blind horse. This mill is something extraordinary for these people and the miller takes great pride in showing a stranger through his mill and explaining the machinery, which comprises a main upright shaft, and two of the rudest and roughest wheels possible. But this beats the hand mills, which are almost universally used in the country. Here you see the same little shops, and all kinds of work carried on in them and on the streets, just as we saw in Cairo. Nearly all these AND THE HOLY LAND. 343 shops have from eight to ten and twelve feet front, and vary in depth from four to ten and twelve feet. The tradesmen seem to be using in nearly all instances second-hand material. The tinners are using old oil- cans, out of which to make their ware. The saddlers are repairing old saddles or second-hand harness, and so on through nearly all the trades. In Cairo, however, we saw in the European part of the city nice mercantile houses such as we see in our own cities, but here they are all small and second or third rate in every respect. Jerusalem has been a Moslem or Mohammedan city ever since 1224, and pro- gress is contrary to their nature and disposition. They have no water works, gas works, or street railway in the city; no architectural skill displayed in the erection of their buildings ; in fact, everything plods along just as it did centuries ago. Reader, if you will accompany me, we will now visit one of the most intensely interesting localities in the world, the Mosque of Omar, the site of Solomon's temple. The summit of Mt. Moriah has been conse- crated to the worship of God since the days of Abra- ham, for we read in the scriptures that God tried Abraham and said unto him, "Abraham," and Abra- ham answered when he was called, not when someone else was called, nor did he answer till he was called, then he said, " Behold, here I am/' Now, reader, if you are a father or mother and have a son, a bright, sweet little fellow that plays around your hearthstone, whose innocent prattle and merry laugh is music to your ears from morning till night, and from day to day, the bright sunbeam that enlivens and brightens the darkest days and saddest hours of 344 TBAVELS IN EGYPT your life ; this God-given treasure dropped down from heaven to cheer, comfort and solace you in old age, around whom the most endearing emotions that ever thrilled your heart are entwined ; I say. put yourself in Abraham's place and listen to what God says: "Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of." Abraham lived down at Beer-sheba when God told him this. And what did he do? Father, mother, what would you have done ? Could you have acted under the circumstances as did this faithful man of God ? - Ask your own heart. He rose up early in the morning and saddled his donkey and took two of his young men with him and his son Isaac, and split up the wood for the burnt offer- ing. I imagine old Abraham for he was an hundred years old when the boy was born made the two young men cut and split that wood. The strokes of the ax even then, no doubt, fell upon his ear like the funeral notes of a tolling bell. "On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place afar off.'* No doubt this father's heart, like his eyes, had been cast down, often looking at the features of his beloved boy that he might have his image indelibly stamped upon his mind so that he could comfort his heart-broken mother when he returned without her darling boy, by telling her how he looked and repeat to her his innocent prattle on the way. My whole heart goes out in sympathy for this old heart-broken father as he journeyed these three days along this lonely road. The sunbeams of joy and glad- AND THE HOLY LAND. 345 ness are leaving his heart and their place is being filled with sadness and sorrow. But who can tell his thoughts? Who can tell what mountains of sorrow filled his soul, or what flashes of hope may have flitted through his mind when he recalled the promises of God that Sarah, his wife, should be a " mother of nations," and with Isaac he would establish his cove- nant for an everlasting covenant? We are told that "with- out faith it is impossible to please God." What a test of faith is here given us. How many could do as did this old man, this aged father, this faithful servant of God? Upon the summit of Mt. Moriah is a large stone called Es-sakh-ra. This rock is fifty-seven feet long, forty-three wide, and rises six and one-half feet above the surrounding pavement. There is no mention of this sacrificial rock in the Old Testament. The earliest mention of it is to be found in the Jewish traditions and also in the Jewish inter- pretations of the Old Testament. According to Jewish tradition, upon this rock which, as before stated, crowns the summit of Mt. Moriah, Abraham was on the point of sacrificing his spn Isaac. And it is furthur said that Melchizedek sacrificed here. " The attempt, however, to identify Jerusalem with the ancient Salem, the city of Melchizedec, for several reasons has been far from successful. The Ark of the Covenant is said to have rested here, and after that to have been concealed here by the prophet Jeremiah, and it is even now claimed to be buried somewhere beneath this rock. " On tnis rock was written the Shem-ham-pho-rash, the great and unspeakable name of God." Another question connected with this rock and one which interests my masonic brethren is, can this rock be con- 346 TRAVELS IN EGYPT nected with the " Holy of Holies ? " Some investiga- tors of the matter say not. Others affirm that the great sacrificial altar stood here, and they have discov- ered on the rock what they believe to be traces of a channel for carrying off the blood, water for flushings, etc., into the valley of Kedron. "When we descend (which we can do by some rude stone steps) to the cavern or grotto beneath the rock, we find by stamping the floor of the cavern that the ground below is hollow. This, it is claimed, is an underground acqueduct for carrying off the blood of the sacrifices, and also the water necessarily used for cleansing the altar. In the rock overhead is a round hole, and it has been suggested that this cavern or artificial excavation was intended for a cistern; but if so, what of the well or hollow ground beneath ? The cistern evidently could hold no water, as it would be carried off into the crevices of rock beneath. There can be no question as to Mt. Moriah being the location upon which Solomon built his temple. When David took it into his head against the advice of Joab, the captain of the hosts of Israel, to number Israel and Judah, he proceeded to do it in spite of advice to the contrary. David soon realized, however, that he had acted very foolishly, and prayed the Lord to forgive or take away his iniquity for so doing. As a punishment for his presumption the Lord sent Gad, David's seer, to him and told Gad to tell him, " I offer him choice between three punishments. I will send seven years famine upon the land, or I will make theeto flee three months before thine ene- mies, or I will send three days pestilence in the land. Now choose ye one of them." David fully realized that he had done wrong and that he had gotten him- AND THE HOLY LAND. 347 self into a bad scrape, but finally concluded to throw himself upon the mercy of the Lord, wisely preferring to trust to the mercy of the Lord than that of man. It appears that man's inhumanity to man was as well known in those days as it is now. " So the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed, and the people died from Dan to Beer- sheba." And when David saw what had befallen the people on account of his own act of disobedrence he had the manliness to say that he was the guilty one. David did not do in this instance like the great majority of us do, try to pack off his sins and meanness on some one else. He was even more manly than Adam, who tried to avoid the responsibility of his act of disobedience by laying it on his wife, Eve. When the Lord called Adam, and asked him, " Hast thou eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldst not eat ? " what a mean, cowardly answer he made : " The woman whom thou gavest me, she gave me of the tree and I did eat." Is it any wonder that mankind are as mean and unprincipled, as we know them to be, when we find our first great-grandfather, the progenitor of the race, guilty of as mean a trick as this, and that, too, while he was yet in Paradise ! Shame on you, Adam, for treating our grandmother in any such style ! I knew a man once who came in and raised a quarrel with his wife because an old sow had died and left some motherless pigs ; blamed his wife for it ; said she ought to have fed the sow, when the truth of the mat- ter was, he, himself, was too stingy to give the sow a few ears of corn. David didn't act that way. " So Gad came that day 348 TKAVELS IN EGYPT to David and said unto him, Go up, rear an altar unto the Lord in the threshing floor of Araunah, the Jebu- site." David did as Gad advised him to do. He bought the threshing floor and Araunab's oxen for fifty sheckles of silver, and built an altar unto the Lord and offered burnt offerings, and peace offerings, and the plague or pestilence was stayed from Israel. The scriptures tell us further, in regard to this local- ity, " that Solomon began to build a house of the Lord at Jerusalem in Mt. Moriah, where the Lord appeared unto David, his father, in the place that David had prepared, in the threshing floor of Araunah, the Jebu- site." All fliis, it occurs to me, identifies the locality with sufficient clearness, to say that Solomon's temple, the grandest and most magnificent, as well as the most beautiful, little structure ever erected by human hands, once graced the summit of Mt. Moriah and inclosed within its sacred precincts this far-famed es-sakh-ra (sacred rock). This temple of King Solomon's was only about one hundred and ten feet long, thirty-six wide and fifty -five high. The long sojourn of the Jews in Egypt, and the fact that they were employed in making brick, dressing stone, and preparing material for building purposes, acquainted them with the architecture of that country. The Egyptians were the first operative masons of whom we have any knowledge. There are ruins of temples in Egypt erected a thousand years before Solomon's temple, ten times as large, and requiring for their con- struction architectural knowledge and skill far superior to that disolaved in the erection of King Solomon's temple. The mosque of Omar, as it is called, which is erected AND THE HOLY LAND. 349 on the summit of Mt. Moriah, and surrounds the sacred stone, is an eight-sided building, each of the eight sides being sixty -six feet in length ; it is fifty-eight yards, or one hundred and seventy-four feet, in diameter. The whole exterior down to the pedestal is covered with porcelain tiles; below this, with marble. "The porce- lain tiles, manufactured in the Persian style, are beautiful, and handsomely arranged, and produce a fine effect." The gates, or doors, four in number, which face the four cardinal points of the compass, are square in form, each having a vaulted arch above. The interior of the mosque is divided into three concen- tric parts by two series of supports, the whole interior being beautifully ornamented with rich, variegated designs in mosaics, consisting of fantastic lines inter- twined, and frequently of garlands of flowers, vases of flowers, also grapes and ears of corn on a gold ground. These mosaics are composed of small pieces of colored glass. The dome of this mosque, ninety-seven feet high, and sixty-five feet in diameter, is made of wood, and covered with sheet lead. The temple area is an exten- sive irregular quadrangle, with buildings scattered over it. The west side of the enclosure is five hundred and thirty -six yards, the east side five hundred and seventy- two, the north side three hundred and forty-eight, and the south side three hundred and nine yards in length. The enclosed precincts of Solomon's temple was six hundred by seven hundred feet square. The grounds are irregular, set in trees, chiefly cypress. Down to about 1854 none but a Mohammedan was allowed to enter the temple precincts without the risk of losing their lives. Before Mohammed had finally broken off his relations with the Jews he expressed 350 TRAVELS IN EGYPT great veneration for the temple at Jerusalem. He even commanded the faithful to turn toward Jerusalem when praying. We find the Koran also mentions the Mesjid-el-aksa, that is the mosque most distant from Mecca. The chapter, or Sura, in which this occurs, reads thus : " Praise be unto him who transported his servant by night from the sacred temple of Mecca to the farther temple of Jerusalem; the circuit of which we have blessed, -that we might show him some of our signs, for God is he who heareth and seeth." Sura 14:1. You will see here Mohammed professes to have been at the mosque in person, and to this day the Moham- medans regard the mosque of Omar at Jerusalem as the holiest of all places, after Mecca. I am informed that it was on this account that all Christians were for so long a time forbidden access to it. The Jews have never tried to gain admission to the temple precincts, fearing that they might possibly commit the sin of treading upon the " holy of holies." The Mohammedans say Mohammed and his horse, El Burak, were translated to heaven from the cavern under the sacred stone, making the hole in the center, and the stone wanted to go with him, but the angel, Gabriel, put his hand on it and kept it in its place. You are shown a cavity an inch or two deep and six or eight in diameter, where the angel put his hand. When I was in the cavern under the stone I was shown some hairs sticking to the rock on the margin of the hole. The hole is round and some eighteen or twenty inches in diameter, and was made by Mohammed and his horse as they ascended to heaven. It is further said that on this occasion the rock opened its mouth as AND THE HOLY LAND. 351 i it did \vhen it greeted Omar, and it therefore has a tongue which may be seen over the entrance of the cavern. This hair, the Moslems say, was pulled out of Mohammed's head as he went up through the rock. If the old fellow stuck to his horse, I should sa} r he got through with a "tight squeeze." It is a wonder it didn't take all the hair off his head, and all the skin off his back. After seeing the hole he went through I think he was in big luck to get through as well as they say he did. You may learn from these stories that when these Jerusalemites tell a lie they tell a whop- per. They can tell as big a lie as a tombstone, and that's saying a good deal. In front of- the north entrance of the mosque, and near the north side of the great stone, there is let into the marble slab floor a slab of jasper some ten or twelve inches or more in diameter. Into this slab, it is said, Mohammed drove nineteen golden nails; a nail falls out at the end of every epoch, and when all of them are gone the world will come to an end. Unfor- tunately for the world and mankind in general, Satan slipped into the mosque one day and succeeded in stealing all the nails but three and a half, but the angel Gabriel happened to catch him at his devilment and run him away. It was fortunate Gabriel happened to be watching around just at that time; had the old thief succeeded in stealing all the nails, the world might have come to an end long before this, as has been pre- dicted at various times by smart Alicks, who thought they knew more than " the Angels of heaven." " But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no not the angels of heaven, but my father only." At the angle formed by the east and south walls of 352 TRAVELS IN EGYPT the temple area stands the mosque of El Alsa, a com- plex pile of buildings. This building was especially allotted to the Knight Templars ; in fact, apart of the building was erected by them, and they resided here and in the substructions. The main body of this mosque was built for a Chris- tian church, and dedicated to the Virgin by the Roman Emperor Justinian, about the middle of the 6th century. Just in front of the mosque is a large cistern which is supplied with water by an aqueduct from Solomon's pools, ten miles away. Near where this cis- tern now is, it is believed Solomon's brazen Sea stood, containing, according to Josephus, three thousand baths. This mosque is two hundred and. seventy-two feet long and one hundred and eighty-four wide, the interior supported by forty-five columns. Twelve of these are of common stone, and the remainder marble. By going down a flight of stone steps, we reach the underground vault, called by some Solomon's stables. Some think they were designed to enlarge the temple courts. This building now fronts west, but along the east side of it is where it is believed Solomon's porches stood where the Savior often walked. "And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch." Any one desiring to visit the mosque of Omar must first apply to their consul, who will procure for them permission from the Turkish authorities, and provide one or more soldiers as attendants. It will be con- venient also to take slippers along from your hotel, as you will not be permitted to enter this or any other Mohammedan mosque with your ordinary wearing shoes. AND THE HOLY LAND. CHAPTER XIV. NOW, reader, we will take a stroll outside the city walls, and, as it is more convenient, we will go south along the west wall of the city, passing by the Joppa gate. This wall, as I have before stated, runs somewhat east of south. Now we read in the best history of Palestine and Jerusalem extant (the scriptures that Hezekiah, son of Ahaz, reigned thirty-nine years in Jerusalem, and that " this same Hezekiah also stopped the upper water course of Gihon and brought it straight down to the west side of the city of David." Just beyond the Joppa gate this valley begins, or, rather, we come to the head of the valley. The ground dips down precipitously on all sides, and here we find the upper pool of Gihon. Isaiah in two instances calls this " in the highway of the fullers field.'' We go on down the valley of Gihon between the city wall and the valley, a rough, rocky path on the steep sides of the hill which leads to the lower pool of Gihon. These pools are made by throwing dams across the deep ravine, just as we make pools at the head of hol- lows or ravines in this country. There is this differ- ence, however, these hills are high and rocky, and the water courses between them, called valleys, are narrow and deep. We read that Adonijah, the son of Hag- gith, seeing that David was old and in a manner help- less, exalted himself, saying, " I will be king." And prepared himself with chariots and horsemen and fifty 353 354 TRAVELS IN EGYPT men to run before him. Every man has his friends, and Adonijah had his. He slew oxen and sheep and fat cattle, and, in short, made a great feast and flat- tered his brethren and the people, calling them the " king's sons," and the men of Judah " the king's ser- vants," etc. As we proceed down the valley we come to a well called " Job's well." It marks the place in the scriptures called En Rogel. It was here Adonijah spread his feast and, as the children say, "played king." But Nathan, the prophet, told Solomon's mother that Adonijah was playing king, and that David knew nothing of it, and advised her to inform David of the matter, and at the same time remind him of the prom- ise, or rather the oath, he had made her that Solomon should reign after him. He told her further, that while she was telling the king about what Adonijah was doing, he would come in and confirm it. Bathsheba, Solomon's mother, did as Nathan advised her, and informed David of the usurpation of the crown by Adonijah. Whereupon, David renewed his oath to Bathsheba, and told her to " call to him Zodak, the priest, and Nathan, the prophet, and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, and when they came to him he said unto them, " Take with you the servants of your Lord and cause Solomon, my son, to ride upon mine own mule and bring him down to Gihon. And let Zodak, the priest, and Nathan, the prophet, anoint him there king over Israel, and blow ye with the trumpet and say, God save King Solomon." Having done as David commanded, "all the people came up," for Gihon is down in a valley, " after him and the people piped with pipes and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth rent with the sound of them." AND THE HOLY LAND. 355 Whei it was made known to Adonijah, his followers and pretended friends, what had been done, his friends evaporated like the friends of every unfortunate man. How often do we see instances similar to this in life. And Adonijah endeavored to screen himself by taking hold of the horns of the holy altar. Adonijah's royalty oozed out of him about as fast or a little faster than it went into him. And now we see him relying upon the sanctity of the holy altar to save his life. Well, it is worth our little stroll to see the place where this little play at royalty occurred, twenty-nine hun- dred years ago, for David slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David, ten hundred and fifteen years before the Christian era. When we get below the lower pool of Gihon the val- ley is called the valley of Hinnom, or the valley of the son of Hinnom, the boundary line between Judah and Benjamin. " And the border went by the valley of the sons of Hinnom into the south of the Jebusites, the same is Jerusalem." The hill here on our left, as you know, is Mt. Zion, and on the opposite side of the valley of the son of Hinnom is the traditional site of Aceldama, or the field of blood. The site of the field is not so abrupt, but slopes down more gradually to the valley. If the side of that hill which is here before us be the place called Aceldama, or the "field of blood," it was the ground purchased with the money which was paid Judas Iscar- iot for the betrayal of the Savior. Matthew relates it as follows : "Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot , went unto the chief priests and said unto them, What will ye give me and I will deliver him unto you ? And they covenanted 356 TRAVELS IN EGYPT with him for thirty pieces of silv.er." After this iniqui- tous bargain was made, Judas, in order to carry out his treacherous design, gave them a sign saying, "Whomso- ever I shall kiss, that same is he, hold him fast. " Jesus is the only character known that was not one of a class. His life and character stand out isolated, separate and distinct from all other men of whom we have any account, his enemies being judges. Judas was but one of a class. There are thousands of men in the world who, placed in precisely the same condition as Judas was, would have acted just as he did, yea, even worse. For I am sure some men would have betrayed him for two and a half dollars, if not less. It is true, Jesus said he was a "devil from the begin- ning," and the same may be said of many others, and all of his traitorous class. It seems that even Judas, though a devil, had a little spark of feeling in his treacherous heart ; for we are told that when he saw Jesus was condemned, he repented and brought the money back and told the priests that he had sinned in that he had betrayed " the innocent blood." What said the bribers to him ? Just what such people might be expected to say: "What is that to us ? See thou to that." ' And Judas cast down the money in the temple and went and hanged himself. In this he did better than a great many of his class do. It's a great pity more of them don't follow his praiseworthy example in this particular. The chief priests took the silver and, after consulting about the matter, bought the potter's field to bury strangers in, and that hill-side is the land or field which tradition tells us they bought. The top of the hill is AND THE HOLY LAND. 357 called the hill of evil council, where, according to the monks, the Jews took council that they might "take Jesus by subtlety and kill him." Reader, you notice that the lower end of this valley comes around more to the east, so that if we stand down in the valley, which is wider here, we have Mt. Zion north of us and the hill of evil council south. Here, at the southern extremity of Mt. Zion, the valley of the Son of Hinnom and the valley of Jehoshaphat come together ; the valley of Hinnom coming down on the west side of the city and the valley of Jehosha phat, with the little brook Kedron forming a central water drain, coming down on the east. I am particular in thus describing these localities, in order to have them correctly impressed upon your mind^ and if the reader will fix them upon the mind he can have not only a fair but a correct picture of Jerusalem and its environments. The cliffs on the south side of this valley is the part that was called Tophet. Let me tell you what one of the prophets said about this place and Jerusalem 600 B. 0. I give you here the exact language of the prophet, and ask you to read it carefully : " Thus sayeth the Lord, Go and get a potters' earthern bottle and take of the ancients of the people, and of the ancients of the priests ; and go forth unto the valley of the son of Hinnom which is by the entry of the east gate, and proclaim there the words that I shall tell thee, and say, Hear thee the word of the Lord,O Kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem ; thus sayeth the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; behold I will bring evil upon this place; the which whosoever heareth, his ears shall tingle. Because they have forsaken me and have 358 TRAVELS IN EGYPT estranged this place and have burned incense in it unto other gods whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah, and have filled this place with the blood of innocents ; they have built also the high places of Baal to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal which I com- manded not nor spake it, neither came it into my mind: Therefore behold the days come, sayeth the Lord, that this place shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter. And I will make void the council of Judah and Jerusalem in this place ; and I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies and by the hands of them that seek their lives ; and their car- cases will I give to be meat for the fowls of the heavens, and for the beasts of the earth. And I will^make this city desolate and an hissing ; every one that passeth thereb}' shall be astonished and hiss because of all the plagues thereof. And I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they shall eat every one the flesh of his friend in the siege and straitness wherewith their enemies, and they that seek their lives, shall straiten them. Then shalt thou break the bottle in the sight of the men that go with thee, and shalt say unto them: Thus sayeth the Lord of hosts; even so will I break this people and this city as one breaketh a potters' vessel that can not be made whole again: and they shall bury them in Tophet, till there be no place to bury." This denunciation was literally fulfilled when Nebuchadnezzar sacke^ and destroyed Jerusalem; but more emphatically so and to the letter when it was besieged and finally captured by Titus, as herein- AND THE HOLT LAND. 359 before described. Josephus tells us, and (as before stated) he was with Titus ? army, " that when Titus saw from a distance these valleys below Jerusalem heaped full of dead bodies he was so horrified at the sight that he raised his hands and called heaven to witness that he was not responsible for this terrible slaughter." The prophet was told to break the potters' bottle before the ancient people and ancient priests. What an impressive lesson this must have been ! and I learn that this custom is kept up to this day among this people." When they wish to express their utter contempt or detestation of any one, they come behind or near them and smash a bottle in pieces." The cruel sacrifice of children to the deity Moloch or Baal was long kept up by these ancient people. It appears from the scriptures that this monstrous wor- ship was practiced in this particular locality to a greater extent than elsewhere. The idol was heated red-hot and the children placed in its arms. The heart-rending shrieks of the poor little innocent sufferers were drowned by the noise of cymbals and the maniacal shouts of the frenzied wor- shipers. Milton thus describes this horrid, inhuman, unfeeling worship : ' Moloch, horrid king, besmeared with blood ' Of human sacrifice and parents' tears, ' Though for the noise of drums and timbrels loud, ' Their childrens' cries, unheard, that passed through fire ' To his grim idol; in the pleasant vale of Hinnom, Tophet, thence 4 And bleak Gehenna, called the type of hell." The Greek word for Hinnorn is Gehenna, and this word is used in the revised edition of the New Testa- ment as synonymous with hell, or as being a type of hell. I have no doubt but that the horrid scenes enacted 360 TRAVELS IN EGYPT in this valley, or on those cliffs before us, suggested the idea or description set forth by the Savior in the lan- guage as given by Mark when he says, " Where the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched." . The Savior uses almost word for word the language used by Isaiah seven hundred years before, where he says : " And they shall go forth and look upon the car- case of the men that have transgressed against him. For their worm shall not die, neither shall their fires be quenched, and they shall be an abhorring to all flesh." The Savior taught by object lessons, and it seems that in this instance he used this horrible place and the indescribable and unparalleled cruelties and suf- ferings witnessed here to impress the minds of this cruel, idolatrous arid disobedient people with the enormity of their sins of idolatry and disobedience. I don't think any bible student now believes that it teaches a veritable hell. But we must leave this interesting place, interesting since there is no doubt of its being the locality spoken of in the scriptures above cited. We will now turn to the left and go up the valley of Jehoshaphat, leaving the hill of evil council on our right. The first place of interest, or of any importance, we come to is the pool of Siloam. The Arabs call it Ain Silwan ; just below or nearly opposite the pool, on the side of the hill, to our right, is the village of Siloam. Near this pool was the outlet of the Tyropean valley, which comes down between the mounts of Zion and Moriah. This pool is fifty feet long and eighteen wide, and was, in the days of the Savior, included in the city walls. We read that upon one occasion Jesus passed AND THE HOLY LAND. 361 by and saw a blind man, and his disciples asked him. u Who did sin, this man or his parents?" and Jesus answered them, " Neither this man nor his parents, but that the works of God should be made manifest in him." He then spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle and anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay and told him "to go wash in the pool of Siloam." I judge it was full of water then, and as I see it has filled up considerably by the dirt washing down into it from the valley above, I suppose it was much deeper then than now. It would hold now some ten or twelve feet of water, if full. The man did not hesitate to obey him, but went, and did as he was commanded, and came seeing. Let me say just here that there never was a case of blindness, whether hereditary, traumatic, or resulting from dis- ease of this delicate organ, that was curable by the simple means here used. I mean that had Christ been nothing more than an extraordinarily good man, as some contend, the means he used would never have restored that blind man to sight. I am sure that every physician and oculist will confirm the foregoing expression. This pool, as are all the pools mentioned as being round and about Jerusalem, was walled up with stone. Where the valley of Hinnom and the valley of Jehoshaphat, or Kedron, come together for it is sometimes called by one name and sometimes by .the other both valleys widen out and are planted in small gardens. These gardens extend as far up the Kedron valley as the pool of Siloam. The steps coming down the hill of Zion to the pool of Siloam can still be traced. Higher up the valley we come to a fine, bold spring 362 TRAVELS IN EGYPT called the Virgin's fountain, or the fountain of the accused woman, from a tradition that the virgin was once falsely accused and here drank of the water and established her innocence. This spring is in reality a well, for the water doesn't rise to the surface of the valley. To reach the water we have to descend to a vault by a series of steps (some fourteen or sixteen) to a level space, and then down another flight of steps of about the same number. The well is on the west side of the valley, as is also the pool of Siloam. The water from this well is carried off through an underground aqueduct to the pool of Siloam, a distance of three hundred and sixty yards. It is con- ducted by the upper or smaller pool of Siloam now, but in the days of our Savior, when the upper pool of Siloam was within the city walls, I have no doubt but it emptied its water first into the upper pool and from the upper was conducted into the lower pool. The well itself fills a basin or reservoir eleven by five feet and several deep, with a gravelly bottom. The flow of water is intermittent. In winter it flows from three to five times daily, in summer twice. It was flowing in a full free stream when I saw it. Directly behind the village of Siloam, which is upon a stool or bench of land projecting from the side of a hill, rises the " hill of offense." This is the hill where Solomon, in the latter years of his life, erected temples to false gods, notwithstanding the temple which the " glory of the Lord had filled " was in full view on the opposite side of the valley of Jehoshaphat. "We are told when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods. " For Solomon went AND THE HOLY LAND. 363 after Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom, the abomination of the Amorites. No one need be surprised at this, however, when they remember that he had seven hundred wives, princesses. He was a more practical polygamist than Joe Smith or Brigham Young ; besides these lawful wives he had twelve hundred unlawful wives, or concu- bines. The wonder is that he had any sense at all. Don't censure Solomon, but pity him. He was an accommodating man, and tried to marry every woman who aspired to royalty. " Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon." The hill that I am now pointing out to the reader is the one referred to. The Lord punished Solomon for all this by rending his kingdom. But for David, his father's sake, he told him he would not do it while he lived, but would rend it out of the hand of his son. Rehoboam was reared in the harem of Solomon, and petted and spoiled by all these Mrs. Solomons, and the old man might have known, and I think did know, that he was a failure. A spoilt boy isn't worth a copper. The village of Siloam is a collection of filthy, squatty Arab houses ; the whole side of the hill above, below and on every side of the village being filled with the tombs of the dead. Passing on up 4he valley leading northward, we come to the southwestern slope of Mt. Olivet, which is cov- ered from the brook Kedron to the top with Jewish tombs. In many places these tombs are put so close 364: TEAVEL8 IN EGYPT together that the hill-side looks as though it had been paved. If the reader will turn to the 37th chapter of Ezekiel he will see that the prophet says that these graves and all the graves of the Jews in Egypt and in heathen lands and wherever scattered shall give up their dry bones and that they shall be made into live men again ; that bone shall go to its fellow bone ; that tendons and muscles shall find their places and the skeleton be cov- ered with skin ; that the four winds of heaven shall blow the breath of life in them and they shall be as a great army and be brought back to Canaan and be made into one nation, and that God will be, their God, and they shall be his people. * Now, I am not theologian enough to tell you whether this prophecy is to be understood literally, or whether, like Nebuchadnezzar's drearn, it means a great deal more than appears at first sight. This is a matter you must look into for yourself. I propose to tell you what I saw in this tour around the walls of old Jerusa- lem and try to describe it so that you too may see it, or at least have a good idea of how it looks. A few hundred yards higher up the valley and on the east side of it we come to a monument called the Pyramid of Zacharias, also tomb of Zacharias. This monument is twenty feet high and is hewn in the rock, i. e., the rock is hewn down and removed, leaving the pyramid. It is sixteen feet square and the sides are adorned with Ionic columns and hajf columns, with square columns at the corners. Above the columns is a plain surface, over which rises a blunted pyramid. As no entrance to the interior has been discovered, it is presumable that it is solid stone. AND THE HOLY LAND. 365 In Matthew XXIII. where we find the Scribes and Pharisees severely rebuked, among other things the Savior says, " That upon you may come all the righte- ous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righte- ous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar." We learn that 850 B. C. Zacharias rebuked this peo- ple, saying: " Why transgress ye the commandments of the Lord that ye can not prosper ? Because ye hath forsaken the Lord he hath also forsaken you. And they conspired against him and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the camp of the house of the Lord." This pyramid is said to have been erected to his memory. Just above the tomb or pyramid of Zacharias we find the grotto of St. James. This is an irregular structure. " In front towards the west the vestibule is open for a space of sixteen feet, and supported by two columns seven or eight feet high, adjoining which are two side pillars incorporated with the rock composing the structure." This grotto is claimed to be a natural cave, in which, according to tradition, the apostle James lay concealed from the day of the Crucifixion, till the day of Resurrection, neither eating nor drinking during the time. On account of this tradition, the so-called " Christians " of Jerusalem consider it holy. Another tradition is that this apostle is buried on Mt. Olivet. This, however, is only from the 16th century. Another tradition, dating from the 15th century, makes this grotto his burial-place. A band of monks are said to have lived here for a time. After that it was used for a sheep-fold. Now, reader, try and keep in mind just where you 366 TRAVELS IN EGYPT are, in the valley of Jehoshaphat, on the east side of Jerusalem, between Mt. Moriah and the Mount of Olives. This grotto of St. James is directly opposite the south- east corner of the temple plateau. Just above this grotto is the tomb of Jehoshaphat, with a broad entrance nearly filled up with rubbish. It is somewhat irregular in shape, and surmounted by a gable. Whether this is in reality the tomb of Jehosha- phat no one knows. The scriptures tell us he was buried in the city of David, and that is all it says about it. A short distance above the tomb of Jehoshaphat we came to the tomb of Absalom, a large cube six and a half yards square and twenty feet high. This tomb is also hewn out of the rock, but only on three sides. On the front the stone has been removed down to the base of the tomb, but on the two sides it is separated from the rock by a passway eight or nine feet wide. As the rock on the side of the mountain was not high enough to make the whole monument in a single block, a square superstructure of large stone was erected on the massive base. This monument is filled around with a good deal of rubbish, but above this it measures forty-seven feet in height. It is called Absalom's tomb. But I infer from the reading of the scriptures that Absalom's body was never recovered from the pit into which Joab and his armor bearers threw it, and on which they heaped stone, over in the land of Gilead, on the east side of Jordan. "Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared up for himself a pillar, which is in the king's dale : for he said, I have no son to keep my name in remembrance: AND THE HOLY LAND. 367 and he called the pillar after his own name : and it is called unto this day, Absalom's place." The valley of Jehoshaphat was in ancient times called the king's dale, but whether this stone house marks the site of the pillar Absalom had reared to his own memory or not, history does not inform us. TRAVELS IN EGYPT CHAPTER XV. A FTER passing the tombs of Zacharias, St. James, -lT_L and the pillar of Absalom, we reach the place the " Christians " of Jerusalem have improved and called Gethsemane, the word signifying oil press. It is laid out with numerous walks running between beds of flowers. Within the enclosed area are seven venerable olive trees which, judging from the bulk of their trunks, some of which are sixteen or eighteen feet in circum- ference, I take to be very old. It is claimed these trees have been standing here since the days of the Savior. We know, however, this is but another of their false- hoods, for it is well-known that Titus and Hadrian cut down all the trees round and about the city. The garden is enclosed by a hedge eight feet in height, and is in the care of a Franciscan monk who not only admits strangers for a consideration, but watches them with the eye of a hawk after they enter to prevent them from plucking the flowers, or even taking a leaf from the olive boughs. Although I had serious doubts about this garden being the garden of Gethsemane into which our Lord entered with his dis- ciples on the night of his betrayal, still as it was rep- resented as being the place, I determined to carry some trifle home with me from its precincts, if I had to steal it. In walking up and down the garden I noticed a pretty stone lying in the walk just in front of me. When I came to it I, accidentally of course, dropped my handkerchief. It fell over the coveted stone, which I 368 AND THE HOLY LAND. 369 took up with my handkerchief and dropped into my pocket. I now have the stone with my collection and have labeled it "Stolen from Gethsemane." The garden is an irregular quadrangle and something like seventy yards in circumference. It has been designated as the garden of Gethsemane since the 4th century. At one time it was much larger than it is now, and had sev- eral churches and chapels within the enclosure. We read : " Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and he sayeth unto his disciples, Sit ye here while I go and pray yonder." One would infer from the narrative given us in the scriptures that the garden was a retired, unfrequented place. This and the word meaning oil press, taken in con- nection with the fact that in the days of the Savior Mt. Olivet was truly a mount of olives, being covered with olive trees, and oil presses were neccessary to press the oil from the fruit, I say in these particulars it would seem to indicate that this was the Gethsemane, or the place referred to in the text. In these particulars this place seems to suit very well, for in order to reach it from Jerusalem one has to corne down a long steep hill to the bottom of the valley of Jehoshaphat and then cross the valley. The place is but little frequented at the present time, but it will be remembered that the house, in the large upper room of which they say the Savior and his disciples ate the Passover, and then instituted the Supper, is located on Mt .Zion outside the southern wall of the city. In order to reach the present Gethsemane, the Savior and his disciples would have had to walk the entire length of the city, from south to north, and then turn 370 TRAVELS IN EGYPT east half the length of the northern wall, then go down this long, steep, rough hill to the valley below, then across the valley and the brook Kedron, to reach Gethseraane, on the western slope of the Mount of Olives, a distance altogether of considerably more than a mile. In addition to this we learned, when in Jerusalem, that the Greek Catholics were making another garden of Gethsemane just south of the present one. The present garden belongs to the Franciscans, and in all probability it is a modern made garden of Gethsemane, with a manufactured tradition appended. These priests and monks have no conscientious scruples in manufacturing places and traditions to order. The entrance to the garden is at the southeast corner, and a rock just east of the gate is pointed out as the spot where Peter, James and John slept during the agony. Some ten or twelve paces *south of this rock is a fragment of a column which, it is said, marks the spot where Judas imprinted upon the cheek of the Savior the betrayal kiss. Each visitor is expected to pay a franc (twenty cents) to the keeper for the privilege of entering the garden. So, upon the whole, the Fran- ciscans made a good investment when they bought, or invented, as the case may be, the garden of Gethsemane, on the western slope of Mt. Olivet, near its base where we now find it. We will now return to our hotel, as we have taken quite a tramp. We are now on the east side of the valley of Jehoshophat, opposite the northeast corner of the city wall, and at the foot of the Mount of Olives. We now go in a westerly direction across the water- drain Kedron, which is dry above the Virgin's spring, AND THE HOLT LAND. 371 except just after a rain. "We cross this on a bridge, and just after crossing it we come to what is called the Tomb of the Virgin, where, according to the legend, she was buried by the apostles, and where she lay until her assumptipn, or until she was taken bodily up to heaven, as is claimed by the Roman and Greek Cath- olics. As I did not enter this tomb, I give you a description of its interior as I have learned it from those who have examined it. The only part of the church which is above ground is the porch. " The descent to the main body of the structure is made by a flight of forty-seven steps, which are about nineteen feet broad at the top, narrowing as they descend to a depth of thirty-five feet. In descending you first observe a walled-up door on the right ; this formerly led to a cavern where, it is said, the Savior was when, as it is written, " being in an agony, he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. I have heard very many persons, in speaking of the agony of the Savior, referring doubtless to the above- quoted scripture, say that the " Savior sweat great drops of blood." Luke was a physician, and knew that, as a rule, the denser a fluid was the larger were its drops, and knowing blood was denser than water and had larger drops, he uses this expression as a com- parison, i. e., that the tirops of sweat which fell from the Savior's face to the ground were, as it were, or like unto great drops of blood. The Savior performed miracies enough; we will, at least, suppose he performed as many as lie thought necessary to convince the fair-minded and unprejudiced 372 TRAVELS IN EGYPT that no man could do the miracles he did except God be with him, and it is not necessary to misrepresent the plain statement of the apostle and convert what he said into a miracle when it was not a miracle, nor did he state it as a miracle. "About half-way down these steps there are two side chambers. The one on the right contains two altars and, they say, the tombs of Joachim and Anna, the parents of the Holy Virgin. The chamber on the left is said to contain the tomb of Joseph, the carpen- ter, the Virgin's husband. " The church below is ninety-three feet long and about twenty-wide. It is lighted by numerous lamps. In the center of the left wing is the sarcophagus of Mary, the mother of our Lord. The sarcophagus is placed in a square chapel, somewhat like the sepulchre of the Savior in the church of the Holy Sepulchre. On the east side is the altar of the Greeks; the south of the tomb is the prayer recess of the Mohammedans, and on the north the altar of the Armenians. It is said that Omar, who was the second Caliph after Mohammed, once prayed here; he certainly visited Jerusalem. The west wing contains the altar of the Abyssinians. Descending six steps we come to what appears to be a genuine cave or grotto, eighteen yards in length, about nine in width and twelve feet in height. This is called the " Cavern of the Agony." It is lighted by a small hole through the ceiling above. The cave contains three altars belonging to different sects. This comprises all that is of any interest in this so-called Virgin's tomb. We now. ascend this rough, rugged hill, and we will have to call a halt and rest several times before reach- AND THE HOLY LAND. ing its summit. Before reaching the top of the hill we pass the northwest corner of the city wall on our left. You see what an immense quantity of debris has accumulated around the outer side of the wall. We are now walking on the outside of the wall going west. When in something like a hundred paces of the Damas- cus gate we come to the entrance of the immense stone quarry, where it is thought Solomon obtained the stone of which he built the temple. And if you are willing we will explore it. To enter it we stoop to near a half bend and go under the city wall and then light our candles. We must now be careful and not let our guide get too far ahead of us, or we might lose our way. Soon after entering the quarry we go rapidly down- ward, deeper and deeper into the bowels of the earth. This subterranean cavern "extends two hundred yards in a southern direction under the city. In some places water drips down from the crevices of the stone over- head. After going say some fifty yards our descent is such that the rocky roof gets higher and higher over- head, supported by huge stone columns left by the quarrymen for the purpose. The quarry widens out as we proceed, all the while going deeper into the earth. Side chambers and channels now and then lead off to the right and left, stretching far out and below the city above. It is not known when this quarry was first worked. It is evident to me that it was opened before the present north wall of the city was built. It has been generally supposed that King Solomon obtained the stone, if not for building the temple, for other edifices which he erected in Jerusalem from this subterranean quarry. The floor of this extensive cavern is very irregular and 374 TRAVELS IN EGYPT rough, the candles give but a poor light, the air is close; and upon the whole it is a very fatiguing and unpleasant business to explore it. Now here we are in the broad light of day once more, and let ] rae show you right opposite to this entrance, i. e., directly north of where we now stand, in the south face of that hill, some two hundred paces from us, the grotto of Jeremiah. It is, as you see, some two hundred paces from the Damascus gate. It has been called the grotto of Jeremiah only since the 15th century ; it is said he wrote his lamentation there. The grotto is wholly uninteresting; it is, however, in the south and almost perpendicular side of a beautiful hill which rises some forty or fifty feet above the general level around it; the highest point being a short dis- tance back from the bluff end (for the hill is larger north and south than it is east and west), in which we find Jeremiah's grotto or the old stone quarry, for I believe the grotto to be nothing more nor less than an old quarry. From this point the hill slopes off gradually northeast and west General Gordon, Dr. Braudus, Dr. Talmage and all or nearly all modern visitors to Jerusalem believe this rocky ridge or hill to be the veritable hill of Calvary or Golgotha. Reader, I told you some pages back that I would show you what I believed to be Calvary. This is the place to which I then referred ; and now if you will go down the hill in a northwest direction some seventy- five or eighty yards to the foot of the hill, here it is we step down two or three stone steps ten feet long and enter a door. You see we are in a small room, some six or eight by ten feet square, in which you see a stone coffin. This burial house is hewn in a rock under AND THE HOLY LAND. 375 the margin of the hill. It does not appear ever to have been used, and no attention is being paid to it in any way. No one ever visits it, except it is shown them by some one who doesn't believe the chapel of the Holy Sepulchre covers the localities connected or associated with the passion of our Lord. This bare hill, for there is nothing upon it except a few graves, and this isola- ted, lonely tomb-house, and this empty tomb within it, God in his providence may have kept unoccupied and undisturbed by human hands for some wise purpose ; and to me and a great many other visitors it impresses as being Calvary, and 'the tomb as that of Joseph, far more forcibly than any other location in or around Jerusalem. Just in front of the sepulchre is a level plot of ground comprising about one-half acre of land, which in my opinion was the garden referred to in the scriptures. In the absence of a knowledge of the exact location of the walls of the city at the time of the Crucifixion, there is no negative process of reasoning by which this place could be excluded ; on the contrary, every scrip- tural requirement is- here fulfilled, which is more than can be said of the church of the Holy Sepulchre, which it is now said occupies that locality. Seated in a Jerusalem hack with a pair of Jerusalem horses, hack and horses about in keeping with things in general, in and about this old city I mean that they are none of the best, being kept here for the accom- modation of tourists horses thin, lean and lank ; old, dilapidated hacks; old, worn-out men in rags and tatters; old hags of women, ragged children and mangy dogs; narrow, filthy streets; low, flat-roofed houses, occupied by family, donkey, dogs and vermin that's S76 TRAVELS IN EGYPT Jerusalem of to-day, once called the holy city, the beautiful city. With an Arab driver we set out to visit the city of the nativity of our Lord, Bethlehem of Judea. From the Joppa gate we go south, crossing the valley of Hinnom or, as this upper part of it is called, the valley of Gihon, perhaps at the same place Solomon was anointed. Somewhere near here the aqueducts which brought water from Solomon's pools crosses this valley. Ascending the west bank of this valley we enter the territory of the tribe of Judah. This boundary line is described as running on the top of the mountain that lyeth before the valley of Hinnom westward. We leave the hill of evil counsel to our left. Tradition informs us that Caiaphus had a residence on this hill in the clays of the Savior. After ascending the hill we drive over the rolling plains of Rephriam. The table lands and valleys south of Jerusalem run up near the city and afford a very striking contrast with the rough, mountainous sections of the country lying around Jerusalem in other directions. When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, we are told they came and spread themselves over this valley.- David routed them and burned the images which in their haste they left behind them. After that they came the second time unto this plain to give David battle. In this instance the Lord directed David how and when to attack them. David was again successful, and smote the Philistines from Geba to Gazer. I have no doubt but that we are now riding over the same road that the wise men traveled when Herod AND THE HOLT LAND. 377 told them to go and " search diligently for the young child, and when ye have found him bring me word again that I may worship him." What a wicked old liar Herod was. Instead of wanting to go and worship this young child, he intended having him put to death. The old scamp was troubled and called together all the chief priests and scribes of the people and demanded of them where Christ should be born. He seems to have been apprised of the fact that the Jews were expecting and looking for his appearance, but it seems that he had never read the prophecy of Micah enunciated seven hundred years before that time, saying, " But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting." It would seem from the reading of the scriptures that bis star guided the wise men of the East of Jerusalem as far as that city, and then disappeared until they passed through the city, for you notice that it says, u And lo, the star which they saw in the east went before them till it came and stood over where the young child was, and when they saw the star they rejoiced with exceeding great joy." "Why is this plain called the valley ol Rephriam ? The aboriginal inhabitants of the land of Canaan are described in the Bible as a race of giants, consisting of the Anakims, the Rephriams, Enims, Horims, etc. Joshua destroyed these people and their cities, except those living in Gaza, Gath andAshdod. This plain therefore retains this name from its ancient occupants. About three or four miles out on this road we come to 378 TBAVELS IN EGYPT a substantially built monastery, now occupied by a few Greek monks. On the right-hand side of the road, opposite the monastery, is a large flat stone with the impression of a man roughly hewn on the top side of it. You remem- ber when Ahab told Jezebel, his wife, that Elijah had slain four hundred of the prophets of Baal, she sent him word that the gods might kill her if she didn't do unto him as he had done the prophets of Baal, by that time on the morrow. It has always been funny to me how panic-striken Elijah became on account of the threat of this mean, gabbling woman. We are told when Elijah heard what she said, " He went for his life." That is, he got up and dusted, and on his way down to Beer-sheba he stopped and laid down on this rock to rest or sleep, and when he got up left that impression of himself on the stone. To say the least of it, he must have done some hard sleeping. . What good it does these people to tell such yarns as this, is more than I can tell. It seems to me if all the truth in them was simmered down to an extract, you wouldn't get enough of it to make a " poor man's plaster." But we must ride on. The next place of interest which we reach is the tomb of Rachel. It was no doubt a sad day for Jacob when, three thousand six hundred and over years ago, Rachel died here on the road-side. Jacob loved Rachel. Old Laban, his father- in-law, had treated him shamefully. After Jacob had rendered him seven years faithful, honest work for her, to be deceived as he was! We learn from this that fathers-in-law can be, and sometimes are, as mean as mothers-in-law. Jacob was determined to have Rachel, and, instead of running away with her after the old AND THE HOLY LAND. 379 man had gone to bed, as the young folks do in our day, he laid off his coat and worked another seven years for her " whom he loved." "And Rachel died and was buried in the way to Ephrah, which is Bethlehem. And Jacob sat a pillar upon her grave, that is the pillar of Rachel's grave unto this day." The building that stands here now is an oblong stone structure, a one-story building with a dome over one end of it. Notwithstanding the dome resembles the innumerable Moslem welies which we see all over Pal- estine, and even the sarcophagus looks modern, still throughout the whole of the Christian period the tra- dition has always attached to this same spot, and for many centuries the supposed tomb was marked by a pyramid of stones. The stones were said to have been twelve in number, corresponding to the number of the tribes of Israel. Here the road to Hebron turns to the right. This we will travel on our return as far as the pools of Solomon. Half a mile to the west of the tomb of Rachael, in full view and prettily located, is the village of " Beit Jala," located on the site of ancient Zelzah. This was the home of Kish. the father of Saul, and it appears from the history given us of the burial of Saul and Jonathan, that old man Kish had a family burying- ground here. " And David took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan, his son, from the men of Jabesh-gilead, who had stolen them from the street of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hanged them, and brought them up and buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan, 380 TRAVELS IN EGYPT his son, in the country of Benjamin in Zelzah, in the sepulchre of Kish, his father." Again, when Saul went out hunting for his father's donkeys and went as far as Zuph, and Samuel, being instructed by the Lord, anointed him king, and then told him he would find two men at Rachel's sepulchre, in the border of Benjamin, at Zelzah, and that these men would tell him that his father's donkeys were found, and that the old man Kish was very uneasy about him ; these and other scriptures identify this place as the home of Kish, and the place where the bones of Saul and Jonathan, his son, were buried. Bethlehem, the birthplace of the Savior of the world, is a town which has existed for thousands of years. The houses are built of white limestone rock and are a better order of buildings than the average of houses in Jerusalem. It has a population of about five thousand. In Hebrew, the word means " place of bread " or, more generally, " place of food." We learn from the bible that the inhabitants of this place possessed corn-fields, vineyards and flocks, and that they made cheese. There is certainly a very marked contrast in the country around Bethlehem and' the country around Jerusalem. When Saul sent to Jesse for David, Jesse took a don- key and loaded it with bread, wine and kid and sent it by David to Saul. And David went and returned from Saul to tend his father's sheep at Bethlehem. And again Jesse said to David, his son, " Take now for thy brethren an ephah of this parched corn, and these ten loaves, and these ten cheeses unto the captain of their thousand," etc. AND THE HOLY LAND. 381 " In the eyes of the prophets, Bethlehem was specially sacred as the home of the family of David, and the other celebrated members of the same family, Joab, Asahel and Abishai, who once resided here." "We learn that Rehoboam fortified Bethlehem and made it one of his strongholds. The town is two thousand five hundred and thirty -seven feet above sea-level, and built upon two hills running east and west and con- nected with each other by a short saddle or lower ridge of land. These hills slope off to the east and west much more gradually than to the north and south. They hug around a beautiful valley somewhat in the shape of a half-moon. This valley runs north to near Jerusalem, and south as far as can be seen, and seems to be from five to seven miles in width, it may be more, lying east of the town. I imagine, and tradition says, it was in this beautiful, fertile valley that the wheat-field of Boaz lay when Kuth gleaned the ears of corn after the reapers. Old man Boaz played that little game of courtship as handsomely as anyone could have done it. Read what he said to his reapers after Ruth had eaten and left them : " Let fall also some of the handfuls a. pur- pose for her" The old fellow won her heart by kind- ness and then bought her for his wife, and, reader, do you know that their oldest son, Obed, was David's grandfather ? Boaz lived here, and it was here that Naomi and Ruth came when they came from the land of Moab, east of Jordon. Naomi moved with her husband, Elimelech, from Bethlehem to Moab, when there was a famine in the land, when the country was ruled by the judges. But more than all this, here Christ, the son of the 382 TRAVELS IN EGYPT living God, was born. Over in that valley the angel of God said unto the shepherds : " Fear not, for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, saying glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will to men." Although the Bethlehemites live chiefly by agricul- ture and raising cattle, they are also an ingenious people, and many of them are occupied in the manufacture of images of saints, rosaries, crosses, and other fancy articles in wood, mother of pearl and coral. They make articles of the peculiar black stone called " stink stone," found only at the Dead Sea. The streets are narrow and very rough. Many of the inhabitants seem to be very poor, though neater and better looking than the Arabs. The church of St. Mary, erected over the traditional birthplace of Jesus, lies in the west part of town, and is the joint property of the Greeks, Latins, and Arme- nians. This church forms part of a confused pile of stone buildings, which includes, besides the church and the chapel next to it, a Latin, a Greek and an Armenian convent. " We enter the church "through a small, low door, like the sally-port of a fortification, traverse the long nave, pass through the doors in the partition which has been erected between the nave and transept (greatly to the injury of the architectural effect), and, descend- ing about ten feet, reach the birthplace of the Savior, or the chapel of the Nativity, lighted by twenty or more lamps. It is thirteen and one-half yards long, AND THE HOLY LAND. 383 four wide and ten feet high. The floor is of marble and the walls lined with marble. "We find this place decorated with an abundance of embroidery and numer- ous lamps. In the south end we find engraved on a silver star in the floor, " Here Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary." Above the reputed place of the nativity sixteen golden lamps are kept burning day and night. Opposite the recess of the nativity are three steps descending to the chapel of the Manger, in which is placed a manger, or donkey trough, made of marble. It is about twelve inches square and some three feet long, a modern-made aifair. We find here, as in the church of the Holy Sepulchre, it requires an armed soldiery to quell the riots and to keep peace among these Christian sects, as in the church of the Holy Sepulchre. Leaving the chapel of the Nativity we next enter a long subterranean gallery, which leads us to an altar dedicated to Joseph, where they say the angel appeared to him, arid commanded him to flee with the mother and child into Egypt. The next altar is said to be over the cave into which was thrown the young children massacred by order of the demon Herod. Next we reach the tomb of Eusebius, and further on, at the end of the gallery, the tomb and chapel of St. Jerome, who lived here for thirty or more years. Here this wonder- fully eccentric scholar not only revised the Latin trans- lation of the Bible, but also, by the aid of Jewish scholars, translated the Old Testament directly from the Hebrew. It was here he fasted, prayed, dreamed and studied and gathered around him followers, who formed the beginning of convent life in Palestine. " We now* ascend to a large new Chapel, dedicated 384 TRAVELS IN EGYPT to St. Catherine. " I don't know which one of the saints Catherine it was, for the Roman Catholic record has no less than six. This chapel is dedicated, I sup- pose, to Catherine, the virgin and martyr, whose day of commemoration occurs on the 25th day of Novem- ber. " It is claimed that she got the better of a com- pany of heathen philosophers in a religious disputation. As a matter of revenge she was bound to a wheel armed with spikes in such manner that at every turn of the wheel the spikes should pierce her body. But the cords were miraculously broken, and the malice of her enemies spoiled; or it may be dedicated to St Catherine of Siena, " of whom it is said at the age of five years it was her practice in going up stairs to kneel to the Holy Virgin at every step. " I suppose the fash- ion of going up the sacred steps at Rome, of which I told you, is patterned after this foolish fanatic. At six years old she daily flogged herself. At seven she deprived herself of a great portion of her food. At the same age she would watch from a window to see when a Catholic Monk passed, and would then run down and kiss the spot of the pavement where he had placed his foot. I imagine the adoration of this and other crazy creatures fed the vanity of these hypocritical scamps. At twelve years old she wholly abandoned animal food and at fifteen ceased to drink wine. At twenty she quit eating bread, living only on raw or uncooked veg- etables. She would sleep but fifteen or twenty min- utes in every twenty-four hours. She flogged herself three times a day till the blood streamed down her body. She lived three years without speaking to any one. She wore a chain of iron around her body, which gradually ate its way into her flesh, and finally she AND THE HOLY LAND. 385 remained wholly without food for many years; that surely beats Dr. Tanner. In after years this saint claimed that our Savior descended from heaven and made on her hands and feet scars, such as would be supposed to have been made upon his own hands and feet by the nails with which he was nailed to the cross. As before stated, I don't know to which of these six fanatical religious cranks this chapel is dedicated, nor do I suppose that it makes any difference. All of them ought to have been, in mercy, killed and letgotoheaven long before they died. "We next pass to the chapel of St. Helena, where we find forty-four marble columns, which were taken from Mt. Moriah and supposed to have been in the porch of the temple. This building, it is said, was erected by Helena, the mother of Constantine the great, in 327. It is one hundred and twenty feet long by one hundred wide. "We now leave this convent and follow a street run- ning south of the convents to where we go down a flight of steps, which lands us into a grotto, about ten feet in the ground. This seems to be a natural cave in the soft limestone rock. This is the room in which Mary remained with the babe Jesus forty days (accord- ing to Jewish law), or until she was able to travel, and while here, it is said, a drop of the Yirgin's milk fell on the ground; this rendered the whole cave holy, of course. And now it is claimed that a small bit of the stone powdered and dropped into water, and the water drank at intervals, will increase the flow of milk in the breasts of the nursing mother. If any of my mother readers have Catholic credulity enough to believe this and wish to try it, lean furnish them with some of the 386 TRAVELS IN EGYPT " milk grotto stone," as I don't suppose I will ever have occasion to try its effect upon myself. In following the subterranean passage spoken of above, a round hole in the stone floor may be noticed. Here, it is said, water gushed out for the use of the holy family. In the 15th century an absurd tradition was invented, to the effect that the star which guided the magii fell into the spring, and I suppose was put out. Some people think that, at certain, intervals, this strange, new, miraculous star may now be seen from certain localities; but this must be a mistake, as we learn from the above tradition that it was " put out " in the mirac- ulous spring. When our company started on their return from Bethlehem, one of the carriages knocked down and ran over a Bethlehemite child, cutting a gash some two or three inches long on its head. The child, of some four or five summers, attempted to cross the narrow street in front of the horses. Dr. Crunden, our guide, interpre- ter and teacher, happened to be in the carriage that did the mischief. It was but the act of a moment. The Doctor sprang out of the carriage, grabbed the child and ran up the street, carrying the child in his arms. As he ran by the carriage I was in he called me to follow him. A native conducted him up the street some forty or fifty steps from where the child was hurt; turning at a right angle down a flight of steps in a narrow alley between two houses to the left, he reached the top of a stairway. The stairway landed near the door of the home of the child's Daren ts. The Doctor carried the child to its home. I entered the room soon after the Doctor got in with what he thought was the dead child. Before I could AND THE HOLY LAND. 387 set to examine the nature and extent of the injury, the natives crowded into the room until it would hold no more. Then followed a scene of the wildest excitement. The mother went into hysterics and had a regular spell of the jerks, such as the people in the old times used to have when they "got happy at the big meetings." If the reader is an old gentleman or an old lady, he will remember when the jerks was the fash- ionable way of giving expression to an overflow of religious feelings. The old ladies and maids in " emo- tional revival meetings" don't resort to the jerks now- adays, but dance about, clap their hands and give vent to their overwrought feelings in shouts and hysterical laughter. These good people with nervous tempera- ments and emotional natures can't control their feel- ings. It is best that they should not let them shout, it does them good and it is healthy it is good "physical culture." I don't like, however, to see this class of revivalists sleep through the sermon and then rouse up and bring in their work on .the " home stretch." The father of the child jerked and slobbered like he had hydrophobic convulsions. The room was full of loud talking, and seemingly very angry men, using menacing gestures. I could see that Dr. Crunden was very much excited and was using every means in his power to pacify them, and to induce them to let me examine the child. Although I could not understand a word that was said, I could comprehend enough to render me uneasy. I noticed that they had shut and fastened the door, so there was no chance of escape. After awhile the mob, for it was nothing more nor less, consented for me to dress the wound. The child had been struck by the carriage wheel and stunned, but 388 TRAVELS IN EGYPT returned to consciousness soon after we reached the room, and set up such a howl as only an Arab cub or dervish can master. I had to send out to get a vessel of water and a cloth, to wash the wound with, there being nothing of the kind in the room. In fact, there was nothing in the room except a few mats spread upon the ground floor, used, I suppose, for bedding. As soon as I washed the blood from the wound and face of the child, closed the wound, applied a compress and band- age over the wound, and hid it from their sight, they seemed to get more quiet. Like some animals the sight of blood made them mad. After which, by the payment of a few dollars to the parents, the door was opened, and we were all happy again. At least, I know Dr. Crunden and myself felt relieved after get- ting out of the house and on the street again. After getting away from the town I asked the Doctor what was said during the excitement between himself and the mob that things looked threatening to me. He said we were in great danger at one time. He said he told them "that I was a big, savage man, and a doctor, and if they hurt me I would kill a dozen of them ; but if they would be quiet and would let me, I would dress the child's head, and it would soon be well again." Fortunately, the child was not seriously hurt. The Arab driver of the carriage that struck the child, I suppose, realizing the danger he was in, or would be in if caught, put whip to his horses, and drove out of town. Togo from Bethlehem to Solomon's pools in a carriage we go back on the road leading to Jerusalem as far as Rachel's tomb, and then turn to the right, taking the main road which goes to Hebron. Five miles below AND THE HOLY LAND. 389 Bethlehem we reach the pools, three in number. They are situated in an uncultivated valley which slopes towards the east. The highest of the pools is bounded on the west side by the road leading from Jerusalem to Hebron. The valley in which the pools are built descends so abruptly that an embankment of immense size would have had to be built to confine the water in a single large reservoir. Owing to the abrupt descent of the valley, the pools are constructed in steps, one below the other. The lowest of the three was always filled first, and the other two in succession, and were emptied in the same wav; each, when emptied, being refilled from the one above it. The second, or middle, pool is fifty-three yards distant from the highest pool and about twenty feet lower than the one above it, while the lowest pool is fifty-two yards lower down the valley than the middle one, and about nineteen or twenty feet lower. The highest pool is one hundred and twenty-seven yards long, and seventy -six wide at the top and seventy- nine at the lower or east end, and twenty-five feet deep. It is partly hewn in the rock and partly enclosed in masonry. The second or middle pool is one hundred and forty- one yards long and fifty -three wide at the upper end and eighty-three below. The lowest pool is the finest of the three. It is one hundred and ninety-four yards long, forty -nine yards wide at the top and sixty-nine at the lower end, and forty-eight feet deep. Like the others, it is partly hewn in the rock and partly built up with masonry. There is a castle, as it is called, near the uppermost pool, a large, square building with corner towers. It was erected for protection against 390 TRAVELS IN EGYPT the Beduins, and, I was informed, was still garrisoned with a few soldiers.' About one hundred and fifty paces west of the pool is the " sealed fountain," a large spring, or, rather, several springs. The water from these different springs unite in a basin, from which it is conducted by a channel to a water fountain above the first pool ; part of it, however, flowing in the old conduit which passes the pools. There is a spring in the castle ; besides this and the sealed fountain springs, there are two other fine bold springs near the pool. Below the pools is a fine valley called Etam; the land is very^ fertile and susceptible of being irrigated by the water from the springs above. But little of the valley and the surrounding table lands, however, are in culti- vation. The Arabs in Palestine are an indolent, lazy, trifling, unprincipled set of people. But I think they have been degraded by their government and by their religion. Thomas Carlyle says : "A man's or a nation's relig- ion is the chief factor with regard to them." He defines religion to be not the articles of a man's faith, nor his professions nor assertions, but, " the thing a man does practically believe, the thing a man does practically lay to heart and know for certain concerning his vital relations to this mysterious universe and his duty and destiny here. That is in all cases the primary thing for him, and creatively determines all the rest." Reader, it is understood that we next visit Jericho, and the ford of the Jordan, and the Dead Sea. Our route carries us along the north wall of Jerusalem, down the long, steep hill near the northeast corner of the AND THE HOLY LAND. 391 city wall, across the valley of Kedron ; here we turn down the valley, leaving the garden of Gethsemane on our left. Our road turns down the valley skirting the Mount of Olives. Understand, we are leaving Mt. Olivet to the left ; the road skirts the mountain and gradually ascends. Just below the garden a place is pointed out where Judas is said to have hanged himself, and, a little further on, the site of the fig tree which was cursed by Christ. In eighteen or twenty minutes more we reach the site of old Bethany. John says : "Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen fnrlongs off." The name signifies "house of poverty." It is situated on a well cultivated spur of the Mount of Olives on the bor- der of the wilderness of Judea. The town now con- sists of some thirty or forty Arab hovels. A short distance beyond Bethany we descend a long hill, at the foot of which is En-shemeth, mentioned by Joshua in describing the borders of the territory given the tribe of the children of Judah. From Bethany to Jericho there are no houses. The road runs through the northern part of the wilder- ness of Judea, a barren, mountainous section of country lying between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea. These mountains are composed of soft white limestone, which at a distance makes them look as though they were covered with snow. Occasionally we meet squads of wild, fierce-looking Bedouins. They are generally armed with long flintlock muskets, old flintlock pistols, long spears and swords. "We have for an escort, however, a sheik and several of his men, who guarantee us safe transit to the Jordan 392 TRAVELS IN ECJYPT and back. Consequently we apprehend no danger from these savage-looking fellows. Our road leads us down, down, down ; in this thirty miles ride we go down three thousand six hundred and ninety feet. In speaking of an incident which occurred on this road, Jesus said : " A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieve s which stripped him of his raiment and wounded him and departed, leaving him half dead." Jericho, as we shall find, was located at the foot of the mountains in the valley of the Jordan, which, as just stated, is over three thousand and six hundred feet below Jerusalem. And from the looks of some of these Bedouins we are meetiug along the road, if we were not protected by our passports and escort, they might treat us in the same way. "We learn one lesson, however, as we ride along this road passing deep gorges and around naked, barren and lonely hills, and that is, it gives one a far better opinion of the man's goodness of heart and a far more exalted opinion of the moral courage of a man who dared to care for the lonely wounded stranger whom he found lying by the roadside. About half way between Jerusalem and Jericho, we came to a Khan or stopping house on the left-hand side of the road. Here we find our lunch tent stretched and lunch ready. So we will dismount and rest for a while. This old Khan or tavern is said to stand upon the site of the old tavern mentioned in the scriptures above referred to. This is an old stone structure situated on the roadside with an enclosure in the rear. It has an old solitary appearance as though it might be the veritable inn to which the Samaritan took the AND THE HOLY LAND. 393 poor, unfortunate, wounded stranger. I am inclined to believ r e it is the same inn, for had the tremor of an earthquake or the ravages of time destroyed the first inn I don't think there could possibly be found an induce- ment of sufficient promise to have incited in either a Pal- estine Jew or Arab energy or enterprise enough to have caused him to rebuild a tavern in such a locality. Header, did you ever ride down hill for a whole day ? If not, I am sure you have no reason to envy him who has. I found it the most fatiguing traveling I have ever experienced. For a few miles before reaching the Jordan valley the road leads us along the brow of the ridge, having a deep, abrupt'gorge on the left. Coming up from the bottom of this gorge we heard the merry, cheery rippling of water. This is not one of Tenny- son's brooks, however, of which he says: "Men may come and men may go, but I go on forever, I go on forever." In an old book of Jewish history we read of a Tishbite to whom the word of the Lord came, saying . " Get thee hence and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith that is before Jordan. And it shall be thou shalt drink of the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed there." By the by, has the original word here translated ravens the right translation or rendering ? The same word means Arab, and, at the time here spoken of, wandering Arabs were traveling to and fro through this wilderness. But, after a while, this brook Cherith dried up because there had been no rain in the land. Some mile or so before coming to the top of the hill that overlooks the Jordan valley we see clinging, as it were, to the side of the high rocky hill on the opposite side of the brook a small stone building which is said to be 394: TRAVELS IN EGYPT erected over the hiding place of the ancient prophet. Passing this on the left we soon reach the fertile valley of the far-famed Jordan. Soon after entering the val- ley we pass on the right the remains of the pool of Herod. This pool was one hundred and eighty-eight yards long and one hundred and fifty-seven wide, built of stone nearly all above ground. Kemains of an aqueduct leading from the pool of the prophets to the pool of Herod are now to be seen. It appears to have been filled with water from the pool of the Prophets, some half mile or more distant. As we pro- ceed across the valley we cross a beautiful stream, its clear, transparent waters flowing over its rocky bed with a rapid current. This stream is some fifteen or more feet wide and is formed by the confluence of smaller streams (the brook Cherith being one of the number) which flow down from the mountains, making its way across the valley, emptying into the Jordan between the ford and the Dead Sea. After crossing this creek we soon pass a modern hotel, which has been erected in the valley for the accommodation of travelers. A short distance beyond the hotel we find our tents pitched upon the site of old Gilgal. AND THE HOLY LAND. CHAPTER XVI. A ND now, reader, we are in one of the most inter- -JL- esting localities upon the face of the earth, if we are on the site of Gilgal, and there is no reason to doubt it. We know it was betweenthe ford of the Jordan where Joshua led the children of Israel across, into the long-promised land, after having wandered for forty years in the wilderness, and the old city of Jeri- cho. And we are now camped between those two points. If we are not on the exact site of old Gilgal, where Joshua camped with his thousands of warriors, we must be very near it. Furthermore, an encampment of this number of war- riors would spread over considerable ground, and they would be likely to pitch their tents convenient to water, and here we have Cherith, just south of our tents, wend- ing its way to the Jordan. Here Joshua built an altar to the Lord with twelve stones, which they took out of Jordan. Here also the rite of circumcision was renewed, a rite which had not been practiced by the children of Israel during their sojourn in the wilderness, and all the males which came out of Egypt, except Joshua and Caleb, having died in the wilderness, the whole of the Israelite males had to be circumcised. Here they kept the passover,the day after which the manna with which they had been fed, during their sojourn in the wilderness, ceased. To this place Samuel sent Saul to offer sacrifices, saying: " Go down before me to Gilgal, and behold I will come down to thee to 396 TRAVELS 1ST EGYPT offer burnt offerings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings. Seven days shalt thou tarry till I come to thee and show thee what thou shalt do." Saul having tarried till the seven days had passed, and Samuel not coming as he had promised, Saul made a burnt offering himself. As soon as he had made an end of the burnt offering, however, Samuel came and told him he had done foolishly ; " that he hadn't kept the commandment of the Lord ;" had he done so, the Lord would have established his reign over Israel for- ever, but now his kingdom should not continue, but should be given to a man after his own heart, etc., i. e., a king to God's liking. As I have just said, this is one of the most interesting places on earth to one who loves the bible and takes an interest in God's dealings with his own peculiar peo- ple, from whom should descend, as had been foretold, the Savior of the world. See what a group of noted places surround us. When we look south of us down this open plain, which is from five to eight miles in width, we see the Dead Sea framed with mountains; the high mountains of Moab border the east, and of Judea on the west; we see the high barren chalk hills comprising the wilderness of Judea, out of which came John the Baptist, of whom the prophet said, seven hun- dred years before: " The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, prepare 'ye the way of the Lord. Make straight in the desert a highway for our Lord." Now read this statement and see if you don't think the prophecy fulfilled: " In those days came John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness of Judea. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord. Make His paths straight." Another AND THE HOLY LAND. 39 7 man of inspiration says: u John did baptize in the wil- derness and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins." John himself says when the Jews and Levites sent two men (phansees) from Jerusalem to ask him who he was he said: "I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness. Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias. u He it is who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe latchet I am unworthy to unloose." And of whom the next day John said: " Behold the lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world." The east border of this now barren valley grown up here and there with underbrush is bordered by the mountains of Moab. As we run our eyes along over the tops of these mountains we see one that lifts its hoary head above its fellows. That is Mt. Pisgah. It does not stand out separate and isolated from its comrades as does Mt. Sinai or old snow-crowned Hermon which we see far to the north of us; but still, it overlooks the others by which it is surrounded, as much as to say, " I have been more honored than you all." Perhaps there is no mountain on this planet of ours around the summit of which clusters a more touching scene to contemplate than this. Here Moses, through whom the God of the universe brought down the lightnings and thunder of heaven, yea, and even the angel of death to melt the hardened heart of Pharaoh, and who had borne with the murmuring, the discontent, and rebellious spirit of the Israelites during their forty years of pilgrimage in the wilderness ; he who had escaped the wrath of Pharaoh and his hosts when pur- sued, and guided by the pillar of fire by night and the cloud by day had brought this large concourse of peo- 398 TRAVELS IN EGYPT pie out of the land of bondage, and now in the full sight of the promised land, was taken upon the top of Mt. Pisgah, there to die in the presence of God only. When we scrutinize the character of Moses and review his acts from the time God spoke to him from the burning yet not consumed bush, with one single exception, "he is the same sublime, majestic charac- ter ; Noble by nature, great by his mission, and greater still by the manner he accomplished it. We look at him as he stretches out one hand over the surging waters of the Eed Sea, lifting the other to heaven, when the 'waters crouched at his feet,' and the host of Israel passed through on dry land. We see him again lifting a brazen serpent in the midst of the groans and cries of those bitten by the flying serpents in the midst of the encampment ; again, when standing shoeless while the lightnings of Sinai play around his head and talk- ing with the mighty maker of heaven and earth face to face as friend talks to friend." "We find him the same great, grand, unflinching, unwavering servant of God. And now he has bidden the host of Israel farewell, has looked for the last time on the white tents of Israel. He takes one long look at Canaan, miraculously spread before him. His eye sweeps over that fertile land, and as the picture and all the earthly pictures fade from his mind, the happy Canaan above, his eter- nal home, bursts upon his enraptured vision, never more to be effaced. Alone with God. The cold, unfeeling, unconscious rocks hear his last prayer and witness the dying groans of this old faithful servant as he conquers his last enemy, death, and God buried him. " There he slept alone on Pisgah's top. The mountain cloud, which AND THE HOLY LAND. 399 * nightly hung round him, his only shroud, and the thun- der of the passing storm his only dirge. There he slept, while centuries as the days rolled by, his lonely grave unknown, unvisited, until at length he is seen standing with Christ on the mount of transfiguration. Over Jordan at last, in Canaan at last." As we look down the valley of the Jordan, ten miles below us, the Dead Sea drops in, as it were, and takes the place of the valley, filling the space between the high mountains on each side. As we approach the sea from above we come to a beautiful gravelly beach which slopes*down to the water's edge. This sea is ten miles wide, forty -five long, and has a mean depth of one thousand feet. Before visiting the Dead Sea, I had read that the surface of the water was covered with a scum of bitu- men ; that the water had a strong odor of sulphur ; that birds in attempting to fly over it would fall dead, and that persons bathing in it would afterward break out with a pricking, burning rash of the skin, etc., all of which I found to be a mistake. It is a beautiful sea of clear salt water, holding in solution twenty -five percent, of salts, one-half of which is pure salt. Ocean water holds in solution three and one-half per cent, of salts. Fish, therefore, taken from the Atlantic or Mediterranean and put into the Dead Sea would die almost, if not quite, as soon as they would if kept out of water altogether. I learn that large beds of bitumen have long been known to exist in certain localities in the bottom of the Dead Sea, but it never comes to the surface except when loosened by earth- quakes or storms, and, being heavier than the water, soon settles to the bottom again. There is no odor or 400 TRAVELS IN EGYPT vapor arising from the surface of the water to affect a bird-or other fowl from flying over it. It has no living thing in its waters ; for I know of no fish or marine animal that could live long in water as strongly impregnated with salt as this is. Lieutenant Lynch writes that his men were troubled with a skin rash after bathing in the Dead Sea. But I remember Lieutenant Lynch was there in the summer season, and I am very confident his men were troubled with what is called " the heat," a rash which is very frequently produced by the intense heat of the sun, and its invasion very frequently ushered in by bathing. At all events, some half a dozen or more of our company, both gentlemen and ladies, took a bath in its waters, and found it very refreshing indeed, nor was it followed by a rash or any other unpleasant symptom. There is nothing strange or wonderful in the appearance of this sea, unless it be its lonely, desolate, isolated location. There is no sign of life in, around or about it. The mountains around it are destitute of verdure, and it is dead in name, dead in appearance, and dead in reality. It has no outlet, and in the very nature of the case it is impossible for it to have an outlet. The level of the Dead Sea is twelve hundred and ninety feet below the level of the Mediterranean. If the two bodies of water were in any way connected, the Mediterranean would pour its water into the Dead Sea until it brought it to a level with itself, after which the current from the one to the other would cease to flow. The greatest depth of the Dead Sea is something over thirteen hundred feet. Its depth, however, is increased during the rainy season, when there is an increased flow of water poured into it ; but it is again AND THE HOLT LAND. 401 lowered by evaporation during the long, hot, dry months of summer and autumn. There is an impression that the Dead Sea occupies the site formerly occupied by the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. But the scriptures teach us that this sea existed here before those cities were destroyed. I think it is plain that they were located in the Jordan valley somewhere near this great salt sea, as it is termed in the scriptures, but not where the sea now is. (Read Genesis, 14th chapter.) The Dead Sea on an air line is sixty-five miles dis- tant from the sea of Galilee, and its level six hundred and sixty-seven feet below that sea. The total depth of the basin of the Dead Sea below the Mediterranean is twenty-six hundred feet. Jerusalem is three thou- sand six hundred and ninety-seven feet above the level of this sea, and only fifteen miles distant from it on a straight line ; thirty miles distant by the winding, zig- zag road. It has been calculated by competent engineers that upon an average six millions of tons of water run into the Dead Sea daily. The whole of this prodigious quantity must be carried off by evaporation and absorp- tion. The little river Jordan, called by some a "branch," supplies three-fourths or more of this immense quan- tity of water which daily finds its way into this unique sea. I come now to speak of this principal river in Pales- tine, the far-famed, much-abused Jordan. There have been more egregious lies told about this river than about any other little stream in the universe. Some say it is a little branch, that you can stop its flowing 402 TRAVELS IN EGYPT waters with the foot. Je-ru-sa-lem, what a foot. I would like to see a foot a hundred feet long. Some say its banks are high and abrupt, and consequently it is impossible to get down into the stream even to make a man kneel down to be baptized, by pouring, .sprinkling, or to be immersed. Others say there is too much water, that it is too deep, that it is dangerous to go into the stream at all. I am sorry that this class of men, who, it appears to me, have more sectarianism in their heads than religion in their hearts, can't come to a knowledge of the facts in regard to this little river and tell the truth about it. Just before I left home to visit these far away lands I sat for an hour and listened to a little ignoramus assert and reassert that there was not water enough in river, lake or pool in all Palestine to baptize a man. I learned a few days after that the little man, for whom I have great sympathy, had but a short time before been turned out of an insane asylum. I guess he has been carried back before this. The physicians erred in per- mitting him to leave the asylum. The man was not cured, he was a lunatic; but what right have such men to preach ? What is the use of misrepresenting physical facts and telling actual falsehoods to support an opinion or be- lief. If one individual believes the pouring of water upon a person to be baptism, and another believes that the sprinkling of water upon another is baptism, and another believes that a person must be put under the water, head and ears, in order to be baptized, whose business is it ? If he has a love for God in his heart and is trying to live a holier, better life, if he is aspiring to love God supremely and his neighbor as himself, is he not ful- AND THE HOLY LAND. 403 filling the law of God ? If either one of them ever reaches heaven I have no idea that the question as to how they were baptized will be asked them. What right has A to ridicule or abuse B because B doesn't think as A does or because B doesn't believe as A believes? God holds us personally responsible for the improvement of the talents he has given us. I am not responsible for what A, B, or C believes or does. The reader may ask me, why then are you so hard on the leaders of the religious sects of other countries ? Because they are promulgating, teaching and practic- ing, knowingly and willingly, a perfect system of fraud and deception. Their intelligence forbids my saying that these stupendous frauds are practiced and imposed upon the people ignorantly ; to say so would be an insult to their intelligence. They are not fools, but knaves. But to go back to the thread of our narrative, I will say that the Jordan has what we call a first and second bottom. The first bench of lowland on the banks of the Jordan varies from fifty yards to several hundred in width, and for the most part is covered with trees, undergrowth and switch-cane. The great valley of the Jordan rises some eight or ten feet above this narrow strip that runs along its shores. The Jordan is from thirty to thirty-five yards wide. The fords are across its rocky shallows or rapids. Between these shoals the water is deep and the current less rapid. At the ford where the children of Israel entered the land of Canaan, where John was baptizing and where the Savior was baptized of John in the Jordan, there is a small island in the middle of the 404 TBAVELS IN EGYPT stream which divides the water, sending it over the gravelly shoals on each side. When we were at the ford, the river was at the top of its banks from recent rains somewhere above. I procured a nice stone from the bed of the river where Joshua procured the twelve from which he erected an altar to the Lord God of Israel, and where our Lord suffered John to baptize him that he might " fulfill all righteousness." The ford of the Jordan is associated with many interesting as well as miraculous events, recorded in the Old and New Testament scriptures. When Moses was leading the children of Israel from Egypt to Canaan his route lay through the land of the Moabites (one branch of the family of Lot). They refused him the privilege of passing through their territory. Conse- quently he had to bear further east and go around them through the territory of the Amorites. In his detour he took all the cities of the plane out of the hands of the two kings of the Amorites ; the land on the east side of Jordan from the river Arnon to Mt. Hermon. This territory Moses divided up and gave to certain tribes, but required the fighting men to go over Jordan with the remaining tribes and fight with them until they had gotten possession of all that portion of the promised land lying west of the Jordan. The tents of Israel were pitched at the foot of Mt. Nebo. Moses, their great leader, had told them that the Lord was angry with him for their sakes, and although he had begged the Lord to permit him to go before them into the land of Canaan, that he would not. He told them that he would be taken from them and that they would have another leader. He talked AND THE HOLY LAND. 405 to them as a father. He warned them against the sin of idolatry and told them when they had conquered the nations in Canaan not to permit their children to intermarry with the people, as it might have a ten- dency to lead them to the worship of other gods. He also told them when God spoke to them out of the fire of Horeb, " that they heard his voice but saw no simili- tude or likeness of him lest they corrupt themselves and make a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female, or beast on the earth, or fowl of the air, or fish, or the sun, moon, or stars, and worship them." *He reiterated to them again the ten commandments, and admonished them to treasure them in their hearts, and obey them, and the Lord would love them, bless them, and multiply them, and bless the fruit of the land, their corn and wine, their oil and their kine, and their flocks, in the land which he sware unto their fathers to give them. After the death of Moses the Lord spoke unto Joshua and told him to " arise and go over Jordan thou and all this people unto the land which I do give unto them." Joshua moved the people of Israel down to the ford of the Jordan, and remained there three days. Now, reader, this is said to be the ford at which the children of Israel crossed this little river which, as you see, is about thirty five yards wide here, but was at least fifty yards wider then, for we are told it overflowed its banks, and you see if it was over this first bank it would spread out to that second bank yonder where we rise up on a level with the valley. Here is a river thirty-five yards wide now, for it is up and near bank full, from ten to twelve feet deep, and at 406 TRAVELS IN EGYPT low water-mark from three to four feet deep, which has its source in some of the largest springs I ever saw gush- ing out from beneath the Anti-Lebanon mountains, besides being fed by the springs which keep hundreds of acres of land above Lake Merom submerged in water winter and summer. You will find North Palestine well watered; in fact it possesses a sufficiency of water- power to run all the spinning factories in New Eng- land. Before Joshua moved the hosts of Israel from Shittim to the ford of Jordan Ia6 sent two spies over to Jericho to spy out the land. What befell the spies I shall have occasion to speak of hereafter. When they returned and made their report, Joshua determined to make a forward movement and cross over Jordan at once. Officers went through the hosts and told the people when they saw the Levites going forward with the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, that they must fall in and move on after it, but they must not approach too near it ; that a space of " about two thousand cubits by measure " must be between them and the Ark. Joshua commanded the people to sanctify themselves, and told them that " on to-morrow the Lord would do wonders among them." The Lord told Joshua to command the priests that bear the Ark when they were come to the brink of the water of Jordan that they must stand still in Jordan, " And it shall come to pass as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the Ark shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above, and they shall stand upon an heap." We are further told that as soon as the priests came to the AND THE HOLT LAND. 407 Jordan and the soles of their feet were dipped in the brim of the water, for "Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest," " that the waters which come down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam that is beside Zaretan, and those that come down towards the Sea of the'Plain, even the salt sea failed and were cut off, and the people passed over right against Jericho." This was the first time the waters of this river or creek, or branch or rivulet, whatever you may denomi- nationally call it, was miraculously divided. And this was the first miracle ever performed at this particular locality. If its waters could be made to stand in a heap, however, " by a man's foot," it wasn't much of a " wonder," as Joshua called it, after all. The water of Jordan has been three times miraculously divided and caused to stand up in a heap at this ford. We read that Elijah took his mantle and wrapped it together and smote the waters of Jordan at this ford, and they divided hither and thither, so that the prophet Elijah and Elisha, who was with him, went over on dry land. After crossing the river they were walking along talking, and behold there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire, and parted these men asunder, and one of them went up by a whirlwind into Heaven. Elisha, his companion, saw it, and cried " My father ! My father! The chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof, and he saw him no more." Elisha, in his distress, rent his clothes, as was the custom in those days. Any one in trouble, grief or distress rent his clothes. He then took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him as he was taken up into Heaven, and went back and stood by the bank oi 408 TKAVELS IN EGYPT the Jordan. And he took the mantle that had fallen from Elisha and smote the waters and said, " Where is the Lord God of Elijah ? " And when he had smitten the waters they parted hither and thither, and Elisha went over. If Jordan was but a branch that could be stopped in its downward course to the Dead Sea with a slight obstruction, why, I ask in the name of truth, honesty and candor, do the scriptures set forth these three separate and distinct miraculous events of dividing the waters of the river as an evidence, not of God's presence only, but of his power ? We find, therefore, from these historic accounts that as far back as the days of Joshua, i. e., about fourteen hundred years before the Christian era, this river contained enough water to float a small-sized steam- boat. Then, again, that David a thousand years before the Christian era had to have his family carried over this "little insignificant stream " in a ferry-boat, and as there is no account of the boat's being made for this special occasion, it is presumable that a regular ferry was kept at this ford to be used in times of high water. Then again, we read that two prophets of the Lord had occasion to cross this "little water course " eight hundred and ninety years B. C., and one of them took his mantle " and wrapped it together and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground/' It was at this ford it is believed that John the Bap- tist was baptizing when the people went to him from Jerusalem and all Judea, and all the region around about Jordan," and were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins." And it was to this place Jesus came from Galilee to Jordan unto John to be baptized AND THE HOLY LAND. 409 of him. But John, knowing who he was, forbade him, saying, " I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me ? " But Jesus said, " Suffer it to be so now, for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness ; then he suffered him." Immediately following the performance for establish- ment of this ordinance, there occurred at this water ford what we have no knowledge of ever having occurred at any other place on earth. There occurred that which established this ordinance of baptism as a heavenly or divine ordinance, while at the same time it established beyond the cavil of men the trinity of the Godhead ; for, we read, "And Jesus, when he was baptized, went straightway out of the water, and lo, the heavens were opened unto him and he saw the Spirit of God descend- ing like a dove, and lighting upon him, and lo, a voice saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." From this we learn that here in this now desolate, retired, solitary place there were assembled thousands of unbelieving people who witnessed by sight and hear- ing a manifestation of the three divine personages of the one true and living God at one and the same time. This wonderful manifestation or revelation ought to be enough of itself to render this a place of intense inter- est to every Christian man or woman. If there is any one place on this earth which he has given to his children, that can now be definitely identi- fied, that should be regarded as more sacred than another on account of God's presence and manifestation of himself to men in times past, it occurs to me that this ford of the Jordan is the place. For here the Christ was baptized, here the Spirit descended from the open win- 410 TEAVELS IN EGYPT dows of heaven like a dove. And lo, a voice said, " This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased." Now, reader, it is very strange to me that men who either through ignorance or willful misrepresentation, in order to bolster up a pet theory or religious belief, will persist in openly asserting that this little river Jordan is wholly unfit for the purposes for which the bible tells us it was used ; " that there isn't water enough there in which to baptize a believer," " that its banks are steep and abrupt," that " it is dangerous to go down into the waters of the Jordan," and all such non- sense. I repeat, it seems strange to me that men who claim to be specially "called of God," i. e., set apart by divine command as was Moses, to fill a divine mission, to teach the people the way of life and salvation, to teach them the truth, for His word is truth, how they can reconcile it to their consciences to stand up before an intelligent people, a bible reading people, and make over and over again such assertions and reiterate such flagrant falsehoods. Truth is truth, whether in the bible or out of it. And as St. Paul says, "But though we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you let him be accursed." If such a denunciation as this be uttered by the great apostle to the gentiles against a man for misrepresenting the scriptures, can the preacher expect to go free who not only misrepresents the scriptures, but other facts in connection with them ? The scriptures say John was baptizing in Jorua_, some of the " called " say it was impossible ; there isn't any water there, etc. But it is growing late in the afternoon. I have AND THE HOLY LAND. . 411 secured a stone from the ford of the Jordan, and as I see some nice reeds along the bank of the river, I will get a few; for pipestems. And as I do so I remember what the Savior asked the people who came down here to see John. " What went you out for to see ? A reed shaken by the wind ? But what went ya out to see ? A man clothed in soft raiment ? But what went ye out to see ? A prophet ? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet." This he says was the messenger that was to come before him, and that there was not a greater prophet than John the Baptist among those that are born of women. Near the site of old Gilgal, where we are camping, is an Arab settlement of some fifty or sixty families occupying a group of squalid, low, filthy, mud huts. These people are seemingly a degenerated set of worth- less vagabonds. How they manage -to live the Lord only knows. From their appearance and surroundings I am sure they would, like vultures, eat a dead carcass, were they to find one. Such degradation I never saw before. We pass this village called the modern Jericho as we go in a northwest direction to visit the site of old Jer- icho. The only thing of interest connected with it, aside from the degradation of the people and the worse than hog-pen houses in which they live, is a building on the southeast side of the village resembling more a tower than anything that I can liken it to. It has been thought by modern writers that this tower was built at some period as a means of protecting the crops from the thievish incursions of the Bedouins beyond the Jordan. Since the 15th century this tower or building has been said to occupy the site of the house of Zac- 412 TRAVELS IN EGYPT chaeus. We are told that he was rich, and I can read- ily understand how a man could soon grow rich on the products of this valley, with its natural facilities for irrigation, provided he had a. market for his produce. Zacchaeus was not only rich, but was chief among the publicans, i. e., he collected tribute, or what we call a tax collector ; that may account for his being a rich man. We learn from his own story, which cannot always be relied upon, however, that he was a just, liberal and honest man. He gives the Savior a good account of himself, at least. Hear him: " Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor ; and if I have taken anything from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold." Zaccha3us was a very small man it seems, and couldn't see the Savior for the multitude around him. So he took the boy's plan of seeing what was going on. .He climbed a sycamore tree so that he could see over the heads of the people. As Jesus passed by he saw this man up in the tree; and, it seems, knew him, and called to him and told him to make haste and come down, " for to-day" says he, " I must abide at thy house." Now there is a sycamore tree growing near the tower. Of course, this tree doesn't seem to be so old, but the old stumpy roots may have remained there, and we know not how many of their offspring may have grown up, flourished, died, decayed and passed away. One thing \ve know, it is the only sycamore tree in any direction near this locality or near the road running through the valley to the ford of the Jordan. So if the tower occupies tne site of this little, rich tax collector's house, the sycamore tree, which he AND THE HOLY LAND. 413 climbed up to get a look at the Savior, may have stood just where we see this one now standing. As before stated, the site of old Jericho lies some two miles or perhaps not quite so far west of Gilgal, and west of the new or modern Jericho. At the time it was captured by Joshua it was of considerable size, and enclosed by a strong wall. At that time it was also called the "City of Palms." We learn that palm trees continued to grow in this part of the Jordan valley down to the 7th century A. D. None are to be seen thereabouts now, however. We also learn that at that time parts of this valley were in a high state of cultivation, and that the inhab- itants were rich in gold and silver. We have no account of any city in either ancient or modern times ever being taken as this one was. While Joshua and the host of Israel lay in camp near the foot of Nebo, the highest summit or peak of which is called Pisgah, Joshua sent two spies over into the valley, who went into the city of Jericho. "And they went and came into an harlet's house named Rahab, and lodged there." I guess that was the reason it was found out so soon that they were in the city and their presence and business reported to the king. It appears they fell into bad company at Rahab's house, for it is evident from her conduct towards these men that she didn't report their presence in the city to the king her- self, but some of the loafers about her premises did. At all events, the king sent to Rahab and ordered her to bring forth the two men, for they were spies. Instead of bringing them forth and delivering them to the king's messengers, however, she took them up on the 414 TRAVELS IN EGYPT flat roof of her house and hid them with the stalks of flax " which she had -laid in order on her roof." She then put on a good straight face, and, doubtless with an air of innocence and truth, told the messengers that two men did come to her house, but that she knew not where they were, that they went out about the time of the shutting of the city gate, and if they would pursue them they might overtake them. The king's messengers or policemen, I suppose, went in pursuit of them down the road to Jordan as far as the fords. As soon as these pursuers left the city the gate was shut. After they were gone Kahab went up to the roof where the spies were and said to them: " I know the Lord has given you this land and that all the inhabitants of this land are in a perfect state of terror for fear of you. We have heard that the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you to cross when you came out of Egypt. And we have heard what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings whom ye utterly destroyed. As soon as we heard these things our hearts did melt and our men lost their courage because of you. " For says this woman, " The Lord your God he is God in heaven above and in earth beneath. " Now says she : *' I pray you swear unto me by the Lord since I have shewed you kindness that ye will also shew kindness unto my father's house and give me a true token. And that ye will .save alive my father and my mother and my brothers and my sis- ters and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death." Joshua's spies answered her and pledged their own lives that, if she would not tell their business, when the Lord had given them the land they would deal AND THE HOLY LAND. 415 kindly and truly with her. Rahab's house being built upon the wall (we saw many houses built upon the wall in Damascus), she let them down from a win- dow and told them to hide themselves in the mountains for three days until the king's policemen or pursuers returned, and then they might go their way. Before leaving, however, they told her when she heard of their being in the land to tie " this line of scarlet thread, " a line I presume which they gave her. in the window from which she had let them down. They told her furthermore to bring all her father's family into her house and keep them there, that they would not be responsible for the life of any that left the house and were found in the street. They also told her if she divulged their business in the city after they left it, that they would not regard their oath to preserve the lives of her father's family and her own as at all binding. All this was agreed to by both parties and faithfully carried out. The walls of this city were thrown down, and the city delivered into the hands of the Israelites by the Lord of hosts, with no effort on the part of the Israel- ites other than that of strict obedience to the orders which he had given to Joshua their leader. Every one is famfliar with the bible narrative of this circumambu- lation. The city was compassed once a day for seven days, and on the seventh day it was compassed seven times, and when the priests blew the trumpets Joshua said to the people : " Shout, for the Lord hath given you the city." At the sound of the trumpets and the shout of the people the wall fell down flat, so that every man 416 TRAVELS IN EGYPT went up straight into that part of the city which was before him. The city was utterly destroyed. The men, women and children were put to the sword. Rahab and all that were in her house, however, were saved. And the traveler to that old country and to the site of Jericho can see for himself an old stone building, around which the shifting sands of centuries have gathered until noth- ing is seen above ground but the stone roof, which tradition tells him is what remains of the house of Rahab. We thought when we were there that we could see here and there traces of where the old wall of Jericho had stood. He would be a bold man that would attempt to rebuild this old city, even if the material for so doing lay upon the ground, for Joshua said : " Cursed be the man before the Lord that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho. He shall lay the foundation thereof in his first born, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it." Notwithstanding this prophecy, nowever, we are told that during the days of Ahab, something over five hundred years after the prophecy was made, " a certain fellow named Hiel, the Bethelite, rebuilt the city and laid the foundation of it in the dea"th of Abiram, his first born, and set up the gates thereof in the death of his youngest son, Segub, according to the word of the Lord as spoken by Joshua." The Spring of the Prophets, a large bold spring, breaks out from beneath a hill on the western side of the old site and runs into an old basin of huge stone thir- teen yards long and eight wide. This constituted, no doubt, " the Prophet's Pool." AND THE HOLY LAND. 417 It will be remembered when Elisha came back to Jericho (after Elijah was taken up to heaven in a whirl- wind) there was a school of prophets comprising fifty or more. It seems he tarried here at Jericho for a time, and the men of the city said to him : "Behold, I pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my Lord seeth, but the water is bad and the ground droughty." Elisha told them to bring him a new cruise and put salt therein. They did so, and he went to the spring and cast the salt in and said : " Thus sayeth the Lord, I have healed these waters, there shall not be from thence any more death or droughty land." So the waters were healed unto this day, and are good to this day. Rahab's house is just below this pool. Above the Spring of the Prophets, or, as it is fre- quently called, Elisha's spring, is a high dome-shaped mound which is called by the Arabs Tell Aub Alaik, " hill of the blood-suckers. " I did not learn why it was so called, but suppose it was occupied at one time by a cruel, bloodthirsty band of marauding, murderous Arabs. The site of old Jericho, like other places on the Jordan, is grown up to a considerable extent in thick under- brush, or, what conveys the idea better, thickets. The highest peak of the Judean hills which border the western part of the valley of the Jordan at this place is pointed out as the Mount of Temptation. "We read: " Again the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them and sayeth unto him, All these things will I give thee if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Did you ever ! Did anybody ever hear or read of 418 TRAVELS IN EGYPT just such a piece of unblushing effrontery and arrogant presumption before or since'? This outcast, this poor, penniless pauper, this deceit- ful, hypocritical father of liars, who now and always has paid his servants and devotees in wretchedness, misery, sin and death, standing up on that mountain with the God who made it, the world and all the worlds that are made, and, feeling as rich as a drunkard, offering to give the Savior all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them if he would fall down and worship him. Poor devil. I never heard of his having but one kingdom, and if the truth is told about that it is such an everlasting hot country that nobody would have it but the devil himself. All the lower portion of the Jordan valley was evidently included in the section of country called the wilderness of Judea. We learn that Antony presented this part of the valley to Cleopatra, who t sold it to Herod, and that monarch beautified it with palaces and consti- tuted it his winter residence, as he regarded it as one of the most beautiful spots in all his dominions. Herod died the same year that Jesus was born, but this, as is now well known, occurred four years before the date fixed as the beginning of the Christian era. Herod was buried at Herodium, a castle founded by this monarch on the top of a hill artificially thrown up a few miles from the pools of Solomon. This acropolis was about ten miles from Jerusalem. After a protracted illness this wicked, jealous old mur- derer, with a mind full of dark intrigues and suspicions, sank into his grave unhonored and unwept. Our ride back to Jerusalem was far less fatiguing than our ride down to Jericho. I soon learned that AND THE HOLY LAND. 419 Arab horses could climb these steep, rough, rocky hills equal to a mountain goat. When within about two miles of Jerusalem we come to Bethany, the home of Mary and Martha. Our road leads us into one of the miserable alleys of the old town, where we are shown the tomb of Lazarus. To enter the cave or grotto one descends a flight of stone steps, at the bottom of which we pass through a low doorway into a small room hewn in the rock which underlies the soil in all this country. In this tomb it is said the body of Lazarus was laid after death and from which Lazarus came forth at the com- mand of his Lord. When Lazarus was taken ill Jesus was beyond the Jordan, and his sisters Mary and Martha sent unto him saying: "Lord, behold he whom thou lovest is sick." After hearing this Jesus remained where he was two days before coming to them. Lazarus had been dead four days when Jesus reached Bethany. Martha told the Savior that her brother had been dead long enough for partial decomposition of the body to have taken place. Jesus told her that if she would believe she should see the glory of God. After the bystanders had taken away the stone from the door of the sepulchre " Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, Father, I thank Thee that Thou hast heard me, and I know that Thou hearest me always, but because of the people -which stand by I said it that they may believe that Thou hast sent me. And when He thus had spoken He cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus sayeth unto them, Loose -him and let him go." 420 TRAVELS IN EGYPT About forty or fifty yards from the tomb of Lazarus we were shown what is said to be the site of the house of this family. There is nothing now about this old town worthy of a visit except the site and the tomb of Lazarus, if indeed it be his tomb. That Bethany was located here there is no doubt. But at this time it con- sists of about forty hovels occupied by Moslems only. The water here is said to be good and there are around the town or village numerous fig, almond and carob trees. On our return from the ford of the Jordan we par- took of a lunch in a beautiful olive grove just before entering the village. After passing the village we begin the ascent of the highest ridge of the Mount of Olives. Just before reaching the top of the ridge, by looking back the Dead Sea can be distinctly seen, and although it is some four- teen or sixteen miles off in a straight line it doesn't appear to be more than two or three. From the top of Mt. Olivet we get a fine view of the city of Jerusalem, and here we find an enclosed court, in the center of which is a small chapel. In the center of the chapel, which is twenty feet in diameter, rises a cylindrical stone drum, with a small dome over the spot from which Christ is said to have ascended. This enclosure and chapel belong to the Moslems, who regard it as very sacred. This place, however, doesn't agree with the statement made by Luke, where he says : " And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands and blessed them. And it came to pass, Awhile he blessed them he was parted from them and carried up into heaven." AND THE HOLY LAND. 421 Our Mohammedan friends don't read our bible, how- ever, and I don't suppose the Koran mentions the place from which the Savior ascended, consequently they have heard through some tradition, or Catholic fabrication, that this was the exact locality, and, in proof of it, show you a foot-print claimed to have been made by the Savior at the time of the ascension. It seems to be no trouble for those people in Jerusalem to manufacture places and proofs, such as it is, that the places are genuine. If the devil be the father of liars, I am very sure the people now living in Palestine are a part of his legitimate descendants. The Savior gives him a bad name, and says he has always had a bad reputation and that there was no truth in him. The inhabitants of Palestine, and especially of the old city of Jerusalem, wouldn't know the truth if, by accident, they were to find it in the city, and they regard stealing as a little praise-worthy, slight-of-hand game, which all learn to play skillfully. We now descend the rather steep side of the Mount of Olives into the valley of Jehoshaphat. And, reader, if you will look along the eastern wall of the city, you will see projecting from the wall the end of a broken column. This column was worked into the wall when it was rebuilt, not in my opinion for any special object, but merely because it lay convenient or perhaps was in the way of the men engaged in the work. The Mohammedans believe one end of the bridge of judg- ment, which will not be broader than a thread, or the edge of a sword, will be attached to the end of that column which projects, as you see, some two or three feet beyond the wall. They think this valley of Jehoshaphat will be widened out to accommodate the 422 TRAVELS IN EGYPT multitude of unbelievers in the Moslem faith, and that it will contain all manner of horrors and inquisitions to afflict the unbeliever. This bridge is called Al Serat. The Mohammedans teach and believe, like the ancient Egyptians, that the souls of men will be weighed at the judgment, and after all have been weighed they will have to pass the ordeal of the bridge. The whole assembled universe of mankind will follow Mohammed across the bridge. One end of this bridge will be attached to one end of the stone column I have just called your attention to, and the other to the summit of the Mount of Olives over there. Infidels, i. e. , those who reject the faith of Mohammed, and sinful Moslems, will grope their way along this thread-like bridge in darkness and fall into the abyss below. This valley will be filled with all man- ner of horrors, the very trees having writhing serpents for branches, these branches bearing for fruit the heads of demons, etc. The faithful Mohammedans, having the bridge lit up by celestial rays of light, will cross with the swiftness of birds and enter the realms of paradise. AND THE HOLY LAND. CHAPTEK XYII ~TpVERYTHING being in readiness, we will now -J ^ take the Damascus road, which runs north from the Damascus gate, and leads us up through the Judean hills and on through the beautiful vallies of Palestine to the head waters of the Jordan and the Anti-Lebanon mountains, and I want the reader to accompany us on this interesting tour through this Bible land. We are twenty-three Americans, comprising ladies and gentlemen, both married and single. All intelligent, affable, social, pleasant companions ; all, with one or two exceptions, professed Christians. Some of the party were not physically able to undergo the fatigue and exposure of this long horseback ride, so they went by steamer to Beyrout and waited for us there, as we expected to leave Syria for Asia Minor at that point. Our camp outfit comprises forty-five servants, sixteen or eighteen Oriental tents, eighty-five head of mules and horses ; each tent being provided with a carpet, wash-stand, tin ater-pitcher and wash-basin, single beds, camp-stools, candles, matches, etc., everything, in fact, necessary to make us comfortable. In addition to tents used for sleeping apartments, we were provided with a large dining tent, a lunch tent, and a kitchen tent. All of these, in addition to our necessary traveling baggage, provender for the animals, and a goodly portion of the provisions used on the trip, were carried on the backs of pack mules and horses. In some instances three or four hundred pounds of baggage would be packed on the back of a 425 426 TRAVELS IN EGYPT horse or mule, and then a big Arab man ride on the top of that. The servants having in charge the lunch tent would usually leave camp very early in the morning (going ahead of the remainder of the outfit), would pitch the lunch tent at some suitable place, convenient to water, and have our lunch ready for us by the time we would come up with them at mid-day. While we were at lunch and resting, the camping outfit would pass us and reach the place selected for spending the night, in time to pitch the tents and dis- tribute the personal baggage in the various tents; this was done by numbers. All the tents were numbered, and each occupant's baggage had a card attached bear- ing the corresponding number ; in this way each per- son's baggage was put in his tent. The cook would then prepare a kettle of hot tea, and as soon as we reached camp in the evening we partook of tea and crackers. At six o'clock p. M. we dined and retired for the night at any hour we pleased. The tents were guarded at night to keep off the thiev- ing Arabs. It is not safe to carry money or other valuables on a camping tour through Palestine. In standing a little distance north of the Damascus gate we can trace the valley of .Kedron, as it comes down from among the high hills of Judea, which rise in their grandeur north of Jerusalem. The valley, in the springtime, is covered with rich verdure. Beyond the valley on the north rises the Scopus, a very high hill, from the top of which we not only get an exten- sive view of the surrounding country, but from this point we take our farewell view of Jerusalem. And now, as our caravan shapes its course north from the Damascus gate, leaving Calvary on our right, AND THE HOLY LAND. 427 we turn our backs on this, the most degraded city we have seen in all our travels. When we look at it and think about the scenes once enacted there, and when we bring up in review the grand characters which stand out so prominently and conspicuously in sacred and profane history, we say this is not the old proud city of Jerusalem it is but its decaying carcass, its life is extinct, its glory has forever departed. But unlike Thebes, Palmyra, Babylon, and other proud old cities of the past, which live only in the memories of men, Jerusalem will ever remain enshrined in the hearts of the Christian world, and we will ever remember it, not as it is, but as it was. Here lived and here diea our great teacher and exampler, he who taught mankind " to love God with all their hearts, with all their soul, mind and strength, an4 their neighbor as themselves." A short mile from Jerusalem we come to the tomb of the kings, which was, to me, a place of great interest. The stone was removed to a depth of ten or twelve feet below the surface of the ground, covering a space of seventy-five feet or more square. The tomb rooms (for there are many of them) open into each other, with but a single door opening out into the open court. This door is closed by a rolling stone, as has been here- tofore described. The stone coffins in the various departments were hewn of the stone left .above the floors for the purpose, as needed from time to time. Thedoorways, leading from one apartment to another, are low and narrow, the rooms are from eight to ten feet square. On the opposite side of the excavated place from the tombs is a large circular cistern, about sixteen feet in diameter, sunk some eight or ten feet 428 RAVELS IN EGYPT deep below the level of the excavation. On the east side are two more not quite so large, however, all of them were full of clear water. I suppose these cisterns were prepared to supply the lepers with water. In the days gone by, as now, this poor unfortunate class of people were driven from the cities, and not allowed to remain within the walls. Consequently they repaired to the tombs to find shelter and protection from the inclemency of the weather. About one mile north of the tombs of the kings we find the tombs of the prophets. This burial-place con- sists of quite a labyrinth of corridors, tomb rooms, and tomb shafts. The latter are cut into the face of the stone wall, so that the corpse could be put into it end- ways. We will see a great many of these tomb shafts cut into the face of the limestone cliffs, as we proceed on our journey through Palestine and Syria. After passing these tombs we descend and cross the valley of the upper Kedron and soon begin the ascent of the Judean hills. One would reasonably suppose, this being the great traveled route from Damascus to Jerusalem, that the road would be something like a fair average country road at least. Such an opinion would be a great mistake, however. For we found it a narrow, crooked pathway, in many places leading up the rocky beds of the water drains between the mountains. In many places the earth and gravel have been wasned away by the mountain torrents, leaving a gully or ditch filled with large bare stone, over which the horses with great difficulty made their way. Our company soon learned that their little Arabian horses were accustomed to these roads, and if we gave them the bridle and let them select their own way that AND THE HOLY LAND. 429 they would carry us safely over roads and up and down mountains, where, were you to dare to ride an American horse, it would be at the risk of his breaking not only his own neck, but yours also. When we reached the top of the hill we found our- selves on Mt. Scopus. Distances in Palestine are not measured nor are they estimated, but are given in the time it takes to travel them. You can readily under- stand why this is so when you travel the paths which they call roads. When climbing up the steep side of a rough, rocky mountain by a narrow, serpentine path, you not only travel very slowly and cautiously, but the winding path carries you three or four times as far as the actual distance would be on a more direct road. Consequently the distance from place to place, instead of being given 'in miles, is always given in the time it takes to travel it. From the top of this 'hill, Mt. Scopus, we take our farewell look at Jerusalem, type of that heavenly Jeru- salem where through the merits and suffering of our blessed Savior we hope to rest and abide forever when we reach the end of our pilgrimage in this world. When we look east from the top of this mountain, we look down, not only on the old city of David, but over the tops of the Judean hills,and east of them see the blue waters of the Dead Sea, which appears to be very near us and not far below us. In reality, however, it is about fifteen or eighteen miles away, and thirty-nine hundred feet below our present standpoint. Here we get a good view of that extraordinary and unique depression of the earth's surface occupied by that sea and the lower part of the Jordan valley. The blue mountains which rise up so grandly beyond this chain, 430 TRAVELS IN EGYPT reaching a level with us, are the mountains among which we find Mt. Nebo. and which once belonged to the tribe Reuben. While looking at this range of mountains which border the salt sea on the east we discovered two wide openings. The one farthest south is the valley of the river Arnon,the other the valley of the Zerka Ma-in, comparatively small mountain streams which run into the Dead Sea. " The great El Ghor, or gorge, that is, the deep val- ley of the Jordan through which comes that river, is indicated by a green line on a whitish ground." Nearer to us we can trace the valley of Jehoshaphat as it passes out of the hills and winds its way between Mt. Moriah and the Mount of Olives; just beyond it the mountain of Offence ; a little further south the hill of Evil Council ; still further south the heights of Bethle- hem, etc., etc. We ride over this "rough and rugged road" for thirty or forty minutes and see some half mile off to the right of our path on the top of another of these barren hills an Arab village on the site of the old Gibeah Benjamin, the scene of that atrocious crime which was fraught with such disastrous consequences to the tribe of Benjamin. This occurred at the village we see over there about 1400 B. C., in the days when there were no kings in Israel. It appears that a certain Levite, who at the time of the occurrence I am about to relate was living near Mt. Ephraim, went down to Bethlehem and got himself a concubine. She didn't remain with him long, however, but went back to her father, who lived at Bethlehem, and remained some four months, until, in fact, her husband went after her. AND THE HOLY LAND. 431 When her husband, as he is called, went down to see " the folks " and bring his wife home, he carried his servant and a couple of donkeys. It appears from the narrative that there had been some unpleasantness between them before she left home, and I suppose she went off mad. For, it is said, he went after her, " to speak friendly with her." It is not unusual for women in our day and time to act in somewhat the same way. They fly up and get mad with their husbands about some foolish thing, and take themselves off to "par's house." It appears in this instance a reconciliation took place, and the Levite remained with the family and had a good time with his father-in-law until the afternoon of the fifth day. On his return, when he drew near " Jebus" (which is Jerusalem) his servant suggested that they turn into the city and lodge there for the night. But the Levite said they would n,ot turn into the city of the stranger, but would go on to Gibeah. It was late when they reached Gibeah, and not being invited to any one's house they camped in the street. An old gentleman, passing along soon afterward, seeing these strangers camping in the street, stopped and asked them who they were, whence they came, and where they were going. The old man, being satisfied with the account they gave of themselves, took them to his house to entertain them for the night. We learn that an occurrence took place here between the old gentle- man, who entertained these strangers, and certain of the Benjamites, citizens of Gibeah, very similar to what transpired between Lot and the wicked men of Sodom and Gomorrah, the night he entertained the two angels who were sent to destroy that abominable 432 TRAVELS IN EGYPT people. These beastly, brutal, licentious men inhu- manly murdered this Levite's wife or. concubine, and left her lying at the door of the old man's house. Then followed a strange proceeding or custom among those ancient people. The Levite took his dead wife home and cut her body into twelve pieces and sent them into all the coasts of Israel. This was a strange way of notifying the tribes that an atrocious murder of a woman had been committed, and equally strange that all Israel understood from this that a Levite's concu- bine had been foully murdered, and how she was mur- dered. The whole congregation of Israel gathered together as one man from " Dan to Beer-sheba ; " all the chiefs of .the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, four hundred thousand footmen that drew the sword, "to avenge the outrageous conduct of the Benja- mites." Another very strange feature of this occurrence is the refusal of the tribe of Benjamin to surrender the guilty parties. They were called by the Israelites " sons of Belial," an expression used at that time to designate the vilest class of men to be found anywhere. And yet the tribe of Benjamin justified or upheld them in this brutal outrage, to the extent of going to war with the other tribes rather than surrender these sons of Belial. These Benjamites had not only done this desperately wicked thing, but they had also become the worshipers of other gods than that of the God of Israel. The war that followed proved very disastrous to the Benjamites, for they were routed, their cities burned, and all who did not succeed in making their escape to the wilderness of Judea to Rimmon, a city apportioned to the tribe of Judah, were slain. Saul AND THE HOLY LAND. 433 was living at Gibeah when he was anointed king by Samuel, in obedience to the command of the Lord. Here is where David permitted the murder of the seven sons of Saul. A few miles further on we pass a ruined village with some old pools near by. It is thought this locality answers to the ancient Ataroth-addar, mentioned in Joshua as being on the border of the inheritance of Ephraim. Twenty-five minutes beyond our present locality brings us to El Bireh. The word means cistern, and owes its name to its abundant supply of water. This is the ancient Beeroth, which has the same meaning, and is one of the cities of the Gibeanites whose messen- gers went to Joshua, and after pulling the wool over his eyes most beautifully made a league or treaty of peace with him. These original inhabitants, however, left this part of the country and fled to Gittanin, and this city, Beeroth, was included in the inheritance of Benjamin. This village now contains about eight hundred inhabit- ants. Not far from the village is an excellent spring of water, with some remains of ancient reservoirs. There is a tradition handed down from the 16th century that this is the place were Joseph and Mary discovered that Jesus was not in the company of those who had been to the Feast of the Passover at Jerusalem. Jesus at this time was twelve years old. His par- ents, supposing he was with some of their relatives, went "a day's journey," which is really but a short distance when it is considered that women and children had to walk up and down those hills and along such roads or stony- paths as I have described. I have heard some people marvel at this occurrence, and even go so far as to say that it was an evidence to them that his par- 434 TRAVELS IN EGYPT ents placed but little confidence in the predictions which had been made concerning him I see nothing in this circumstance, however, to justify any such inference. I have no doubt but that Joseph and Mary treated the boy Jesus just as their relatives and neighbors treated their boys of the same age. It is evident, from the relation of this circum- stance as given in the scriptures, that his parents, no matter what convictions may have been entertained by them as to the fulfillment of prophecies and predic- tions relating to his peculiar mission, were not expect- ing him to begin his mission, nor to show any extra- ordinary powers of mind at the age lie then was. For the scriptures say when they found him (after a three days' search) in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors asking and answering questions, that they, as was every one, were amazed and astonished at his understanding and his answers. And when his mother informed him that they had sought him sorrowing, he asked her if she knew not he must be about his father's business. No, she didn't, nor did she at that time com- prehend him. " But his mother kept all these eayiners in her heart." I am sure there was never a day nor an hour in this mother's life from the time she was visited by the angel and was told that she should give birth to a son, and that she should call his name " Jesus," that he " should be great ; " that " he should be called the Son of the Highest ; " that the Lord God would give unto him the throne of his father, David, etc., etc.; I repeat, I have no idea that there ever arose in the mind of this mother from that good hour to the day of her death, a doubt as to the final fulfillment of all the precious AND THE HOLT LAND. 435 promises made her in regard to the mission of her son. This our first day on the road to Damascus we find our tent pitched and lunch spread on the site of old Bethel, iiow'an Arab village on the hill-side, surrounded with fig and almond orchards. From Jerusalem out as far as Bethel the Judean hills are barren, rocky and almost wholly destitute of verdure. As we feel somewhat refreshed, now that we have finished our luncheon, we will talk of the old Bethel which stood here long before the days of the Savior. It was first called Luz. When Abram first came down through this country he stopped on a mountain east of here between this place and Ai, where he built the second altar ever erected to the Lord in this land of Canaan. About 3,650 years ago we are told his grandson Jacob, at the suggestion of Rebecca, his mother, deceived his old father Isaac when he was old and blind, and by deception obtained the blessing which Isaac thought he was bestowing upon Esau, his first born, by which he incurred the-ill will of his brother Esau. Esau was not to blame for cherishing hard feelings against Jacob, for this was not the first time he had treated him unkindly. On another occasion prior to this Esau was very ill and thought he was going to die. Jacob, taking advantage of his condition, bought his birthright for a mess of pottage. Rebecca persuaded Isaac to send Jacob to Laban, her brother, who lived at Padanarara, to prevent him from marrying the daughters of the land. Jacob, in obedience to the request of his father and mother, left Beer-sheba and went towards Haran. 436 TRAVELS IN EGYPT "And alighted upon a certain place and tarried there all night because the sun was set. And he took up the stones of that place and put them for his pillow and lay down in that place to sleep. " This is the place Jacob lay down to sleep, and the place wfcere he had that wonderful dream or vision. Was it inspiration or revelation ? The vision was so impressed upon the mind of Jacob that when he arose he said: " Surely the Lord is in this place and I knew it not. " And he was afraid and said: "How dreadful is this place; this is none other but the house of God and this is the gate of heaven. " I believe it is conceded that all of our knowledge may be classed as of three kinds that which we receive through the medium of the senses, that which we perceive inwardly in the mind itself through consciousness, and that which once taken into the mind is worked up by the reflective faculties." From this standpoint where did Jacob get the vision of the ladder, one end of which was resting npon the earth and the other reaching to heaven, with angels ascend- ing and descending on it ? "And behold the Lord stood above it and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham, thy father, and the God of Isaac. The land whereupon thou lyest, to thee will I give it and to thy seed." If we regard inspiration as being the sign of inward truth, a truth which is seen within the mind indepen- dent of impressions, made upon it by external objects through the medium of the senses, then we must regard the vision of Jacob as an inspiration, for we may be sure Jacob had never seen anything that even resem- bled this wonderful sight before. God put those grand AND THE HOLY LAND. 437 and sublime thoughts into his mind and painted the picture on the canvas of his brain, unaided by external objects or the senses. But it is not my intention to discuss these psychological questions, I leave them to those more competent to do justice to them than I am. We are further told that God promised him during this dreamy night a numerous posterity, and in him should all the families of the earth be blessed. He further promised to keep him in all places he went and to bring him back into Canaan. Jacob was so fully impressed with the fact that this was no ordinary dream that he took the stones he had used for a pillow and erected an altar for the Lord and poured oil thereon. Jacob, so far as we have any account of it, never in after life doubted or called in question the vision being of God, and we find that it extended an influence over him in all his after life. From his twelve sons descended the twelve tribes of Israel, God's own peculiar people. This pretty location is all we can now see of this place, but we know we are sitting upon the same ground upon which Jacob was lying when the curtain which hides the upper and better world from our sight was drawn aside by the omnipotent hand of Jehovah, and Jacob was allowed to look into one of the windows of heaven, and see in part the glories of the world to come. In his dream he saw God, whose presence will constitute the brightness and glory of eternity. While we were seated in the door of our lunch tent, thinking of what is written above, an old Arab beggar went to roost on a stone lying some twenty feet in front of the tent. Brother Wharton suggested that I take his picture, and I did so. I also secured the pic- 438 TRAVELS IN EGYPT ture of some Arab children perched upon a stone fence near whidh the tent was pitched. That old Ishmaelite doesn't know that such men as Isaac and Jacob ever lived in this country. He thinks Mohammed made-this country for his followers, the Ishmaelites. After the death of King Solomon, Rehoboam was king in his stead. Ten tribes, you remember, revolted and made Jeroboam their king. Rehoboam assembled the army of Judah to make war against Jeroboam to recover his territory. " But the word of the Lord came unto Shemaiah, the man of God, saying that the men of Judah and Benjamin should not go up and fight against their brethren, the children of Israel, but that every man should return to his house; that he (the Lord) had done this thing." After this, Jeroboam, fearing if the people continued their pilgrimages to Jerusalem to worship that they might be induced by Rehoboam to again consolidate the empire under one king, as it had been adminis- tered by his father Solomon, and his grandfather David, in which event his own life would be sacri- ficed, erected two golden calves ; one at this point and the other at Dan. Jeroboam then said to the people : " It is too much for you to go up to Jerusa- lem to worship; behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt." Query Was the calf selected because the bull was worshiped in Egypt the land of their bondage? Now, reader, if this old site was occupied by any one or more of these Oriental so-called " Christian sects," we would be shown a hole chiseled in a stone hereabout, covered by a cathedral, a hospice, chapel or mosque, and would be told with all the seriousness AND THE HOLY LAND. 439 of a pharisee that " Here Jeroboam's golden calf was erected," and you would be shown a hole in the stone as proof of the truth of the story. This religio-political move on the part of Jeroboam didn't pan out altogether as he expected. He built an house of high places and ordained priests of the lower orders of the people ; people who were not of the family of Levi. He also ordained a feast like unto the feast of Judah, and offered sacri- fices to the calves,' both here at Bethel and at Dan, which latter place was situated on the northern boundary of his kingdom, as Bethel here was on the southern boundary. After this wily king had arranged everything to his liking, there came a " man of God " out of Judah, sent by the Lord, and, in obedience to his commands, cried against the altars, saying: "O altar, altar! thus sayeth the Lord : Behold, a child shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name, and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men's bones shall be burnt upon thee." The " man of God " gave them a sign or testimony of his mission, saying: "Behold the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out." Jeroboam was displeased with this in regard to his altar and stretched forth his hand from the altar, say- ing: "Lay hold on him;" the hand, however, which he put forth against the " man of God " " dried up so he could not withdraw it." The altar was rent, and the ashes were poured out from, the altar. Now Jeroboam was in a dilemma, and his fondest 440 TBAVELS IN EGYPT anticipations brought to naught. How often in life have we, like Jeroboam, had our dreams of happiness and pleasure rent,' and turned to ashes before our eyes. This " man of God," at the earnest prayer of the king, " Entreated the Lord for the restoration of his hand, which the Lord restored." Jeroboam then entreated the "man of God " to go home with him, and refresh himself and receive a reward for restoring his hand. Now, hear what this man said to the king, and then see what he did, and we learn over again the lesson taught by Paul when he said : " What I would, that do I not." Paul was a man as we are, and in giving his own experience gives ours. This man told the Jdng that he had been charged by the word of the Lord to " Eat no bread nor drink water in this place, and not to return by the way he came.' So when he started back to Judab he went another way. It seems that there was an old prophet living here at that time, and his boys, Wee all boys, wanted to see and know everything that was transpiring about the village. Having seen what was done and said by the " man of God," went home and told their father about it. The father asked them which way the " man of God" went when he left them, and they told him. The old prophet then told his sons to saddle his donkey, and he went in pursuit of the " man of God," and found him sitting under an oak tree. The prophet asked him if he was the "man of God" that came from Judab., and he said : " I am." The prophet then asked him to come home with him and eat bread. The "man of God" then repeated to him " what had been charged him by the word of the Lord." Now listen what a lie this old prophet told him. It AND THE HOLY LAND. 44:1 would be interesting to know the object this old man had in view, the incentive in his mind which prompted him to manufacture such a plausible yet such a willful, knowing lie. He says to the " man of God " : " I too am a prophet as thou art, and an angel spake unto me the word of the Lord saying: Bring him back with thee into thine house that he may eat bread and drink water." Lying and deceit are bad enough, the Lord knows, but when they are resorted to by men claiming to have been " called of God " for the accomplishment of his purposes among the children of men, it always seemed to me to be tenfold worse as a sin in the sight of God and against his moral government. A sin is a sin, whether perpetrated by one "sent of God" or one not sent. But men view it differently. The Savior impressed his teachings upon the minds of men by. his example, and unless a man's life harmo- nizes with his teachings his teachings fall to the ground, and he becomes a reproach among men and. a blotch upon the fair name of Christianity, which he professes to teach. If Christianity doesen't make a man truthful and honest it is a failure. This man of God believed what the old prophet told him and obeyed him instead of God ; and while they were sitting at the table eating, the Lord told the old prophet to tell the man of God " that for this act of disobedience, for allowing himself to be thus deceived, that his carcase should not be buried in the sepulchre of his fathers." After they had finished their meal, the old man saddled the donkey of the "man of God,' 3 and he went his wa}^, but before he had gotten very far from Bethel a " lion met him by the way and slew 442 TRAVELS IN EGYPT him." Some one passing that way saw the dead man by the way and the lion standing by the corpse, and told the old prophet about it. When he heard it he went and brought the body back on his donkey and buried it in his own sepulchre, and gave order to his sons that when he himself died that they were to bury him in the grave with the bones, of the "man of God." According to bible chronology, three hundred and fifty years -after this old " man of God " told Jerobo- am's altar that a child should be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name, that would offer upon it the priests of the high places, and burn their bones upon it, we find Josiah, king of Judah, destroying all the high places, cutting down the groves that were before Jerusalem at the right hand of the Mount of Corruption which Solomon builded for Ashtoreth, the abomination of the Zidonians, etc., and breaking in pieces the images and filling their places with the bones of men. I infer from this expression that these locali- ties were used for the burial of the dead, for all the localities mentioned in the scriptures as being occupied by these altars of idolatrous worship around and about Jerusalem are now covered with tombs. " Moreover, the altar that was at Bethel and the high place which Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who made Israel t sin, had made, both that altar and the high place he brake down and burned the high place and amped it small to powder and burned the grove. " After Josiah had thus far fulfilled the word spoken by the " man of God, " he turned and saw the sepul- chres that were there in the mount. He sent and took the bones out of them and burned them upon the altar, and polluted it according to the word of the Lord which AND THE HOLY LAND 443 the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these words. " While Josiah was seeing this done he saw a tomb with a title or inscription upon it, and he asked what title it was, and was told that it was the sepulchre of the " man of God," and he gave orders that no man dis- turb them. " Josiah went on with the good work throughout all Samaria, destroying all the places of idolatrous worship, and did unto them as he had done here at Bethel, and slew their priests that were there upon the altars and burnt men's bones upon them." >* Reader, you will not forget that Hiel, who undertook to rebuild Jericho, lived here. The country immediately around Bethel is not as barren and desolate as it is between Bethel and Jerusalem. After leaving Bethel we bad an exceedingly rough road up and down mountain gorges, passing several Arab villages located on the sides or on the tops of the mountains. Wherever we saw a valley or hill-side susceptible of cultivation it was generally planted in either olive, fig, pomegranite or almond trees. We saw some. beautiful springs among the mountains. One I well remember. We had been traveling down an exceedingly rough gorge between two mountains, and had reached the narrow floor of a canyon. After riding along this narrow valley bounded by high rock blqffs on each side for a short distance, we came to a fine bold spring gushing out from beneath the rock bluff. All above and around it were streamlets trickling down the base of the cliff. Adjacent are several caverns and the ruins of an old khan or tavern. This is called the robber spring, and from its 444 TBAVELS IN EGYPT environments it seems to be fitly named. A narrow deep canyon in the midst of mountains with not a habitation in sight seems a fitting resort for a clan of desperadoes, outlaws or thieving Bedouins. After leaving the rocky spring we ascended a valley running north, and after riding some two or three miles came into a broad, beautiful, well cultivated valley lying mainly to our right. Off to the left, perhaps a mile distant, is an Arab village called Turmus Aya. Skirting along on the eastern slope of the hills bordering the valley a few miles further on we fiid our teats pitched on an elevated plateau overlooking the plain, and near an Arab village called Sinjil; and here, after a fatiguing day's journey over as rough paths as I ever traveled before, we propose to spend the night. AND THE HOLY LAND. CHAPTEK XVIII. UPON getting up early on this the second day of our journey from Jerusalem to Damascus, I saw a sight which shows to what extremity these peasant people of Palestine are driven to eke out a miserable existence, i. e., it would be a miserable existence to a people* who had ever known anything better. There were some ten or a dozen half-clad, haggard-looking women and young girls, gathering up with their hands the waste straw, chaff, and excrement of the horses, and carrying it off in flat rush baskets on their heads. This refuse is taken to their homes, worked up together and made into cakes, sundried and used for fuel. This sight was repeated every morning while we were in Palestine. From Jerusalem, out as far as Bethel, and, indeed, as far as the valley above referred to, is a desolate, rocky, mountainous country. Wherever a narrow valley winds itself among the hills, or wherever a mountain may be seen having a deposit of soil over its stony sides, they are very fertile, and produce luxuriant crops of grain, fruits, etc. This part of Palestine is not as densely populated as it is south of Jerusalem and fur- ther north. After a day's ride over these roads, no one complains of a want of appetite or inability to sleep. All eat heartily and sleep soundly. It is determined before we leave Sinjil to make a digression from the main route, and cross the plain, that we may see the site of the old city of Shiloh. The road crosses the plain in a northeasterly direction. About a 447 448 TRAVELS IN EGYPT mile from Sinjil we pass and leave to the right, sur- rounded by fruit trees, the village Turmus Aya. We find this valley admirably cultivated, considering their rude and imperfect agricultural implements. We next ascend a small valley to the north or northeast, and some two miles further on reach the site of this once flourishing city. This place is easily found and identified from the location of it given in the scriptures which say,s that Shiloh " is a place which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Bethel to Sechem and on the south of Lebonah. " This Lebonah refers to an excellent spring which can be found about a mile in a northerly direction from the site of Shiloh. There is a village there now,and no doubt there was one near the same locality when the above was written. The city of Shiloh was prettily located on an ele- vated ridge a little back from the valley. Around the old city the land which is high rolling ridge land is very fertile, and no doubt at one time was in a fine state of cultivation. The majority of Texans, espec- ially those who have been raised on the prairie portion of the state, as a general thing, have erroneous ideas as to the fertility and productiveness of mountain coun- tries. When the mountain sides can be terraced and brought into cultivation they are usually the most pro- ductive lands to be found. All that remains of old Shiloh now is its paved streets, and not many of those can be traced for any distance. On modern pictures of this old site you find an old stone building ; this is a modern structure and has no connection or association with the old city. AND THE HOLY LAND. 449 It was here Joshua divided the land of Palestine between the tribes of Israel, and set up the tabernacle which remained here till the Philistines captured it at Ebenezer when old Eli's two sons Hophniand Phinehas were slain, and the ark carried down to 4-shdod. The Lord had told this old priest that these two boys of his should die on the same day, " because they made themselves vile and he restrained them not. " If the Lord was to deal with the parents of boys in this day and generation as he did with old Eli, there would be very few boys left in the land, especially about our towns. Here is where little Samuel officiated as a priest when a mere child, supplanting old Eli on account of the meanness of his boys. This old man Eli was ninety -eight years old and was almost blind, and when the news of the death of his two sons was brought to him by a Benjamite from the battlefield, the old man was sitting by the way- side that he might hear the result of the battle. For we are told his heart trembled, not for the welfare of his sons, but for the ark of God. He sat still while being told of the death of his sons, but when he heard the ark was taken he fell from his seat and broke his neck and died. While the ark of the Lord was at Shiloh, i. e., during the period of the Judges, they had a yearly "feast of the Lord" and a dance, and the Benjamites came here and laid in wait, and when the young ladies of Shiloh came out to have their dance the Benjamites seized every man his girl for a wife, and carried them to the land of Benjamin; all the women of their tribe having been killed when their country was overrun 448 TRAVELS IN EGYPT mile from Sinjil we pass and leave to the right, sur- rounded by fruit trees, the village Turmus Aya. We find this valley admirably cultivated, considering their rude and imperfect agricultural implements. We next ascend a small valley to the north or northeast, and some two miles further on reach the site of this once flourishing city. This place is easily found and identified from the location of it given in the scriptures which say,s that Shiloh " is a place which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Bethel to Sechem and on the south of Lebonah. " This Lebonah refers to an excellent spring which can be found about a mile in a northerly direction from the site of Shiloh. There is a village there now,and no doubt there was one near the same locality when the above was written. The city of Shiloh was prettily located on an ele- vated ridge a little back from the vallej 7 . Around the old city the land which is high rolling ridge land is very fertile, and no doubt at one time was in a fine state of cultivation. The majority of Texan s, espec- ially those who have been raised on the prairie portion of the state, as a general thing, have erroneous ideas as to the fertility and productiveness of mountain coun- tries. When the mountain sides can be terraced and brought into cultivation they are usually the most pro- ductive lands to be found. All that remains of old Shiloh now is its paved streets, and not many of those can be traced for any distance. On modern pictures of this old site you find an old stone building ; this is a modern structure and has no connection or association with the old city. AND THE HOLY LAND. 449 It was here Joshua divided the land of Palestine between the tribes of Israel, and set up the tabernacle which remained here till the Philistines captured it at Ebenezer when old Eli's two sons Uophniand Phinehas were slain, and the ark carried down to Ashdod. The Lord had told this old priest that these two boys of his should die on the same day, " because they made themselves vile and he restrained them not. " If the Lord was to deal with the parents of boys in this day and generation as he did with old Eli, there would be very few boys left in the land, especially about our towns. Here is where little Samuel officiated as a priest when a mere child, supplanting old Eli on account of the meanness of his boys. This old man Eli was ninety-eight years old and was almost blind, and when the news of the death of his two sons was brought to him by a Benjam ite from the battlefield, the old man was sitting by the way- side that he might hear the result of the battle. For we are told his heart trembled, not for the welfare of his sons, but for the ark of God. He sat still while being told of the death of his sons, but when he heard the ark was taken he fell from his seat and broke his neck and died. While the ark of the Lord was at Shiloh, i. e., during the period of the Judges, they had a yearly u feast of the Lord" and a dance, and the Benjamites came here and laid in wait, and when the young ladies of Shiloh came out to have their dance the Benjamites seized every man his girl for a wife, and carried them to the land of Benjamin; all the women of their tribe having been killed when their country was overrun 450 TRAVELS IN EGYPT and destroyed on account of their refusal to deliver the sons of Belial at Gibeah, as hereinbefore related. After the ark of God was captured and carried off from this place it began to decline and soon came to naught. When one of the prophets was foretelling the destruction of Jerusalem, how thoroughly it should be demolished, he uses these words : " Therefore will I do unto this house which is called by my name wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave you, and to your fathers as I have done to Shiloh." And- again the same prophet says : " Then will I make this house like Shiloh, and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth." Now, reader, as you sit with me on our horses in the streets of this once beautiful city of Shiloh, look around you over its old site and ask yourself the ques- tion, could its destruction be more complete ? So was Jerusalem after the siege by Titus. After leaving the site of Shiloh and passing out of the valley we again ascend one of the high hills of Ephraim, from the summit of which, to the far north, old snow-covered Hermon came in view. From the top of this mountain we could also see the great valley of Esdraelon, framed, as it were, by the mountains of Samaria. Before us rise Ebal and Gerizim, the mounts of cursing and blessing. In. descending the hill to the valley below I won't say we traveled over a bad road, for there was no road, and had we been without a guide I am sure we never would have attempted to make our way down those rocky steeps as we did. It looked like a break-neck business floundering down those steep hill-sides, but AND THE HOLY LAND. 451 our Arab ponies were sure-footed and carried us down without accident. At the foot of the hills we enter the valley of Makhna. Now, reader, don't complain of these Ara- bian names, for I do not use them when I have any other. In some instances, however, we have to use them, as we have no others given us. The Arabians use a great many more letters in spelling words than is necessary. In the word above, for instances the "h" is superfluous and silent. The word is pronounced " mak-na." I think the boy who spelled coffee " kaughphy " was an Arab boy. and spelled after the style of his people. We travel along the foot of the hills which bound the above named valley on the west, and after going some two or three miles find our lunch tent pitched at Jacob's well, in the valley and near the northeast declivity of Mt. Gerizim. Now, reader, don't find fault with me for relating the incidents mentioned in the scriptures connected with or as having occurred at the places mentioned on my journey through this old bible land. For, while they may be perfectly familiar to you, there may be some readers of these pages to whom they are not, and to them a description of these localities, and a relation of some of the incidents which occurred at them, may become associated in their minds in such manner as to enable them to remember and localize many incidents related in the scriptures which they might not be able otherwise to do. Now here we are at Jacob's well, an imaginary pic- ture of which, doubtless, has been formed in the mind of every bible reader. I will now endeavor to give 4:52 TRAVELS IN EGYPT you a pen picture of its location the best I can, hoping you may be enabled to fix it in your mind satisfactorily to yourself. In approaching the location of this celebrated well, we skirt along the side of Mt. Gerizim on our left. When opposite the well we turn at a right angle to the right and go down the slope of the mountain to the floor of the valley. The well is located some fifty or one hundred yards from the foot of the mountain in the valley. An arm of the valley here runs west be- tween Mt. Gerizim and Mt. Ebal. The well is situated near where this valley, called "the valley of Nablaus," unites with the main valley of Makhna which spreads out to the north and east into an extensive plain. To the left or west of the well is Mt. Gerizim. To the north west on the opposite side of the valley of Nablaus is Mt. Ebal. At the foot of Ebal is the modern reputed tomb of Joseph covered by a small rock house, I think the tomb of Joseph, like that of Moses, how- ever, is unknown even to the present day. "And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you and ye shall carry up my bones from hence." And we read further, " That Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old, and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt," but it is not told us where he was buried. And I am of the opinion that could the mummified body of Joseph be found and unwrapped important and won- derful revelations would be brought to light. There was at one time a small stone house erected over the well, but this has fallen down, and the stones of which it was built are now lying in a heap around AND THE HOLY LAND. 453 the mouth of the well to the height of some three or four feet. Near the well and southwest of it are the remains of an old church which was standing at the beginning of the 5th century, but had been destroyed by the time of the Crusaders. The debris of this old church forms quite a mound near the well. The well is curbed with stone and was formerly seventy-five feet deep. Yisitors have thrown stone in it until its bottom has been raised some six or eight feet. It is seven and a half feet in diameter and has water in it except in the midst of the long dry summer months. Jews, Chris- tians and Mohammedans all unite in pronouncing this Jacob's well. When Jacob left old Laban's, his father-in-law's house, in the land of Padan Aran,and made his way back to Palestine, he did a good thing, for his old uncle Laban was trying in every way possible to swindle him out of his honestly earned wages. Jacob had been with him twenty years, and had worked for him and attended his flocks on the shares, during all which time his uncle required Jacob to bear all the losses. If any of the sheep or goats were stolen by day or night, or torn by wild beasts, old Laban required Jacob to make good his part of the loss. Because the Lord prospered Jacob the old "scamp changed his contract with him ten times. Jacob worked fourteen years for Rachael, his wife. I don't think there would be much marrying these days, if the young men were required to put in seven years of good honest work for the " old man," as the father is usually called before getting the girl, especially that class of them who in these modern days are styled " dudes." The only difference between a 454 TKAVELS IN EGYPT " dude" and a dummy, that I can discover, is that the " dudines " fancy the " dudes " and they don't the dummy. I think the difference, however, more imag- inary than real, all that either of them is fit for is a clothier's sign. Things are changed around considerable since Jacob's times. The " old man " has in many instances, at least in these days, to work for his son-in-law, and is expected to set him up in the world and give him a start, and a big start at that, or there's a fuss in the family. The "old man" is said to be "selfish" and "stingy," and the young wife cries, has hysterics, and says pa doesn't love her, and so it goes. Quite a change in cus- toms since Jacob's times, isn't there ? "We learn that Jacob bought a parcel of ground here from the sons of Hamor for an hundred pieces of silver, and this land afterwards became the inheritance of the children of Joseph. "We read of this place, that Jesus, having left Judea and going up to Galilee on one occasion, " cometh to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near the par- cel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph." " Now, Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, being wea- ried, took a seat on the well, and while sitting there a woman of Samaria came to draw water, and Jesus asked her for a drink. The woman, seeing he was a Jew, was surprised and responded : " How is it that thou, being a Jew, asketh a drink of me, which am a Samaritan ? " At that time Samaria was inhabited by a people sent into it by the king of Syria that were not Jews, and the Jews and Samaritans had no dealings. Jesus told her " If she knew the gift of God and who it was that asked for a drink she would have asked' AND THE HOLY LAND. 455 him and he would have given her living water." This expression of our Lord's is in harmony with an expres- sion used by Isaiah seven hundred years before the birth of Christ : " Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation." Quite a conversation occurred between this woman and the Savior, in which he told her of her former life, thus convincing her he was no ordinary man. After which he laid before her and his disciples not only the way of life and salvation, but that God was a spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. This woman was so forcibly impressed with what the Savior told her that she left her water-pot and went her way into the city and said to the men : " Come and see a man who told me all things I ever did. Is not this the Christ ? " Many went, and many were convinced from his teachings that he was indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world. Jesus, at the earnest solicitation of the people, remained with them two days, and we are told many more believed because of his word. You remember an occurrence which took place at this old city of Shechem which is now located a couple of miles west of Jacob's well in the valley leading off to our left, between the mountains of Gerizim and Ebal, called the valley of Nablaus. It is related that Jacob's sons, in revenge for an outrage done their sister Dinah by Shechem, son of Hamor, slew all the men of the city with a sword, and spoiled the city. After this hap- pened, Jacob became alarmed, fearing the people to avenge the slaughter done by his sons would unite and destroy him and his family. " He told his sons, Simeon and Levi, that they had troubled him and in 456 TRAVELS IN EGYPT consequence of this act of theirs the inhabitants of the land would despise him and would slay him and his house." In this emergency God told him to go to Bethei and dwell there, and make an altar unto God who appeared unto him when he fled from Esau his brother. Before starting Jacob told his family, i. e. , all that were with him, to put away all the strange gods that were among them, and be clean and change their garments. Now, reader, as we near the town of Nablaus you will notice some thirty or forty yards to the left of the road a small rock house which is said to cover the spot where Jacob hid these gods. The scriptures say he took all the strange gods, and all the ear-rings that were in their ears, and hid them under an oak which was by Shechem. Somebody has erected a small stone building over the place where it is said this tree was standing under which old Jacob (whose name God changed to Israel) buried these household gods and ear-rings. I think, however, this house covers some tombs as well, as tourists are not permitted to enter it. This valley of Nablaus or Nabulus is finely watered; the brook from one of the springs flowing down near Jacob's well, turning south before reaching the well, flows between the well and the foot of Gerizim. All being ready, we mount our horses and ride up the Nablaus valley to Shechem, having Gerizim on our left and Ebal on our right. The valley is narrow, but well set in olives and fruit trees. As we ride up the valley we pass a chapel where it is said forty Jewish prophets are buried, and where the pillar of Abimelech once stood. " When the men of Shechem gathered AND THE HOLY LAND. 457 together and made Abimelech king by the plain of the pillar that was in Shechem." For this they had a lively time at this place for awhile, but finally this usurper Abimelech was killed, and peace reigned once more in Shechem. Before starting we learned that the remnant of the Samaritans were in camp on the top of Gerizim, celebrating the Feast of the Passover. So before reaching the town we turned (under the direction of a guide) to the left and began the ascent of this high mountain, whose top is twenty- eight hundred and fifty feet above sea level. It requires an hour to reach the summit of this old mountain of Ephraim, which stands as one of the many monuments found in the Holy Land testifying to the truth of the history of this old land as given in the scriptures. The ascent is made by a narrow, crooked path, winding around great boulders, first in one direc- tion, and then in another, till finally we reach the top and see spread out before us the tents of the Samaritans. As we approach the tents we are surrounded by boys, each offering to hold our horses while we take a stroll around the encampment. These people are of medium size, light yellow or rather orange complexion, well-featured, resembling the Bethlehemites. Their women were dressed as neat and tidy as their extreme poverty allow. Some of them wore ornaments of ear- rings and necklaces and other showy trinkets. They had slain, cooked and eaten the pascal lamb, in strict accordance with the requirements of the Mosaic law, the blood of the slain lamb having been sprinkled on the sides and over the doors of the tent. This scene was one of peculiar interest to me at the time, as I had just come from the land of Egypt, and 458 TRAVELS IN EGYPT having so recently passed through the land of Goshen, in which the Israelites lived and where they were sorely oppressed, the land from which went up their piteous cries to the God of heaven, having so recently stood where Moses and Aaron stood when carrying out under God's direction their grand mission of deliverance when, among other plagues sent upon the land of Egypt and its hardened monarch, the angel of death visited every household and robbed every Egyptian family of its first born, from the household of Pharaoh to that of the humblest peasant in the land ; having just passed through the land where this feast of the passover was instituted more than three thousand years ago, in commemoration of the special protection and preservation of the children of his own peculiar people on that fatal night when the cries and mourn- ings of the bereaved Egyptians went up from every household. I was standing in the midst of a remnant of this peo- ple while they were celebrating this ancient feast, instituted and inaugurated by God himself in the land of Egypt, to be perpetuated by them as a nation and as a people. What a forcible and beautiful type of the efficacy of the blood of the Lamb of God, that saves from sin and the wages of sin, which is death. To me this was a wonderful experience, an experi- ence which I can never forget. The whole picture, as it was impressed upon my mind that evening as I looked upon the circle of white tents of this remnant of the Samaritans, performing a duty which God required of them and which they had faithfully per- AMRAX, HIGH PRIEST OP THE SAMARITANS. AND THE HOLY LAND. 459 formed through all these centuries, interested me beyond measure. There are now only about one hundred and fifty of the Samaritans living. Their high priest, " Amran," was very cordial in his greeting and seemed not only glad to meet us, but was anxious to interest us in his people. In the twelfth century Benjamin, of Judea, found about one thousand adherents of the sect of the Samaritans at this place. At that period there were also a few of them at Ascalon, Caesarea and Damascus. We learned that there were now only some forty or fifty families in all, and that their numbers were con- stantly decreasing. They live here in a distinct quar- ter of^he town to themselves. It may not be uninter- esting to the reader to learn something of the religious views and practices of this old sect that seems to be gradually fading from the earth. Not many years hence they will be spoken of as a people who once lived in Palestine, but who have now passed away with the flight of time. The Samaritans are strict monotheists, and abjpr all images and all expressions whereby human atdpbutes are ascri bed to God. They believe in good and evil spirits, in a resurrection and last judgment^ They expect a Messiah to appear six thousand years wfter the creation of the world, but they do not think he will be greater than Moses. Of the Old Testament they possess the Pentateuch only. They claim that the copy they have is one of five made by the grandson of Aaron. Three times a year, that is, at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks,and the Feast of the Passover, they pitch their tents on Mt. Gerizim and celebrate these feasts. "While they celebrate all the Mosaic 460 TRAVELS IN EGYPT festivals, it is only at the Feast of the Passover that they offer sacrifices." If a Samaritan dies, his nearest akin, but not his brother, as prescribed in the book of Leviticus, is bound to marry his widow. Bigamy is prohibited unless the first wife be childless. The summit of Mt. Gerizim consists of a large pla- teau extending north and south. At the north end we find the fallen down remains of what was once a large stone building or castle. It is thought this immense castle which encloses a large area, with walls from five to ten feet in thickness, composed of hewn stone, was erected during the time of Justinian, i. e., during the 6th century. A little below the castle walls to the south, some massive substructions are shown jis the stones of the altar which Joshua is said to have erected here. The scriptures, however, locate this altar on Mt. Ebal, on the opposite side of the valley. The scriptures read as follows : " Then Joshua built an altar unto the Lord God of Israel in Mt. Ebal," and this is the place, i. e., Mt. Ebal, where Moses commanded the children before crossing the Jordan, that they should build this altar, and he told them that it should be made of whole stone, that they should not lift any tool of iron upon them, that it should be plastered, and that they should write upon them " All the words of this law," the law he was then giving them. The whole surface of the plateau on Gerizim seems to have been at one time covered with buildings. We find portions of walls, cisterns and here and there pavements, running in different directions, all of which indicate that a town or city covered the plateau at one time. I think' it reasonable to conclude that when Abram AND THE HOLY LAND. 461 passed through Shechem and erected an altar there or near there, the city stood upon the heights of Gerizim. In those olden days cities were built upon the highest hills or mountains, as they were much more easily defended than when in a valley. "We find when Rome was built it was placed on the summits of her seven hills, Athens upon the Acropolis, Corinth was on an acropolis. Jebus was thought to be impreg- nable by the Jebusites on account of its location. I might mention many others if necessary. The Romans seldom moved the site of a city taken by conquest, and it may be that much of the ruins now seen upon Geri- zim reach no farther back than to the Roman occupa- tion of Palestine. Near the center of the plateau the Samaritans point out a projecting stone as having once been the site of the altar of their temple. From the top of this mountain we see, looking east, the mountains of Gilead in the distance ; looking north, old Hermon; westward, the hills and valleys slope away to the blue band of the distant Mediterranean. Mt. Ebal is a higher mountain than Gerizim, it being 2,986 feet above sea level. Its ascent is even more difficult than Gerizim. A fine view is said to be obtained from its summit. I did not go upon Ebal, as up and down Gerizim satisfied me, as it did our company, for one day at least. These are the two mountains from which Moses commanded that the curses and blessings should be read to the children of Israel, which was done as he commanded. On a hill to the north of Ebal once laid the city of Tirzah. "We read that in the twenty-sixth year of the reign of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha, 4:62 TBAVELS IN EGYPT began to reign over Israel in Tirzah. We are further told that before he had enjoyed his royal honors long, his servant, Zimri, who was captain of half his chariots, concluded that he would like to be king over Israel him self for a while. Let me say just here, if Elan had lived in this the 19th century A. D. instead of the 10th cen- tury B. C., one would conclude that he had perhaps traveled over America and contracted some one or more of our American habits, for it is said Zimri found him in the house of the steward (of his own house) in Tirzah drinking himself drunk, and killed him and reigned in his stead. Some reader of these pages may think and say that I am saying a hard thing of my own countrymen, and casting an unjust reflection upon them as a people. In answer to this I will say, this but accords with our reputation. I am the last man in the world that would rob my countrymen of their well-earned reputation. I believe we are regarded as a proud, independent, intelli- gent, law-abiding, fun-loving, whisky-drinking people. In justification of the above remark I will say, I see in my own city of fifteen thousand inhabitants more whisky-drinking in one month than I saw in four months of travel in foreign countries. In fact, during all my travels in those distant lands I never saw a single man under the influence of intoxicants until I reached London on my return ; notwithstanding, I was on three continents, and among people who are regarded as heathens. Nabulus, orNablaus, has a population of ten or twelve thousand. There are about six hundred orthodox Greeks, a few Jews, some one hundred and forty or one hundred and fifty Samaritans, also a few Latins and AND THE HOLY LAND. 463 Protestants, but the bulk of the population are Arabs, and Mohammedans of course. The environs o'f this place are " beautifully green and extremely fertile," and finely watered. Large, fine, bold springs may be seen in every direction bursting out from beneath the adjacent mountains. Beautiful streams of water run through all the streets. Nabulus boasts of twenty-two soap manufactories. It is manufactured alone for exportation, however, none being reserved for home con- sumption. I think this people have 'a'hereditary aver- sion to soap and water. _Or it may be that, like some of our christi?,n sects, they have religious scruples in regard to the use of too much water?) My intercourse with these ') Arabs convinces me that in one regard they are like another Christian sect quite numerous in our own coun- try, in this, they don't like vfor, any one (especially strangers) to eat and drink witn them. They esteem it exclusively a family or church privilege. In the eastern part of the town we entered a mosque which was originally a church of the Crusaders dedi- cated to St. John, and probably afterwards belonged to the Knights of St. John. On the southeast side of the town is another mosque, which is said to stand on the spot where Joseph's coat was brought by his brethren to their father Jacob The Samaritans have a synagogue here and perform their religious services in the Samaritan dialect. The office of high priest is hereditary, and the present high priest, Amran, claims to be a descendant of the tribe of Levi. The copy of the Pentateuch which these Samaratins have is certainly a very ancient document ; . it is kept in a tin or metal box and is never taken out except it be placed behind a curtain, and when taken 464 . TRAVELS IN EGYPT out all press forward to kiss it. We, had in our com- pany a lad some twelve or fourteen years old who went behind the curtain to see it. Amran said he was the first child or lad that was ever permitted to see it. Some one of the company asked the high priest if it was written in Hebrew ? He rather indignantly replied, " No, it is written in the language of Moses. " I am pretty sure if Moses claimed any language as peculiarly his own, it was the Hebrew, for by birth he was a Hebrew. It is true he was raised in Egypt and educated with Kameses II, perhaps at Heliopolis, and of course was familiar with the Egyptian language. "We also know that he was familiar with the Greek and Roman, and perhaps other languages. I imagine, how ever, that this copy of the Pentateuch was written in Hebrew, Amran to the contrary notwithstanding. The ruins of the old city of Samaria lie some six or eight miles northwest of Nabulus. Tlie road runs along the eastern border of a lovely valley, at the foot of the hills which bound the valley on the east. Now an d then we cross over a spur of the hills which project into the valley. Villages are more numerous in this part of the country. The peasants live in villages and till the valley lands. "We daily meet these tillers of the soil, either going to or returning from their farms. They lash their long-beam one-handle plows on the back of the donkeys and walk behind them, never in front. You can drive a donkey, but you can't lead him. The donkey is very unlike the human kind in this respect. Both men and women can be led, but not driven. One of the most dominant, as well as one of the most unex- ceptionable characteristics of the whole donkey family, whether they have two or four legs, is stubbornness. I RETURNING FUOM THE FIELD. AND THE HOLT LAND. 465 We see no fences or farmhouses here, no barns or out- houses, no gardens. Around some of the villages we find the orchards enclosed with cactus hedges, or stone fences. The houses in which these people live are miser- able substitutes for residences ; low, squatty, filthy pens made of sun dried brick, sod, or rough piled stone, roofed in with straw, or old mats, or sorghum stalks, arranged so as to leave a hole in the center for the smoke to go through. When we ride through the narrow, filthy alleys of one of these Arab villages, old women, children and dogs come pouring out of these dens by the scores. The women, filthy, ragged and haggard : the children, with filth encrusted on their faces, unkempt, uncombed, half-naked, and mangy dogs, all inhabit the same one- room dwelling. Now, this is not an overdrawn or exaggerated picture of the peasants, their houses and their mode of living. It is just what we see in every Arab village, both in, Egypt and throughout all Palestine. These are the people who occupy the country given to Abraham and his posterity, a country of untold resources, a pictur- esque country, a country susceptible of being made an earthly paradise; indeed, a country abounding in fertile valleys, rich rolling ridges, extensive plateaus, and mountain sides unsurpassed for fertility, abundant water power, and springs of pure cold water on every side. Man could wish for no more desirable country than this. I know of no country with more natural resources and facilities for man's habitation than Pal- estine. Zimri, having killed Elah, king of the northern empire, and having burned the king's palace, Omri, 466 TRAVELS IN EGYPT his successor, purchased a hill from one Shemer, and erected upon it a residence for himself which he called Shomeron, or Samaria, after the prior owner of the hill. Omri had reignqd over Israel six years before he purchased this hill, and his reign extended six years longer. After his death Ahab, his son, became king over Israel. We have reason to infer, from the writings of Isaiah, that this part of the northern empire was for a long time the center of idolatrous worship. This writer says : " And all the people shall know, even Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria, that in the pride and stoutness of heart, the bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stone. The syca- mores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars. Therefore, the Lord shall set up the adver- saries of Kezin against him and join his enemies together, the Syrians before, and the Philistines .behind, and they shall devour Israel with open mouth." Samaria continued to be the capital of the northern empire until 722 B. C. This fact is learned from Assyrian monuments, at which time it was besieged three years by Sargon, king of Assyria, 722 to 725 B. C., and finally taken and destroyed. We find it, however, rebuilt and a strongly fortified city, in the time of Maccabees. We learn that it was again beseiged for a year, captured and destroyed by Hyrcanus, son of Simon Maccabeus, a high priest of the Jews. Pompey included Samaria in the province of Syria. It was then rebuilt and presented by Augustus to AND THE HOLY LAND. 467 Herod the Great, who caused it to be handsomely rebuilt and fortified. Samaria was built upon an isolated hill standing alone in an extensive valley, rising fifteen hundred and fifty feet above the sea level, and six hundred above the surrounding valley. This hill is about a mile long and about half that in width, and you have but to ride over and around it to learn that at one time it was terraced from bottom to top and covered with palaces, temples and other magnificent buildings. On the south side we find either standing or lying on the ground where they once stood a row of stone columns sixteen feet high without their capitols, extending a thousand yards in length, sweeping with 'a gradual curve the base of the hill. As we ride along by the side of these columns we reach, at the west extremity of the hill, the site of the gate of the city, where it is said the four lepers on entering the gate said, one to another : " "Why sit here until we die ? " Ben-hadad, king of Syria, had the city besieged until the inhab- itants were starving. It is said in the scriptures of that time that the women were killing their children and cooking them for food, and that a donkey's head sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and a cob of dove's dung for five pieces of silver. This last was a cheap article of food, and called "dove's dung" from its resemblance to the excrement of the dove. These lepers concluded that if they went into the city they would die, and if they stayed outside the gate they could but die, so they concluded to go into the camp of the Syrians, saying that they could but be killed, and if theSy rians didn't kill them that they could perhaps get something to eat. When they reached the uttermost 468 TBAVELS IN EGYPT part of the encampment they found not a man, " for the Lord had made the Syrians to hear a noise like the advance of a mighty army of chariots and horses," etc. And the whole army fled, leaving their tents, horses, donkeys, commissary stores, and all their camping outfit. These lepers were in good luck that time. Elijan had told the king's messengers that on the morrow a measure of fine flour should be sold for a sheckle, and two measures of barley for a sheckle in the gate of the city. I think the walls of the city have been rebuilt from time to time on the same old foundation without much change, and the gate in all probability has retained its ancient location. But I must finish my pen picture of the site of Samaria. As I have before stated, this hill is fifteen hundred and fifty-four feet above the sea level, and the plateau on the top is six hundred feet above the mag- nificent fertile valley which is spread out before it in all directions, except on the east. The east end is nar- row and connects this hill with the hills on the east by a low, narrow ridge. The hill is oval in shape and covers an area of ground equal to three hundred or three hundred and fifty acres of land. It is terraced up in such manner as to give more building room than could be otherwise obtained. I don't think I ever saw a more beautiful location for a small city than this. In every direction except on the east it could be seen for miles looking like a castle in the air. It must have presented a grand and beautiful appearance after having been built up and ornamented by Herod. The valley on the northeast of the hill is much lower AND THE HOLY LAND. 469 than it is on the south and the west and southwest. At the northern side of the hill stood the palace of Herod on a large terraced plateau. The whole plateau, which is some five or six acres in area, is now covered with broken columns and other remains of the immense stone castle which ornamented this site. There is no spring or fountain on the hill, and during the long sieges which its inhabitants have endured from time to time they must have been supplied with, water from cisterns. Southeast of Samaria a short distance is a fine spring, and a little farther on in the same direction is a brook coming into the valley from the hills. The inhabitants would be cut off from these, however, by a besieging army. It has been suggested, and I think with good reason, that as Samaria was a celebrated place a thousand years before Herod's time, he used the material which he found there for the buildings he caused to be erected. On the top of the hill is a level plat of land and here may be found a group of sixteen large col- umns, some standing, others fallen down. It is thought that the great temple of Baal stood here. The most important building or ancient edifice at Samaria at this time is the half ruined church of St. John. It is now converted into a Mohammedan mosque. There is a tradition, first mentioned by St. Jerome, that St. John the Baptist was buried here. This church, judging from the style of architecture, was evidently built by the Crusaders. Obadiah, the governor of Ahab's house, is also said to be buried at this church. I think it is very probable that Obadiah was buried in Samaria or somewhere in the vicinity of it. It is also 4:70 TRAVELS IN EGYPT said to be the resting-place of Elisha. At the west extremity of the hill is a large level plat of ground supported by a terrace. Upon this spot of ground stands a dozen or more handsome columns. Here probably stood the temple which Herod the Great is said to have erected in honor of Augustus. Ahab had an ivory palace at Samaria, and also a palace at Jezreel. Just before we reached the ruins of this old city we crossed over a ridge of land which projected from the hills on our right into the valley. This is pointed out as the vineyard which belonged to Naboth (it is said to have embraced that gravelly ridge of land) which old Ahab coveted, and because Naboth wouldn't exchange it with him nor sell it to him he went to bed and turned his face to the wall and refused to eat bread. Jezebel, seeing him so sad, asked him what troubled him, and he told her. Jezebel (his wife) told Ahab to get up and eat, and let his heart be merry. " I'll give you Naboth's vineyard," she said. A mean thing that a mean woman can't do just can't be done, that's all. God made women better than men and constituted them by nature to occupy a more elevated plane of moral purity. But when one topples off this higher plane and begins to sink, the depths of degradation to which she descends is marvellous. This woman was totally destitute of every virtue which characterizes the female sex. And yet civilized lands furnish a per cent. (I won't say a large per cent., for I can't think the per cent, large) of just such characters. See how this old virago went to work to steal this poor man's vineyard. She wrote letters and forged Ahab's name to them and used his royal seal, and sent AND THE HOLY LAND. 471 them to the nobles and elders of the city in which Naboth. lived, and instructed them to proclaim a fast and set Naboth on high among the people, and put two sons of Belial before him to bear witness against him, that is, to accuse him of blaspheming God and the king, " and for this, take him out and stone him to death. " Now, reader, you may think this old murderess the basest woman that ever lived, but not so. There are many Jezebels in the world now. From my observa- tion in the world I regard women as being far better than men, but a real dog mean woman is meaner than old Nick himself. We learn that Ahab's minions, these elders and nobles, did as Mrs. Ahab wrote them and killed Naboth and sent her word. We know from this that they knew the letters were forgeries. They knew also that old Ahab dared not call his hat his own, and more, that she would protect them from harm in taking the life of this innocent man. But see how the matter turned out. Stolen property never does the^thief much good. The Lord sent Elijah up that way and told him to go and " meet Ahab, king of Israel, which is in Samaria ; you will find him in the vineyard of Naboth, the Jezrelite. Speak to him and say, Thus sayeth the Lord, Hast thou killed and also taken possession ? " I imagine that sounded like thunder to this old thief. " And say further that in the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick your blood, even yours. " I wonder how the old fellow felt just then ? It would be in keeping with such a man to curse his wife for doing what he wanted her to do, and what he knew she was doing when she did it, because their 472 TRAVELS IN EGYPT plot of murder and robbery did not pan out well in the end. When this " thus sayeth the Lord" sounded in his ears he said to Elijah: " Hast thou then found me, O mine enemy \ " Elijah answered: "I have found thee, and I will bring evil upon thee and thy posterity and make thy house like the house of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, and Baasha, and as for your wife Jezebel, the dogs shall eat her by the wall of Jezreel." Sad ending this. A king and queen to be ignomini- ously slain and eaten by dogs as a public condemnation by the creator of their miserable, wicked, misspent lives. "What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?" The predictions of Elijah in regard to the death of this wicked king and Jezebel were literally fulfilled. Ahab was wounded in battle and brought to Samaria, where he died and was buried. When the blood was being washed out of his chariot the dogs licked up his blood. And Jezebel was thrown from the window of her house in Jezreel, by order of Jehu, and her flesh eaten by the dogs. Their wicked lives ended as had been predicted by the prophet of the Lord. It was here that Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, came and brought a letter to Jehoram, king of Israel, from the king of Syria, requesting him to cure him of leprosy. When Jehoram read the let- ter he rent his clothes and said: " Am I God to kill and to make alive that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy ? " Jehoram concluded that the king of Syria was seeking a quarrel with him. When Elisha heard that the king had rent his clothes he sent word to the king to send the man to him, that AND THE HOLY LAND. 473 he would let him know that there was a prophet in Israel. It appears that Elisha was living at Samaria at this time, " And Naaman had his chariot driven to the door of Elisha's house." Naaman expected Elisha to come out of his house and stand and call upon the name of the Lord his God. Instead of toadying to this man's self-esteem, however, Elisha sent a messenger to him telling him to go and wash in Jordan seven times, and his flesh should come again and he should be clean." Naaman became angry at this and said : " Are not the Abana and Pbar- par rivers of Damascus better than all the waters of Israel ? May I not wash in them and be clean ? " So he turned and went away in a rage. Naaman's servant asked him if the prophet had told him to do some great thing would he not have done it ? " How much rather then when he told you to wash and be clean ?" Naaman acted very honorably about the matter how- ever, for he went down and did as Elisha bid him, and when he found himself cured he came back and stood before Elisha and told him : " Behold now, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel." Naaman then offered to pay Elisha for curing him. Now, reader, it isn't every one that feels as grateful for services rendered as this man did ; doctors know this. Elisha, however, refused to accept his presents. But Gehazi, his servant, couldn't resist the temptation of securing something for himself. So he ran after Kaaman's chariot, and when he came up with him he told a lie to get Naaman to give him money and cloth- ing. When he returned Elisha made him a leper as a 474: TRAVELS IN EGYPT punishment for his lying and dishonorable conduct on this occasion. "We learn from the scriptures that on one occasion Philip came up to this city of Samaria and preached Christ to the people. After looking over the ruins of this ancient capital of Israel, we rode across the hills and valleys in a northeasterly direction, and about mid-day reached our lunch tent pitched near the site of old Dothan. Sama- ria, it will be remembered, is some five or six miles from Shechem, and Dothan about the same distance from Samaria. AND THE HOLY LAND. CHAPTER XIX. A LL this portion of Palestine is a perfect network JL-L of hills and vales covered with groves of flourish- ing olive trees, interspersed with orchards of apricot, almond and fig. It is not only a pretty country, but exceedingly fertile and well watered. Admit that many of the bold springs which we are passing every half mile or mile dry up in summer, as is stated by some writers, still we find cisterns and pools near and along the course of the brooks into which the flowing streams can be, and no doubt are, conducted to be filled before the droughty season sets in. These cisterns and pools are numerous, and supply the people and their flocks with an abundance of water during the summer and autumn. Dothan was located on a beautiful hill, at the foot of which is a fine bold spring. Like most of the sites of these old scriptural towns, it is now occupied by the miserable little rugged huts of the Arab farmers. Elisha, it appears, was residing here on that memor- able occasion, when the king of Syria came down into Canaan with a large army, to make war on Israel. We read " that the king of Syria warred against Israel and took council with his servants as to where he should camp from time to time." I understand from the reading that the king counciled with his servants, or perhaps the commanders of the divisions of his army, at what localities or places they might expect to find the king of Israel and his army and give him battle, or 475 476 TEAVELS IN EGYPT to get their opinion as to which were the most favor- able strategic points to engage the enemy. Elisha having informed the king of Israel of the vari- ous moves and intentions or expectations of the king of Syria, he was enabled thereby to evade him and to thwart his purposes at every turn. The king of Israel saved himself on several occasions by the information thus furnished by the prophet. It became apparent to the king of Syria that some one was informing the king of Israel of his movements. And he thought it likely that it was some one con- nected with his own army, i. e., that there was a spy in his camp. The king was sorely troubled about the matter and therefore called his servants and said to them : " "Will ye not show me which of us is for the king of Israel ? " One of his servants answered and said : " None, my Lord, O king, but Elisha, the prophet, that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speaketh in thy bed-chamber." The king then commanded that they go and spy out where Elisha was that he might send and capture him. The king was informed that he was at Dothan. He therefore sent horses and chariots " and a great host, " and they came here by night and surrounded the city. When Elisha's servant was risen early the next morning and went out of the house, he discovered that the city was surrounded with a great host, including horses and chariots. The servant went in and said to Elisha, his master : " Alas, my master, how shall we do ? " The servant thought they were done for. Eli- sha answered the servant and told him "that they that be for us are more than they that be for them." AND THE HOLY LAND. 477 The prophet then prayed that the Lord might open the eyes of the servant that he might see. The Lord opened the eyes of the young man in answer to Eli- sha'e prayer. " And behold the mountains were full of horses and chariots of fire around about Elisha." When the Syrian army moved down to where Elisha was, he prayed unto the Lord that he would smite them with blindness. "And he smote them with blindness, according to the word of Elisha." Then Elisha said unto them : " This is not the way, neither is this the city. Follow me and I will bring ye to the man ye seek. But he led them to Samaria." "When Elisha led them into the city, I imagine he ordered the gate shut behind them. He then said : " Lord, open their eyes that they may see ; " and when the Lord opened their eyes they saw they were in the midst of Samaria. I have often wondered what those Syrians thought and said^when they saw the trap the prophet had led them into, and how nicety they were caught. No doubt but they thought they would be put to death to the last man, and I imagine they were even more sur- prised when Elisha refused to let the king of Israel smite them, but instead ordered that they be fed and sent back to their master. Now, reader, in coming up from Samaria to-day we traveled along the road which this blinded army, led by this great man of God, must have traveled. Was there ever such another march in the world's history ? A great host with horses and chariots, with God's hand over their eyes, feeling their way as they went, going they knew not whither, " having eyes yet they see not." 478 TRAVELS IN EGYPT In coming along this road we see at the southwest corner of the plain, on an isolated hill, the Arab village Sanur. "We learn the inhabitants are fanatical and ever ready to insult and maltreat visitors, so we gave it the go-bye. Jeba is another large village strongly located on the brow of the mountain. Dothan seems to be surrounded by villages, which can be seen standing out on every conspicuous position, and by the side of every gushing fountain. If these villages were constructed of brick or stone, erected with architectural skill, and properly laid out with streets, parks, etc., instead of being what they are, a mere huddle of miserable huts, it would add an hundredfold to the beauty and picturesqueness of this delightful country. This promised land can never be developed and its natural resources brought out as long as it is in the hands of this improvident people ; so long as God permits it to remain in possession of this barbarous, intolerant, fanatical race. Now look just out there by the spring and you will see our Arab servants taking their mid-day meal. They carry with them bread, and bread only, thin cakes not much thicker than a knife blade. You see them twist- ing off pieces of this bread, soaking it in water and eating it with a relish, laughing and talking all the while, as happy and jolly a set of fellows as can be i: and. During the fruit seasons they add to this some article of dried fruit, such as dates, apricots, figs, etc. When the tempter came to our lord and said, "If :: be the son of God command these stones to be : bread," he answered and said: " It is written, AND THE HOLY LAND. . 479 Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Now these fellows seem to be trying the experiment anyway of living on bread alone. They can't afford to have the luxury of a diversity of food, for their wages are only twenty cents per day, and out of this they have to feed themselves. But here is our friend, Abu Abraham, who is the father of the young man Abraham who rides the little grey donkey. His name tells you this much. When an Arab father and mother have a son born unto them they give him a name of course. Then the parents lose their names and take the name of the son. With us the children of the family have a given name, but add thereto the name of the father. But not so with the Arabs. Let me illustrate this Arabic custom by calling your attention to the instance just mentioned. When this boy was named Abraham by his parents the father dropped his own name and was known only by the name of Abdal, or Abu (from Abba, "father") Abraham, i. e., the father of Abraham ; and the mother is called Em or Om Abraham, i. e., the mother of Abraham. They keep their tribal names but not their family names, nor is the wife of an Arab called Mrs. so and so, but she is known and called by her maiden name until a boy child is born unto her, then she takes his name, as above explained. They never use the prefix Mr. and Mrs. when speaking to or of each other, as is done in other countries and among other people. Abu Abraham offers to show us the pit into which it is said Joseph's brethren cast him, and out of which 480 TRAVELS IN EGYPT they drew him when they -sold him to the Ishmael- ites. Jacob was at that time, from all accounts, living at Bethel. Joseph's brethren had taken a dislike to him on account of their father's partiality for him and because Joseph would now and then report to his father their bad conduct. Joseph was seventeen years old when the following occurrences took place. " Joseph had two dreams ; the first was that he and his brethren were bidding sheaves in the field, and lo! Joseph's sheaf arose and stood upright, and his brethren's sheaves stood round about and made obeisance to Joseph's sheaf. When Joseph told his brethren his dream they said : " Shalt thou reign over us, or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us ? " And they hated him yet the more. His second dream was that the sun and the moon and the seven stars made obeisance to him. This dream he told to his father and to his brethren, and his father rebuked him for his presumption, as he regarded it.. We are told that his brethren envied him, " but his father observed the saying. " It is not unusual in Palestine for the shepherds to have a fold near their pasturage where the} 7 feed their flocks and house them at night. We see all over Pal- estine where caves are used for this purpose. Old Jacob asked Joseph : " Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem ? Come, I will send thee unto them. " And Joseph said : " Here am I. " Then his father told him " to go and see if all was well with his brethren and the flock. " While Joseph was wandering around hunting for them he met with a man who told him they were up at Dothan. So AtfD THE HOLY LAND. 481 Joseph went to Dothan and found them. When his brethren saw him afar off, before he had gotten near them " they conspired against him to slay him." And the one said to the other : " Behold this dreamer cometh." Joseph's brethren concluded that they would kill him and throw his body into a pit. But Reuben, who it seems was a better man and had more love for his kin- dred than the others, objected to killing his brother. So it was agreed that they would strip him and cast him into a pit, and leave him there to starve. These sons of Israel, with the exception of Reuben, who loved Joseph more than them all, having willfully and deliberately made up their minds to murder their brother by leaving him to starve in the pit, sat down to eat their usual meal. While thus engaged they saw a company of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead with their camels laden with spices, balm and myrrh, carrying it down into Egypt. A great highway from Gilead to Egypt by the way of Dothan, now as then, winds its way up through the gorges between the Samaritan hills to this place and on, by way of Ramleth and Gaza, to Egypt. When they saw the caravan Judah said to his breth- ren : " What profit is it if we slay our brother and con- ceal his blood ? Come, let us sell him to the Ishmael- ites. Let us not slay him, for he is our brother and our flesh." It seems from this remark that this unnat- ural brother had a little conscience and fraternal love left in his cruel breast, which upbraided him and caused him to make the suggestion or proposition which he did to his brethren. Judah's suggestion being agreed to, they drew 482 TRAVELS IN EGYPT Joseph up from the pit, and sold him to the Ishmael- ites for " twenty pieces of silver." These cruel brothers then killed a kid and dipped Joseph's coat in the blood, and carried it to their father Jacob, to deceive the old man and lead him to believe his favorite boy, the boy of his old age, had been devoured by some wild beast, and they had -the effrontery to ask their old broken-hearted father if it was his son's coat \ Just think to what depths of depravity the human heart can descend, and how unfeeling it can become. Reuben's conduct shows that he never consented to take the life of Joseph, not being present when his brethren drew him out of the pit and sold him to the Ishmaelites. Being ignorant of the transaction he went back to the pit, with the intention of taking him out ; not finding him there he rent his clothes, and when he returned to his brethren he said : " The child is not, and I, whither shall I go ? " I think it evident that these inhuman, unnatural brothers kept Reuben ignor- ant of what they had done with Joseph, and when he saw them kill the kid and dip the coat of Joseph in the blood to deceive their father Jacob he verily believed they had killed him. Now this pit into which water is now flowing from some springs near by resembles an old cistern or reser- voir, prepared for the purpose of holding a supply of water in dry weather. At least, its location and appearance would indicate that it had been hewn out of the rock for that purpose. Whether this be in real- ity the pit into which the boy Joseph was put or not concerns us but little, for we know that it was a pit AND THE HOLY LAND. 483 like unto this, and the bible tells us this circumstance occurred here at Dothan where we now stand. As our company are about ready to mount their horses we must make ready to leave this interesting locality, carrying with us a picture of what it now is, and also what it has been in the days long gone by. In addition to this I would have you ever keep fresh in your mind the picture of this beautiful type of our Lord and Savior, the rejected of his brethren, the one " who came unto his own and his own received him not." Think of this rejected brother cast off, and first put into a pit through a spirit of envy and jealousy, to perish and die in solitude and alone. Then change the scene and see these unnatural brothers barter and sell into servitude their own flesh and blood for the pittance of twenty pieces of silver. The love of greed and gain, backed by a jealousy without a cause, obliterating in their hearts all feeling of affection and brotherly love for this young brother, his piteous cries to be permitted to see his old father and mother again fell upon deaf ears, his tears failed to melt their hardened hearts. "When we were at Jacob's well one of those long caravans, just such as carried Joseph to Egypt, came by us en route from Damascus to Jerusalem. Change its location to this place and you complete the picture of the sale of Joseph by his brethren. Another picture I would have you to take with you from this place. It is also a real picture painted nearly nine hundred years before the Christian era, about six hundred years after Joseph was sold and carried into Egypt by the Midianite merchants. This is one of the grandest and yet one of the most unique pictures ever 484 TRAVELS IN EGYPT painted on the canvas of the human mind. We see an old Israelite with flowing beard, bent form, with staff in hand, his eyes cast upon the ground, picking his way leisurely along the gathway that leads from here back to Samaria. He seems to be wholly unconscious of the confusion and uproar in his rear. He is being followed by a great host, a large army with chariots and horses. But see how they stumble and fall about. One falls and his comrades stumble over him. They feel their way like men walking in the dark. God has blinded them. They come here to Dothan to capture that old Israelite, that man of God, one of the few that walked with God. In answer to his prayer, God has drawn a veil over the eyes of that great host, and now they follow him at his bidding. " The captors become the captives." Elisha leads them back to Samaria over the same pathway we traveled this forenoon. This picture teaches us that " If God be for us, who can be against us ? " God was with the boy Joseph, although rejected by his brethren. God was caring for him, directing and shaping his destiny. God was with Elisha, working his purposes and his will, with the children of men. Our route from this point becomes more and more interesting, if one locality in this old land can be more interesting than another. The truth of the occurrences related in the bible, I mean the actual fact of their occurrence as related in the bible, comes home to us with a force and power of conviction, as we bring them up with the identical and real localities as witnesses, that we never experienced before. Our imagination stays with us, as it were, and we only have to rebuild AND THE HOLY LAND. 485 and repeople these ancient cities to re-enact the wonder- ful incidents connected with them. Soon after leaving Doth an we noticed on our right a sacred tree covered with rags and various colored pieces of cloth, votive offerings. From this locality we have a fine view of the valley of Esdraelon. A few miles further on we pass a large stone-built village, a rare thing in this old land. After passing this our route traverses a small valley which leads us on a few miles further to Engannim, where we find our tents pitched for the night. This is a very nice town, with a far better order of buildings than are ordinarily found in Palestine. It is built on the boundary between the mountains of Sama- ria and the plain of Esdraelon. A town of two thou- sand five hundred or three thousand inhabitants. Water from an excellent spring rising on the east is conducted through the village. In the environs are some productive gardens. "We find in the distribution of the lands of Canaan by Joshua, among the cities given Issachar for the children of Issachar, according to their families, a city by the name of Engannim was men- tidhed. This has been identified as the site of the old city of that name ; a city of the Levites within the territory of Issachar. The plain of Esdraelon, on the outskirts of which we are now encamped, answers to the ancient plain of Jezreel. The valley of Jezreel is properly, however, the low ground by the village of Jezreel, upon the site of which stands now the modern Zerin. " In a wider sense the name embraces also the plain lying west of the Gilboa mountains which iscalled the "great plain," or the plain of Megiddo in the Old Testament." The 48C TRAVELS IN EGYPT east side of this great plain is the shortest and lowest. The fall from this point toward the east is very per- ceptible to the unaided eye. The east end of the plain sends off several narrow plains or valleys extending out into the mountains. This great plain, than which I never saw a prettier or more fertile body of land, the soil being a red clay mixed in places with gravel, is of a triangular form, with its base running from Engan- nim northwest twenty-four miles, while the narrow end of the triangle extends east. This place, i. e., that portion of it extending from Jezreel to the Jordan, is two hundred and fifty feet below the level of the sea, and upon the whole, as before said, is exceedingly fertile. In places, however, it is somewhat marshy. In the spring, when covered with green verdure, it has the appearance of a great green lake when seen from the mountains. Only a small portion of this great plain was cultivated until recently. One of the Bedouin tribes, the Beni Sakhr tribe, claimed the right of pasturage over it. Since about 1868 they have been excluded from it, but even as late as 1875 made predatory expeditions through the valley. When we crossed the valley of Esdraelon I counted thirty or more plowmen in sight, scratching the soil with their one-handled plows. This plain has been one of the great battle-fields of this country. It was in the east end and on that part of the valley now called Jezreel where that memorable battle between the Philistines and the Israelites com- manded by Saul took place. The Philistines were encamped at Shunem. We read " that the army of the Philistines pitched at Shunem and the army of Saul at Gilboa." Now if the AND THE HOLY LAND. 487 reader will get the topography of this particular locality in the mind there will be no difficulty in locating the armies and the battle-field. The old city of Jezreel was located on the brow of the hill bordering the valley of Jezreel ; on the south, or in the rear, the mountains of Gilboa, the valley of Jezreel lying north and extending east of the city. Shunem was located across and on a hill bordering the valley on the north. No doubt these armies advanced against each other and fought in the valley which lay between their encampments; the old city of Jezreel being located upon a spur of the mountains of Gilboa which projected into the valley. The sight of the old city is now occupied by one of the filthiest of Arab villages to be found, called Zerin. When Saul saw what a host of the Philistines were arrayed against him he became alarmed at the thought of the result of an engagement, and we learn he sought the Lord, but the Lord wouldn't answer him, neither by dream nor by Urim nor by prophets. Urim and Thummim were some kind of ornaments or inscriptions which Aaron was commanded to put in the. breastplate of judgment. I am inclined to believe it an inscription, for at the same time and in the same manner he was commanded to bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate upon his heart. As the Lord would not hear Saul he inquired of his servants where a woman could be found having a famil- iar spirit that he might enquire of her. His servants told him there was one at Endor. Endor was some six miles northeast of Shunim. So Saul disguised himself by putting on other garments, and taking two soldiers with him went by night to see this old woman. From the 488 TRAVELS IN EGXTT position Saul's army occupied he had to make a con- siderable circuit in order to reach Endor without detection. When Saul reached her house he said to the woman: "Bring me him up whom I shall name unto thee." Saul being disguised, this old necromancer thought the man was putting up a job on her to induce her to show her power in this particular, as proof that she belonged to the class whom King Saul himself had ordered to be "cut off," i. e.. killed. So she answered and said : " Behold thou knoweth what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that hath familiar spirits and the wizards out of the land. Wherefore then layeth thou a snare for my life to cause me to die ? " Then Saul swore to her by the Lord, saying : "As the Lord liveth, there shall be no punishment happen to thee for this thing." This old spirit medium then asked Saul who she should bring up. And he told her Samuel. And when Samuel appeared the old woman was nearly frightened out of her wits, for she cried with a loud voice, that is, she screamed as only a woman can, and said to Saul : "Why hast thou deceived me, for thou art Saul?" The king then asked this woman what she saw, and she answered : " I saw gods ascending out of the earth." Saul then asked her what form was he, and she said: "An old man cometh up covered with a mantle." Saul recognized from the description that it was Samuel, and stooped with his face to the ground and bowed himself. Samuel then asked him why he had called him up. Saul then proceeded to explain to him that he was in sore trouble, that the Philistines were making war upon him, and that God had departed from him, and refused to answer him either by prophets or AND THE HOLY LAND. 489 dreams and that he had called for him to tell him what to do. Samuel then said : " "Why do you ask me, seeing the Lord is departed from you and has become your enemy ? " Samuel then explained to Saul that the prophecy which he had made concerning him and his kingdom was being fulfilled ; that the Lord had rent his kingdom out of his hand and would give it to David; that he and his army would fall into the hands of the Philistines, and that on the morrow he and his sons would be with him. As to what spirit world Samuel was in I don't pretend to say, for that is none of my business. When Samuel told Saul what would be the result of the morrow's battle he fell flat upon the ground and was sore afraid. When the old woman saw Saul thus thoroughly overcome and prostrated she began to get alarmed herself, and told him that she had only done what he had commanded her to do, and that she had placed her life in his hands, and now he must listen to and do what she told him. She then insisted upon his eating something, and finally, after preparing a meal for him, she and the men prevailed upon Saul to eat some roast veal and bread, after which they rose up and went away the same night. I guess Saul went away feeling worse discouraged and down-hearted than when he came. And in his heart he no doubt wished he had never gone to see the old woman This old woman differed materially from our modern spirit mediums. We don't read of her tipping tables nor rapping, or calling up dumb spirits that have to write their communications. When Samuel came up at her bidding, he didn't go into a wardrobe or cabi- net, or ring a bell and beat a drum, to let Saul know 490 TRAVELS IN EGYPT he was there. But he spoke out like a real sensible spirit as he was, and asked the king what he wanted of him. Samuel did his own talking ; he didn't have to have an interpreter, nor did the medium have to count raps or write his answer to Saul's question, "What shall Ido?" These two hostile armies met in deadly conflict the next day, and as Samuel had told Saul, the Philistines put the Israelites to flight, and pursued them with great slaughter even up the heights of Gilboa. On this mountain Saul, being sorely wounded by the archers, begged his armor bearer to draw his sword and thrust him through, lest his enemies find him and not only kill him, but mutilate his body. Saul's armor bearer refused to do this, and the old king, courageous and proud to the last, fixed his sword so as to fall upon it, and thus ended his life. His armor bearer, seeing that Saul was dead, likewise fell upon his sword and killed himself. Three of Saul's sons were slain in this engagement: Jonathan, David's true and oft-tried friend, Abinadab and Melchi-shua. On the next day, while the Philistines were going over the battle-field stripping and despoiling the dead, they found the bodies of Saul and his sons upon Mt. Gilboa, and they cut off the head of Saul and put his armor in the temple of their god Ashtoreth, and they fastened his body and the bodies of his sons to the wall of Beth-shean, a town of Issachar. The Philistines then spread the news of their victory in their temple and among their people. When the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard what had befallen Saul, their valiant men went by night and took the body ef Saul and the bodies of his sons from AND THE HOLY LAND. 491 the wall of Beth-shean, and brought them to Jabesh and buried them. " They then buried their bones under a tree at Jabesh." The reader will remember I pointed out a village lying to the right of the road between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, where the father of Saul (Kish) lived, and to where the bones of Jonathan and Saul were removed and buried. This old town of Beth-shean was located where we now see the village and ruins of a place which lies near a basin on the margin of the plain of Jezreel, called Beison. The valley slopes down here towards a gorge which is some two or three hundred feet below. From the ruins found here some think the city was a large place at the time here spoken of. At the beginning of the 9th century B. C M Jezreel was the residence of King Ahab and his wife, Jezebel, who had a palace here and also one in Samaria. And from the window of this palace Jezebel was thrown and killed. You remember Joram was king of Israel and had been wounded in a battle with Hazael, king of Syria, at Ramoth-Gilead, and had come up to Jezreel to get well of his wounds. Ahaziah, the son of Jehoram, was contemporary king of Judah, and had united forces with him in the engagement with Hazael. While Joram was at Jezreel recovering from his wounds Elisha sent a young prophet to Ramoth- Gilead and had him to anoint Jehu king over Israel. He was not only anointed king, but he was also told that he should smite the house of Ahab, his master. Being one of Ahab's captains of the host, Ahab is called his master. He was to avenge the blood 492 TRAVELS IN EGYPT of the Lord's servants, the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord at the hand of Jezebel. He was commanded to cut off, or kill, all the male descendants of Ahab and all that is left in Israel, etc. Immediately after being anointed king and acknowledged such by his fellows, the captains of the host, Jehu said : cl If it be in your minds then, that is, that I be your king, let no one go out of the city to Jezreel to tell what has taken place." Jehu then mounted his chariot and drove furiously to this place, coming up this valley. Joram had a man up on the watch-tower (we find these watch-towers here and there in that old country to this day ; I saw one erected like scaffolding of wood) ; when the watchman saw Jehu coming a horseman was sent to meet him to inquire whether he was a messenger of peace or war. When this man met Jehu he asked him " Is it peace ? " Jehu replied : " What hast thou to do with peace? Turn behind me." The watchman seeing that this messenger didn't return, another was sent. Jehu treated him in the same way. This being reported to the wounded king, he ordered out his war chariot, also Ahaziah's. (Ahaziah was come on a visit to see Joram.) These kings went to meet the fast-driving charioteer. They met Jehu in a portion of land adjoining the road belonging to Naboth. Joram attempted to escape from Jehu, but was pierced by his arrow and sunk down in his chariot. Jehu ordered Bidkar, his captain, to " take him up and cast him in the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreel- ite." Ahaziah fled by way of the garden house and AND THE HOLY LAND. 493 was pursued, but in going up to Gur was overtaken and wounded, but fled to Megiddo and there died. Some biblical scholars lo'cate Naboth's vineyard at Jezreel, but the bible locates it unmistakably at Sama- ria. The piece or portion of the field belonging to Naboth referred to in this connection was, I have no doubt, a piece of grain land which he cultivated down east of Jezreel, in the valley. It is customary in all Palestine to this day for the inhabitants of the village to select and lay off their grain lands in a body, and unite their forces, in sow- ing, reaping, etc. The Lord told Elisha to " Arise, go down to meet Ahab, king of Israel, which is in Samaria. Behold he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he has gone down to possess it. And say unto him, Thus sayeth the Lord, Hast thou killed and also taken possession ? " I cannot see the slightest conflict in the scriptures in the relation of this circumstance. As Jehu drove into the gate, Jezreel being a walled city, the Queen Jezebel painted her face, curled her bangs and donned her head-dress, and came to the window of the palace and called to Jehu and asked him if Zimri had peace who slew his master. Jehu answered her by saying : " Who is on my side ? Who ? " Two or three eunuchs having come to the window with her, Jehu ordered them to throw this she-devil down. They did so, and Jehu drove his horses over her body, which the dogs afterward eat, as has been spoken of the Lord by the mouth of Elisha. Now, reader, we will ride down the margin of the valley at the foot of the mountains and go east in the direction of the Jordan for a mile and a half or 4:94 TRAVELS IN EGYPT two miles, which will bring us to one of the largest, boldest springs I ever saw. The mountains of Gilboa on the north side are abrupt and precipitous in places. This spring comes, as it were, out of a cave underneath the mountains, and forms a large pool in the valley fifty yards in diameter, and from two to four feet deep. This is called the pool of Gideon, and is said to be the place where the Lord told Gideon to bring his men down unto the water and he would try them for him. The horse of one of our company laid down with his rider in this fountain. Here is the pool, and I will briefly relate this incident as given in the scriptures. If the reader is entirely familiar with it read it again, as it is the Lord's dealing with mankind in the ages gone by, and you may be enabled to draw a useful lesson from it which may not have presented itself to your mind heretofore. The children of Israel had for seven years been oppressed and impoverished by the Midianites, who made annual raids on their fields. This people made annual incursions into the country of the Israelites about the time of harvest, bringing their tents and camels in such numbers that the Israelites compared them to grasshoppers. As soon as the crops of the Israelites were about ready for harvesting a great horde of these Midianites and Amalekites and the inhabitants of the east would come over into their territory and destroy the crops and drive off their flocks. The Israelites were driven to the necessity of mak- ing for themselves dens, and caves, and strongholds in the mountains, and of hiding their grain and provi- sions in such places. The children of Israel were so AND THE HOLY LAND. 495 sorely dealt with and impoverished by this marauding people that they cried unto the Lord. In answer to their cry he sent a prophet unto them telling them of what great things the Lord had done for them, but in spite of it all they had been rebellious and idolatrous and k had forsaken him and turned to the worship of other gods the gods of the heathen among whom they dwelt. After the Israelites had entreated the Lord for deliverance from these robbers he sent an angel who sat under an oak near where Gideon, the son of Joash, was threshing wheat. Gideon was by the wine- press hiding from the Midianites, and the angel said unto him, " The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valor." Gideon replied to this, " that if the Lord was with them, wliy had so many troubles and misfortunes befallen them, and why were they delivered into the hands of the Midianites ? "- The Lord, in the person of the angel, looked upon him and said, " Go in this thy might and I shall save Israel from the hands of the Midianites ; have not I sent thee ? " Gideon asked him " how was he to save Israel ? That his family was poor and that he was the least in his father's house." The Lord told him he would be with him, and that he should smite the Midianites as though they were one man. Gideon then asked the Lord for a sign, which was given. The angel put forth his staff, and the flesh and leavened bread which he had brought for the angel to eat were consumed by fire, after which the angel departed out of his sight. After the angel departed Gideon became alarmed lest he would die, having seen an-angel of the Lord face to face. y the conquerors of the conquered in this professedly religious war conducted by the Moham- medans. The great court of this temple, i. e., the large temple, is one hundred and forty-seven yards from east to west and one hundred and twenty-three wide. At the east end of this immense court, separated from it by a parti- tion wall with a large portal opening into it from one to the other, is a beautiful hexagonal porch sixty-five yards long, and from angle to angle eighty-five yards in diameter. At the west end of the large court was an extended portico surrounded by columns sixty feet in height with Corinthian capitols. Six of these are still standing. This portico, as I call it, or western extension of the temple, had nineteen of these immense columns on each side and ten at each end. The temple of the sun, the smaller of the two. stands on a basement of its own, lower and uncon- nected with the larger temple. This temple is said to be one of the best preserved as well as one of the most beautiful antiquities in Syria. The rectangular center AND THK HOLY LAND. 613 edifice is surrounded by columns, fifteen on each side and ten at the ends. These columns, including the capitols, are forty-six and one-half feet in height, on the top of which is a handsome double frieze. The peristyle, or porch, as 1 call it, around this tem- ple of the sun is ceiied overhead with large slabs of stone beautifully and delicately engraved, looking more like lace than stone-work. Tradition affirms that this large temple was erected by King Solomon to please one of his wives, who was a native of Sidon and a worshiper of the sun. I think it very probable, for we read that these idola- trous wives of Solomon turned away his heart from Jehovah, and we find him building temples and altars to Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians ; and Mil- corn, the abomination of the Amorites ; and a place to Chemosh, the abomination of Moab ; and for Molech, or Baal, the abomination of the children of Ammon ; "and likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods. " I can't see what better heathen anyone could ask for than this once great man. But like his father David, the seductive charms of women wrought his moral downfall. The absence of written records of the exist- ence of the city of Baalbec prior to the third or fourth century proves nothing antagonistic to this tradition. Many of these old pagan temples stand all alone among these mountains, never having had a city near them. The ruins of such temples may be found at various places in the mountains of Lebanon. The immense blocks of stone of which this temple was constructed remain to this day objects of curiosity 614 TRAVELS IN EGYPT as well as of admiration to travelers and a perplexity to engineers. In the west wall some nineteen or twenty feet from the ground are three large stones which we measured. One of these is sixty-three feet long, one sixty-four, and the other sixty-two feet long, each of them thir- teen feet square. The quarry from which the stones were obtained is about a mile distant from the location of the temple. In the quarry lies a larger stone than those in the wall of the temple. It is shaped but not entirely cut loose from the rock beneath it. I measured this stone also with a three-foot rule. I found it sixteen feet square and eighty-one feet long, weighing over seventeen hundred tons, or three million four hundred thousand pounds. How such blocks of stone as this or such as are above described in the wall were transported and placed in position in the walls in ancient times, I presume will ever remain a mystery. The lower stones of the temple are gray and the larga blocks yellowish in color. It was doubtless from these three large stones in the west wall that the temple derived its name of Trilithon, three stones. Our company reached this ancient Syrian town on Saturday a little after noon. And as it was our rule to lie over on the Sabbath, I had the opportunity of seeing a dervish sheik perform miracles and then seeing his two hundred or more followers go through their ritual of religious service on Sabbath morning. Sunday morning, seeing large crowds of the villagers going up the mountain . just south of our camp, I asked my man Ishmael what they were congregating on the mountain for ? He answered AND THE HOLY LAND. 615 that Ramadan ended the evening before, and they were going up there to put in a day of rejoicing, and added : " It will interest you, Doctor, to walk up there and see them." I started at once, but it was much farther and a far more fatiguing walk than I had thought. But by sitting down and resting occa- sionally 1 finally reached the summit, where I found some seven or eight hundred Arabs already assembled. Just over the summit of the mountain was a level plateau or bench comprising some two or three acres of land. On this the crowd had assembled and gath- ered around the dervishes, who seemed to be the cen- tral object of attraction. When I reached the ground some fifty or more of the older men were seated in a circle on mats spread upon the ground. About half of them were armed with tambourines and castinets, or small timbrels. Such of them as had no musical instruments were chanting verses of the Koran and the others beating time, one or perhaps two or more keeping time and adding variety to the instrumental part of the enter- tainment by striking two hardwood sticks together. This was begun in a slow, monotonous way, but grew more rapid and louder, and yet louder, as time passed, until finally it reached a pitch of seeming frenzy and desperation. The sheik of the tribe or band, with a few old men, was standing in the middle of the group keep- ing time and leading the chanters. Within the circle formed by the musicians, with the crowd standing around at their backs, with the sheik and old men, was a snake charmer with a large serpent entwined about his neck. After this part of the service was over the rugs, mats, etc., together with the musical instruments, 616 TRAVELS IN EGYPT were piled up to one side. A ring was then formed by the clan standing around all facing the sheik, who stood in the center with an old rusty sword in his hand. One old, hard-looking customer stepped out in the ring and drew off his shirt and allowed the sheik, who was a tall, spare made man, straight as an arrow, and seemingly a very nervous man, to hack on his old India rubber abdomen with the edge of the old rusty sword. I watched this proceeding with more than ordinary interest. My reasons therefore will be given later on. The sheik made long sweeping strokes with the sword, but he was careful not to use much force. The old brother's abdomen being covered by nature with rawhide, flapped in and out at every stroke like a rubber bag. The sheik's ability to strike such blows with naked sword, and not inflict flesh wounds, was taken by the true believers as a proof of his being pos- sessed of supernatural powers, or the power of per- forming miracles, this being regarded as one. The next thing on the programme of miracles was that of thrusting a dagger through the cheek of several of his followers. These savage, ignorant-looking fel- lows with dark skins, low foreheads and countenances, from which one would naturally shrink, stepped into the ring. The sheik thcust the thumb of his left hand into one corner or angle of the man's mouth, holding the cheek between the thumb and the forefinger; then with the right hand he passed a dagger into the mouth, piercing the wall of the cheek and pushing it well through. The dagger was about twelve inches in length, having a wooden ball one and one-half or two inches in diameter on one end for a handle, the blade being AND THE HOLY LAND. 617 shaped like a sword cane with very dull edges. This spear was thrust through the cheek obliquely, leaving about one-half of the length of the instrument project- ing from the mouth, the other half projecting from the outer side of the cheek. The fanatical devotee would then take hold of each end of the dagger and with a kind of waltzing swinging step dance around the ring swaying his body backward and forward for half an hour or longer, then waltzing up in front of the sheik who withdrew the spear and closed the wound by press- ing it firmly between the thumb and forefinger so as to prevent its bleeding. The instrument was too dull to cut the blood vessels, consequently there was no hemorrhage. But this con- stituted the miraculous part of the performance. This torture, for I can call it nothing more nor less, was sub- mitted to by several of the young men of the clan and may be, for ought I know, their mode of initiation into the order of dervishes. Perhaps, the author of " Light from the East " can inform us on this point. The next miracle performed by this impostor was he an impostor? Yes, I verily believe he was, in so far as pretending to be performing miracles, for he well knew he was deceiving his followers but he had as much right to do so as the Catholic priests have. The next miracle was to have one of his disciples strip to the waist and lie on his back on the ground. Two of his accom- plices, the aforesaid old men, then took one of these short spears in each hand and pretended to hold the points of them on the nude body of the recumbent victim. The sheik, now resting a hand on each of the bended bodies of his accomplices, walked over the recumbent man by stepping from one to another of 618 TRAVELS IN EGYPT the balls on the upper end of the spears. The body not being pierced by the spears constituted the miracle. Another middle-aged man, stripped to the waist, pre- sented himself to the sheik, who pinched up the loose skin on his side and pushed the spears through it, making the point of entrance some two and a-half or three inches from the point of exit. The victim then took hold of the balls, one in each hand, and waltzed around the circle swaying his body backwards and forward as the other had done with the spear through the cheek. When the spears were withdrawn the sheik made pres sure on the wounds to prevent hemorrhage as in the other instances, the absence of hemorrhage constitut- ing the miracle. The circle of dervishes was then enlarged, forming a large circle around the sheik, and the two or three old men. Thev began to bow their heads and bend their / o bodies forward, bending low, then by a rapid motion straightening up and then down again. At each going down and coming up every fellow would cry, " Allah ! Allah ! " This swaying of the body and the cry of Allah was kept up until several of them fell from sheer exhaustion. This ended, a cross way was formed by men lying on their backs, side by side, on the ground for a distance of twelve or sixteen feet. The sheik, after having whispered for some considerable time in his horse's ear, mounted him and rode over their prostrated bodies. The whole company then dispersed, the sheik and his clan going to their mosques down in the vil- lage. Now these are the people from whom it is claimed comes " a Flood of Light," The " Pilgrim Knight " or AND THE HOLY LANR 619 " Palm and Shell," " Light from the East." In one of the letters in this book of " Light from the East " the author says : " It is known that the society of dervishes in this country is closely allied to ancient Free Masonry." And yet this author says these Mohammedan fanatics, like the prophets of Baal, "cut themselves with knives, charm and eat snakes, swallow burning coals, eat glass," and practice to a greater or less extent the tricks in trade of the India jugglers. I have been accustomed to the use of the microscope, but I was not able to detect, even with the wonderful magnifying powers of that instrument, a germ of Free Masonry or anything akin to it among the three orders of dervishes which I visited. I would as soon expect Mr. Stanley to find societies closely allied to Free Masonry among the Africans on the Congo. I regard it as a slander on one of the grandest institutions among men. I am at a loss to comprehend the object of the writer in bringing forward the order of dervishes to establish the antiquity of Masonry, which he does, if I understand him aright, when it is well known that the various orders of dervishes are all Mohammedans, and that Mohammed himself was born some time between the years 569 and 571 of the Christian era. I think this cunningly devised scheme shows its cloven foot in visiting Masonic lodges, and by imposing and conferring this " Palm and Shell " as a degree akin to Masonry, and for which hundreds and perhaps thou- sands of dollars have been paid by the Masons of the United States, not as a Masonic degree, I confess, but if not as an adjunct or addendum to Masonry, why was it conferred in lodges and only on Masons ? That 620 TRAVELS IN EGYPT it is regarded as a pledge of friendship by these people, and also as a pledge of immunity from molesta- tion by the Bedouin tribes, I also admit. Just as we used to smoke the pipe of peace with the Indians. But in this widely circulated and popular Masonic work this u Palm and Shell " is represented as a token in a society " assimilating Masonry." Webster defines assimilating "causing to resemble, converting into a like substance." Now if there is nothing in the symbolic ritualism of Masonry more than a pledge of friendship, if there is no embodiment of principles in our sublime degrees, if they be empty shells, shadows without substance, merely pledges of friendship, if this be all there is in Masonry, then I have studied Masonry to no avail. If my Masonic brother who visited the lodges of Texas and delivered Masonic lectures was not inducing the brotherhood to believe that he was bringing additional light from the East, why, I ask, was the dervish pledge conferred only on Masons ? If it had no association or connection whatever with Masonry (and it has none whatever, as my Masonic brother very well knew), why did he visit lodges only, and why did he extend to Masons only the privilege of buying from him for the sum of five dollars each, a dervish or Bedouin pledge of friendship that could in no possible way ever be of any practical use or benefit to them in this country. I wouldn't trust an Arab Bedouin or dervish sheik no farther than I would a mule, no matter how much "salt" I had eaten with him. I think my Masonic brother by the manner in which he used this dervish pledge among his Masonic brethren put his Masonic obligations woefully on the stretch, to say the least of AND THE HOLY LAND. 621 it. He made money out of it, but was it not " wrong- fully "made? After reading the foregoing account of the ignorance and superstition of this order of Mohammedans, to say nothing of the- humbuggery and imposition practiced by their sheiks, I leave Masons to judge of this mat- ter for themselves and to form their own opinion as to the value of their " Palm and Shell" degree, and how much Masonry there is in it. Masonry is one of the grandest moral and charitable institutions known among men, and he who lowers its standard of merit or acts unworthily should be excluded from the rights and privileges of the order and deemed unworthy the confidence and esteem of the brother- hood. I confess I dislike to see Masons using the order and the sacred emblems by which its great moral lessons are taught to promote their business trans- actions and enhance their individual gain. It is not nor should it be a money-making institution, but its charity should be as universal and unbounded as its principles. After leaving Baalbec we travel for miles in the great plain which lies between the Lebanon and Anti- Lebanon mountains. A large portion of this valley is in an excellent state of cultivation, the mulberry tree being grown extensively through the valley; silk and tobacco culture being perhaps the most valuable enter- prises engaged in by the inhabitants of this Lebanon province. Our lunch tent was pitched near a pretty village inhabited by Christians. The village is located around the head of a short but deep gorge which extends up between the mountains. We are now traveling the 622 TftAVELS IN EGYPT turnpike road made by a French company to run daily diligences from Beyrout to Damascus. Here a large mountain stream crosses the road. We find quite a respectable mill built on the roadside and run by the water-power of the stream. Soon after lunch our company, by invitation, rode to the village above referred to and spent a couple of hours very pleasantly at the house of our principal muleteer, Abu Abraham, i. e., father of Abraham. We found his home very conveniently and pleasantly arranged. The family seemed to be very proud of having the privilege of entertaining the " Americans. " Refreshments of different kinds, in the way of candies and cordials, and (sha) tea and other nicknacks were served at short intervals. The people of the village flocked in to see us until the house and yard were crowded. Our dress, manners and general appearance being so different from theirs, we were to many of them a new and strange people. But time admon- ishes us to be up and going. Our ride this afternoon is short, however, as our tent is being erected only a few miles from this pretty little city, perched on the sides of the moun- tains sweeping around the gorge at an elevation of over three thousand feet above sea level. It is called Zahleth, a city containing ten or fifteen thousand of these semi-civilized Syrians. They are members of the church of England, ie., Episcopalians, no Mohamme- dans among them. The families of most of our muleteers and other attendants are living here in quietude and peace. This day completes our stay in the Holy Land and Syria. We now go to Asia Minor. We went into camp AND THE HOLT LAND. 623 last evening with a sense of gratitude for the preserva- tion of our lives and our health during our wanderings in the Holy Land ana Syria. "We have done much hard work, and have passed through many dangers. We have gone over rough, rugged and dangerous roads, but God has blessed us, and cared for us, and brought us unharmed through it all. We are tired, and travel worn, and rejoice that this is our last day in the saddle. We expect to reach Beyrout to-night, where we will take the water route to old Smyrna via Tripoli. The wives, sons and daughters of our muleteers came to our camping-ground last night and gave us a concert and an exhibition of their social amusements. They had music and dancing and plays. One lady danced for thirty or forty minutes with a five-gallon earthen- ware jar of water filled to the brim balanced on her head. The feat was a difficult one, but was accom- plished admirably, as she neither touched the jar with her hands nor spilt as much as a tea-spoonful of water. They seem to be a happy people. " Having food and raiment, they are therewith content." IB not this true wisdom ? " What will it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul ? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" Thousands of our fellow-men are saying by their lives, we exchange it for wealth, for honors, for the applause of our fellow- men ; for the pomp, glitter and parade of fashionable life ; for covetousness, for greed, for self-indulgence, for licentiousness, for unbelief in Him upon Whom to believe is life everlasting. " He that hath the Son hath life." It was a hard day's ride that brought us to Beyrout. We were four hours in reaching the summit of the Lebanon mountains. All that four hours we were 624: TRAVELS IN EGYPT going 1 up', up, and then for another four or five hours it was down, down. From the summit of this range of mountains is a beautiful view. East of us in our rear lay spread out the beautiful valley of the Litany, with its numerous green fields, orchards and vineyards. Beyond, this rises the Anti-Lebanon mountains, their summits covered with snow, the majestic Hermon over- looking them all. Before us is the blue waters of the Mediterranean ; the white walls of the city of Bey rout glittering in the bright rays of the evening sun, seated upon the seashore seemingly but at our feet, as it were, yet wearied and aching will be our limbs before we reach that far-away city. Beyrout, the most important seaport town of Syria, is located on the coast of the Mediterranean about sixty miles on a direct line west of northwest of Damascus. The large bay north of the city affords the best anchor- age on the Syrian coast. This was one of the places which was mentioned as having been occupied by the Caananitish Giblites or dwellers on mountains in the land of the Phoenicians. They worshiped different gods from the Phoenicians. This place seems originally to have been unimportant. We learn that it was entirely de- stroyed in the second century B. C., during the reign of Antiochus VII. inconsequence of a rebellion. It was after- wards rebuilt by the Romans. Herod Agrippa embel- lished it with baths, theatres, etc., to please the Romans. Gladiatorial combats were fought here, in which the Jews captured by Titus at Jerusalem were compelled to engage. During the Roman occupation of Beyrout it and Tyre furnished Rome her silk fabrics. It is not known when Syria first began the growth of the mul- AND THE HOLY LAND. 625 berry and the culture of silk, it was known in the middle ages to be of long standing. In 529 Bey rout was destroyed by an earthquake, after which we learn that it was never rebuilt with the -same magnificence as before. In 635, when the Moham- medan army was in Syria, it was captured by them. In 1125 it was taken by the Crusaders under Baldwin. This city, as you see, like all other important cities in this oriental country, has had literally its ups and downs. For about thirty years it was the residence of a Druse prince, who, abusing the confidence of the Turkish government, succeeded in founding a kingdom for himself. Having banished the Arabs, he formed an alliance with the Venetians, who, it seems, were the natural enemies of the Turks. The Turks, however, finally succeeded in overthrow- ing his kingdom, putting the Prince, or Emir, to death, and banishing his family. After this the Turks gradually withdrew power from the princes, which proved to be a salutary policy. Abdallah Pasha afterward took Beyrout from the Druses, and under a change of rulers it became an important seaport town. It has now a population of one hundred and ten thousand. Its population has greatly increased within the last few years, however. A very large majority of its inhabitants are Moslems. In connection with this brief and imperfect history of Beyrout, let me say that the old town is uninterest- ing and contains very few antiquities. The plain upon which the city is built, lying between the sea and mountains, is small. The city in consequence has been built around the south side of the bay. The climate is pleasant, and it ought under proper hygienic regula- 626 TRAVELS IN EGYPT tions to be a healthy city. They now have a new set of waterworks and the city is lighted with gas. "The walls which once surrounded the old town, with the exception of a few remains on the east, have fallen down and gone to ruin, and suburban cottages with beautiful gardens and orchards have lately sprung up and are annually extending." "BejTout is fast becoming a modern city, not, however, by modernizing the Moslem element of society, but by emigration from the European states. It, being the great seaport of all that oriental country lying east of it, has assumed a commercial importance which it never had before." That portion of the city occupied by the Moslems, as elsewhere, is characterized by narrow, filthy streets, small workshops, absence of sidewalks, the usual ~uota of curs, children, old hags, donkeys, etc. Taken as a whole, however, Beyrout is quite ahead of many other Eastern cities in modern improvements. Wednesday, May 13, I find myself on board a Rus- sian steamer bearing the autocratic name "Czar," bound for Constantinople by way of Tripoli and old Smyrna. We weighed anchor about noon yesterday, and I find our vessel this morning anchored off the shore of the Syrian province Liwa, just opposite the city of Tripoli. This city, the Phoenician name of which is unknown, was built probably not earlier than seven hundred years B. C., long after Arvadus was founded by a tribe who descended from Ham, and are called in the scriptures Arvadites. Suppose, reader, we stop and enquire who these peo- ple were. You know Ham was cursed by his father, and it is claimed that a strange transmutation took AND THE HOLY LAND. 627 place in this son of his as a consequence; if not in the son, in one of his descendants. By reading the geneal- ogy *>f the family of Noah, we find among the lists of the descendants of his son Ham, that Gush was the father of Nimrod, the hunter. Mizraim, another of Ham's sons, was the progenitor of the Philistines, and Canaan, another son, the progenitor of the Jebusites and Amorites, Hitites, and among others, a tribe who occupied this section of the country called in the scrip- tures Arvadites. We further learn that old man Noah played American and got on a drunken spree, and when he awoke from his drunken sleep pronounced a curse upon his son Ham, for not treating him with that respect and deference due the parent from the child. The old man said: "Cursed be Canaan (Ham's descendants), a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren." And he further said: "Blessed ba the Lord God of Shem, and Canaan shall be his servant. God shall- enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem, and Canaan shall be his servant. " Now I can see nothing in- this curse but a life of ser- vitude, that the descendants of Ham (Canaan) should occupy a subordinate position to the descendants of his brothers, and there is no evidence in the scriptures that this curse extended any further than this. Some think, however, that some of the descendants of Ham were wholly transformed into another class of beings as different from the other descendants of this accursed man as day is from night. That this wonderful transmutation did not take place in Ham himself is evident from the fact that the Jebusites from whom David wrested Jerusalem, the 628 TR'AVELS IN EGYPT Amorites, Hitites and also the Arvadites and many other tribes of the Canaanites, were the direct descend- ants of this man Ham. There is no evidence among these tribes that the great and universal law of genera- tion, that is, " that like begets like, " was altered, changed or suspended by the curse pronounced against Ham. If Ham was the progenitor of one or more tribes of people differing in their physical and anatomical make- up with an entirely distinct and different cast, scope and power of intellectuality, differing in moral per- ceptions, moral responsibility, and in every imaginable particular ; transforming Ihem into a lower order of beings and implanting in them anew the law of hered- ity which keeps them with an unmistakable individual- ity and a distinct species and race, we have no account of it in sacred history. Again we know this law of heredity transmits the physical, intellectual and moral qualities, not only of parent and child and family, but it also determines and differentiates races, tribes and species. It was as impossible under the laws now governing this universe for Ham and his wife to have had one child black and one white as it is for an oak tree to produce acorns on one branch and chestnuts on another. It is strange that men will contend for such things. Then they say that climatic influence acting through the unnumbered centuries made a black man out of a white one. This, however, is a mere conjecture, strange indeed, if true, but most assuredly not true. God alone can altar these laws, and we have no record of his having done so in this instance. Header, take this for what you think it worth. I show you who the Arvadites were, and they AND THE HOLY LAND. occupied the country lying along this shore, and as we are so near their country I will tell you something more of this ancient people." This tribe, the Arvadians, built the town of Arvadus on a small island which lies just above Tripoli. " In the Persian period Arvadus is mentioned as the third of the towns in alliance with the Sidonians." Now this wonderful old historical book which lies open before me, I mean the bi ble, tells us that in the palmy days of old Tyre, whose navigators were masters of the ocean for more than twenty centuries, these ship-builders and bold navigators were Arvadians. It says the wise men of Tyre were her pilots. Ezekiel says : " They were skillful mariners and brave soldiers." This peo- ple were remarkable for their commercial enterprise. Their chief place of business, however, was not at Arvadus, but at Karne, a place about three miles to the north of Arvadus. Some of our company have gone on shore, but as the sea is rough, and my stomach informs me that I am slightly seasick, I conclude to remain on board the steamer, and will tell the reader about this Syrian town, Tripoli. A French author gives the following statistics of its inhabitants. He says : " There are eighteen hundred Moslems, four thousand eight hundred orthodox Greeks, twelve hundred Marionites, a few Catholics and a few Jews living here." It is said to be an unhealthy place; that the country back of it is extremely fertile and the market abundantly supplied with silk. In 1872 four hundred and twelve tons of cocoons were exported from here to France and other countries. From thir- teen to fourteen tons are annually woven here at this city. 630 TRAVELS IN EGYPT Tripoli has eleven soap factories. I hope they are not like the people of Nablaus (Shechem), who export all they manufacture. The sponge fishery is exten- sively carried on here. The planters are annually enlarging their acreage of tobacco land, and are begin- ing to export oranges and potatoes. I learn that many of their narrow streets are covered in as at Damascus and Jerusalem. The dancing dervishes have a mon- astery here. It may be of interest to the reader to know that in 1289, when the place was taken by one of the Sultans of Turkey, at which time many Franks perished and the place was nearly destroyed and much booty carried off, there were four thousand silk weaving looms worked at this place at that time. This shows that it has been a great silk producing country for many centuries. Laodicea lies just above Arvada on the coast. I see the sailors are weighing anchor and we are about to steam out of the harbor. Our route carries us just south of the island of Cyprus, after passing which we see no more land until we reach the island of Rhodes. But isn't there something about this island of Cyprus to interest us ? Yes, we read that during a time of persecution, when Stephen was stoned to death at Jerusalem, the disciples scattered abroad and some of them came here to Cyprus, and some went to Antioch, which was still further to the north and east. Antioch, you remember, was located on the Orontes, some distance from its mouth back in the interior, at which place there were both Jews and Greeks, to whom the apostles preached, and a great number, we are told, believed. AND THE HOLY LAND. 631 We further learn that Paul and Barnabas and Sim- eon, that was called Niger, and Lucius of Gyrene, and a disciple named Manaen, were all members of the church at Antioch. And the church was instructed by the Holy Ghost to separate Paul and Barnabas for the special work to which the Lord had called them. They did so. Saul and Barnabas then went to S'eleucia, which was located on the coast opposite Antioch, and from there they came to this island, which can now be seen off to our right. You know this was Barnabas' country, i. e., where he lived before he became a disciple of the Lord Jesus; his name then was Joses, meaning the " son of consola- tion." Salamis, where they preached in the syna- gogues of the Jews, was located on the east side of the island. They landed here and went through the length of the island to Paphos, which is located on the eastern part or end of the island of Cyprus. Here Paul met Sergius Paulus, a deputy, a sensible man who called for Saul and Barnabas and desired to hear of them the word of God. But there was there also a certain fel- low named Bar-jesus, a sorcerer like those Pharaoh (Meneptah) had in Egypt when Moses went down there. This fellow reminds me of some of the young men of the present age, who think it smart to be called " scep- tics " and who are always ready and anxious to tear down what wiser people are trying to build up. This fellow withstood Saul and Barnabas and sought to turn away Paulus from the faith. Saul set his eyes on him and said : " O full of subtlety and all mischief, tJiou child of the devil" Saul knew his parentage, you see. " Thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord ? " Then 632 TRAVELS IN EGYPT Saul told him the hand of the lord would be upon him and he should be blind and shouldn't see the sun for a season. If he couldn't see the sun he was totally blind. I guess when this fellow received his sight he was cured of his scepticism. I think that would have con- vinced, me that Saul was filled with the Holy Ghost and that Jesus, in whose name Paul did these wonder- ful things, was a divine personage. After leaving Tripoli we had a rough but not a boisterous sea. The next morning, however, it was more calm. My seasickness of the day before soon passed off and we are all merry. The second day out from Tripoli, about 10 A. M., we came alongside the island of Rhodes on our left. It will be remembered that here was erected the colossus, one of the wonders of the world for a long period. This island is about one hundred and thirty miles in circumference and is said to be one of the loveliest and most delightful little places anywhere to be found. Dr. Clark says: " Rhodes is a truly delightful spot. The air of the place is healthy and its gardens are filled with delicious fruit. Here, as at Cos, every gale is scented with the most powerful fragrance which is wafted from groves of orange and citron trees. Numerous aromatic herbs exhale at the same time such profuse odor that the whole atmosphere seems to be impregnated with a spicy perfume. 1 ' As before stated, Rhodes at the present time is noted for the colossus which was erected at the mouth of its inner and lesser harbor, three hundred years before the Christian era. This statue was made of brass by one Chares, a pupil of Lysippus. Chares was twelve years in making it. Its height was one hundred and five AND THE HOLY LAND. 633 feet, and cost over three hundred thousand dollars. It was erected with one foot on the land on each side of the small harbor, the feet being fty feet apart. That you may have some idea of its magnitude, it is said very few people could reach around the thumb of this statue with their arms. It is said the ships of that day entered the harbor between the legs of the statue. The colossus and part of the walls of the city of Khodes were thrown down by an earthquake fifty-six years after the colossus was erected. And it lay as it fell for nearly a thousand years. It was finally bought by a. Jew, who attempted to move it in pieces to Edessa. He loaded nine hundred camels, eight hundred pounds to the camel, which shows that the ruins of the colossus after deducting rust, and perhaps theft, weighed seven hundred and twenty thousand pounds. The colossus not only broke itself when it was shaken down, but it also broke the Jew who bought it a rare occurrence. I guess, how- ever, he had it insured. When Paul went from Troy to Jerusalem he sailed over the waters of the ^gean Sea, following about the same line of travel that we are now. He tells us that they went straight from Troas to Cos, and the day following into Khodes. This island to which we are coming on our right is the island of Cos, where Hyppocrates, the father of medicine, lived and first taught the principles of rational medicine. Hyppocrates lived from 460 to 370 B. C., in an age of ignorance, superstition and witchcraft. Medicine at that time was an art which was supposed to be most mysterious, and those who practiced it were 634 TRAVELS IN EGYPT supposed to hold communion with the world of spirits. Some people believe the same to-day. It is believed by some that certain individuals are given the power to call to earth the spirits of the departed dead. They call such mediums. I call them humbugs. Some few of them may be honestly deceived and believe that they can hold communication with the dead, but where you find one that is honest in believ- ing this you will find a dozen who know they are practicing a game of fraud and deception upon a too credulous public. In the time of Hyppocrates the "physician was a magician, and the magician a physician." Hyppocrates separated medicine from the popular yet false philosophy of the age and. brought it back into its proper channel, that of rational experience. The world at large knows very little of how much they are indebted to this man for the almost perfected science and^art of medicine as it exists to-day. He is called and deserves the title of the " sage of Cos." This island is about seventy-five miles in circumference, and is one of the many lovely isles of the ^Egean Sea. But here is one which for centuries has been an object of far more than ordinary interest, especially to the Christian world. Here is Patmos, where St. John was when he wrote the Apocalypse. AND THE HOLY LAND. CHAPTER XXV. PATHOS. A S we steam up the JEgean Sea we pass on our -L-^- left a small island, perhaps the most celebrated of all these lovely isles. At one period it is said to have had a volcano upon it. But now it is largely covered with gardens, vineyards and olive groves. The small plains on the sides and at the base of these vol- canic mountains are extremely productive. Patmos is now occupied in the main by fishermen. Some of the smaller of these Grecian islands are com- posed almost wholly of beds of salt. Others are of the finest marble. The noted Parian marble was from an island called Paros, one of the Cyclades, south of Delos. Patmos is said to be only eighteen miles in circum- ference, and now has some twenty -five hundred inhab- itants. It is made historic as being the place where St. John wrote the Apocalypse. It has been generally thought by theologians and believed by the masses, that St. John was banished to this island and while in exile wrote the Apocalypse. Tho tradition is that he was in Rome with St. Paul and St. Peter at the beginning of the persecution of the Christians, just after the burning of the city of Rome under Nero. The tradition says he was plunged into a cauldron of boiling oil at one of the gates of Rome, and so far from suffering, that he came out of the cauldron improved in physical condition and in 636 TRAVELS IN EGYPT appearance. I am growing old, but I don't propose taking a bath in boiling oil as a rejuvenator. It is then said he was banished to this island. Another story is, that an attempt was made to kill him by a poisoned chalice, but that " it was rendered harmless when he made over it the sign of the cross, and the poison fled from it in the form of a little asp. " Reader, since we come into this land of legends, fables and traditions, our credulity has been taxed to such an extent that if you are like myself you place but little reliance upon any account of supernatural appearances or events reaching you through these channels. The only scripture given us from which the inference could be drawn that St. John was upon the island of Patmos involuntarily, or as an exile, is what he him- self says in the 9th verse of the 1st chapter of Reve- lations, which reads as follows : " I, John, who am also your brother and companion in tribulation and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle which is called Patmos for the "Word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ." There is a period in the life of this beloved disciple that no reliable authorities give us any account of, as to where he lived or where he was. But one thing we do know, and that is, that he was on this island when he saw the vision which we find recorded in the last book of the New Testament. Wise men have for centuries endeavored to comprehend for themselves and for the enlightenment of others, the true intent and meaning of the Revelation. I am of the opinion that those to whom it was sent comprehended, and perhaps saw its accomplishment in the main, for John says at AND THE HOLY LAND. 637 the outset that the things therein shown him " must shortly come to pass." He also says " the time is at hand " for their fulfill- ment. Mr. Farar, who is acknowledged as standard authority, in his learned work on the " Early days of Christianity " expresses decidedly the opinion that St. John wrote the book of Revelations before he did his gospel and epistles, and that the revelation foretold the dreadful persecution which Christians would undergo in the dark days inaugurated by Nero after the burning of Rome, and that it also pictured in prophetic symbol the downfall and destruction of Jerusalem by Titus. But anyway John was a great man, a beloved disciple, and has told us enough outside of the Apocalypse if we will only conform our lives to it, and live as he tells us to live, and love as he tells us to love, to enable us not only to grow in the wisdom and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, but to take us home to a happier world beyond the grave in the not far distant bye-and-bye. It was a bright, pretty, sunny day when we steamed up the lovely archipelago. We had on board several hundred Greek Catholics, who were returning home from a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. These devout people gathered together on the deck of the steamer, and just as the bright rays of the morning sun came streaming over the mountains of Asia, they began their morning devotions. They prayed stand- ing. Their oft-repeated bows and crossings kept them in continual motion. This devotional exercise occupied about an hour, and was repeated three times a day. I was forcibly impressed with the religious devotion of these oriental people as compared with the Protestant religionists of our country. 638 TRAVELS IN EGYPT There are thousands of our people, professors of religion and non-professors, who can't find time, on account of pressure of business on the ' part of some, laziness on the part of others, and indifference and want of interest in religious matters on the part of yet others,, to devote even an hour on the Sabbath to the worship of Almighty God. These oriental people devote from four to six hours of the twenty-four to their religious worship. Who shall say that God does not hear and answer their prayers, or that they do not "go down to their houses justified rather than the other ? " We are now passing between two islands, Samos, on the right, and Mkaria on the left. Samos is a short distance from the mainland, nearly opposite Ephesus. When St. Paul sailed from Ephesus on his way to Jeru- salem he sailed between the island Samos and the mainland. But, as it is our intention to visit Ephesus "by rail from Smyrna, we leave this little island to our right. Samos was the home of Pythagoras, who, we learn, discovered, among other theorems in geometry, the 47th problem of Euclid; that is, "that the square of the side which subtends a right angle is equal to s the sum of the squares that contain the right angle. " Pythagoras was a philosopher, ancl was also well- versed in mathematics, geometry, and the arts and sciences in general. Eusebius says he died in 466 B. C. Pythagoras, having procured recommendations from Polvcrates, the king or emperor of the island of Samos, to Amasis, king of Egypt, visited that then enlightened country to add to his store of knowledge by being initiated into the secret orders of the Egyptian priest- AKD THE HOLY LAND. 639 hood. He found this no easy matter, however ; not- withstanding he went to Heliopolis, the city of the sun, with authority to the priests to admit him from King Amasis himself. The college of priests of JEEeli- opolis referred him to the college of Memphis, under the pretense of its being an older college. This college, under the same pretense, sent him to Thebes. The Theban priests required of him many severe and troublesome ceremonies, among which was that of circumcision, hoping thereby to discourage him from prosecuting his design. His patient and quiet submission to all their require- ments, however, finally won their confidence and esteem, and they admitted him to their hidden mys- teries. Pythagoras remained in Egypt twenty-two years. When he returned he founded a school at Crotona, in Italy. He bound his disciples under oath to receive his doctrines, and under no circumstances or induce- ments whatever were they to be divulged or to go beyond the sect. This Pythagorian college at Crotona had a member- ship of six hundred. After initiation and a certain amount of training they were made to study geometry and the laws governing the universe, the primary principles of creation and the evidences of the existence of a god. We are further told that Pythagoras taught after the Egyptian manner, by images and symbols, which were unintelligible or exceedingly obscure to those who were not initiated into the mysteries of the school. It would appear from all this that this learned man found in the wisdom of the Egyptians something nearer akin to Free Masonry than can be found among the howling dervishes of Palestime. 640 TRAVELS IN EGYPT Pythagoras is said to have been a master mason. We know enough of him to know that he was one of the learned men of the age in which he lived, and like Moses, Plato and other illustrious characters, he gathered much of his wisdom and knowledge in the land of the Pharaohs. No man can look at the pyra- mids, the temples, the obelisks, the mastabas, and other works of the craftsmen which we find in Egypt, executed before the days of steel-made tools, without feeling a degree of wonder and admiration for the artistic skill and architectural knowledge displayed by those ancient masons. A skill unequaled even in the civilized world to-day. Among these islands and over tnese lovely waters, eighteen hundred years ago, SS. Paul and John were accustomed to make voyages, visiting the various churches which were scattered along the Syrian and Asiatic coasts. Can the narrative given us in the New Testament b3 a fable, " a tale that is told " ? If so, why do I find, everywhere I go, God's witnesses to its truth. Witnesses which will endure long after the earthly remains of such cavilers have been consumed by worms and returned to dust. When we went on deck this morning we found our steamer anchored at Chios. We are told in the scrip- tures that after leaving Troas, St. Paul sailed by this island and landed at Samos and tarried at Trogyllium, and the next dav went on to Melitus. which is on the southern shore of the bay, and at the time St. Paul was there it was an important city. It lay to our right when opposite Patmos.' We are told that he avoided Ephesus, as he was in a hurry to reach. Jerusalem so as to be there on the day of Pentecost. AND THE HOLY LAND 641 Reader, you will see we are traveling over the same route which St. Paul traveled in going to Jerusalem. He was going to Jerusalem, and we are coining from the Holy City. Leaving Chios, we soon entered the bay of Smyrna, which place we reached about noon. Smyrna is located very much like Naples, i.