UlJi'J
 
 , Glimpses of Palestine 
 and Egypt 
 
 REV. DAVID S. WARNER, A. M. 
 
 Editor Light and Life Series of 
 Sunday School Periodicals 
 
 ^ 
 
 Chicago: 
 
 132 Washington Boulevard 
 
 W. B. ROSE. Agent 
 
 1914 
 
 f" 
 
 f\
 
 Copyright, 1914 
 
 BY 
 
 W. B. ROSE
 
 TO 
 THE MANY SUNDAY-SCHOOLS 
 
 THAT MADE THE TOUE DESCRIBED HEREIN 
 
 POSSIBLE THIS BOOK IS GEATEFUIXY 
 
 DEDICATED
 
 FOREWORD 
 
 The following sketch has been written for the 
 benefit of those who have not seen the Holy Land. 
 Many who had read the sketches that were pre- 
 pared for periodicals have made the request that 
 the account of this journey be put in permanent 
 form. In answer to that request and for the per- 
 sonal pleasure of the author this book has been 
 written. 
 
 The attempt has been made to describe simply 
 and naturally the things that were seen during 
 this tour. Many books have been written descrip- 
 tive of Palestine, and it might seem as if there 
 were no call for another; but the subject is so 
 great and of such absorbing interest that there is 
 still room for others. 
 
 There were twenty-six of us in the company 
 who made a tour including portions of northern 
 Africa, Palestine and Europe. There were five 
 from California, Rev. Monroe Drew, J. W. George 
 and wife, and H. S. Miller and wife; five from 
 Pennsylvania, H. H. Suavely and wife, Kate F. 
 
 7
 
 FOREWOKD 
 
 Mellinger, Anna Ranck and Rev. J. M. Kistler; 
 four from Illinois, Jerome Lawson and wife, J. C. 
 Peck and the writer; three from Kansas, J. E. 
 Baker, Rev. G. E. Lyon and Rev. C. E. Rash ; three 
 from Minnesota, G. W. Andrick and wife and Dr. 
 Robert Ramsay; Professor J. S. Luckey, from 
 New York ; Mary Pemberton, from Virginia ; Rev. 
 Percy Pemberton, from New Jersey; Rev. S. M. 
 Yancey, from Arkansas ; Rev. A. A. McLean, from 
 North Carolina; and Rev. H. B. Cooper, from 
 Ohio. My close traveling companion was Profes- 
 sor J. S. Luckey, to whom I am indebted for much 
 of the profitableness and pleasure of the trip. 
 
 This unpretentious volume is sent forth with 
 the hope that many will become more interested in 
 the study of the Bible, and that its history and 
 teachings will become clearer and more impressive 
 by the light which this book may throw upon them. 
 
 David S. Warner.
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 Page 
 
 I. — On the Atlantic 15 
 
 II. — From Gibraltar to Greece.... 21 
 
 III. — Glimpses of Greece 30 
 
 IV. — From Athens to Jaffa 37 
 
 V. — Physical Features of Palestine 46 
 
 VI. — From Jaffa to Jerusalem 52 
 
 VII. — A View of Jerusalem 59 
 
 VIII. — The Temple Site 63 
 
 IX. — The Tomb of Christ 70 
 
 X. — The Jews' Wailing Place 76 
 
 XI. — A Donkey Kide 82 
 
 XII. — The Mount of Olives 87 
 
 XIII. — A Visit to Bethlehem 92 
 
 XIV. — Over the Jericho Eoad 98 
 
 XV. — In the Jordan Valley 104 
 
 XVI. — Bethany 109 
 
 XVII. — Some Jerusalem Pools 113 
 
 XVIII. — Some Jerusalem Traditions... 118 
 
 XIX. — Shopping in Jerusalem 124 
 
 XX. — Christianizing Jerusalem 130 
 
 XXI. — From Jerusalem to Shechem . . 136 
 9
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 XXII. — From Shechem to Nazareth.. 146 
 
 XXIII. — Glimpses op Nazareth 156 
 
 XXIV. — From Nazareth to Tiberias . . . 162 
 
 XXV. — At the Sea of Galilee 167 
 
 XXVI. — From Galilee to Carmel 178 
 
 XXVII. — Haifa and Mount Carmel 183 
 
 XXVIII.— From Canaan to Egypt 190 
 
 XXIX. — The Land of the Nile 196 
 
 XXX.— A Moslem Stronghold 202 
 
 XXXI.— The Child in Egypt 209 
 
 XXXII. — A Trip to the Pyramids 214 
 
 XXXIII. — Lasting Impressions 220 
 
 10
 
 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 The Jordan Kiver Frontispiece 
 
 Facing Page 
 
 Mars Hill^ Athens 34 
 
 An Athens Street Sprinkler 34 
 
 On the Koof of Simon's House 42 
 
 Street Scene in Jaffa 44 
 
 Plowing in Palestine 54 
 
 Hauling Grain from the Field 54 
 
 East Part of Jerusalem and the Mount 
 
 of Olives 62 
 
 North Part of Jerusalem '62 
 
 Entrance to the Church of the Holy 
 
 Sepulcher 70 
 
 Garden Tomb, Gordon's Calvary 70 
 
 Jews' Wailing Place 78 
 
 A Party Making Tour About the Walls . . 78 
 
 Gethsemane^ Eoman -88 
 
 Traditional Place Where the Disciples 
 
 Watched 88 
 
 Kachel's Tomb 94 
 
 Church of the Nativity 94 
 
 Samaritan Inn 102 
 
 11
 
 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 Jericho 102 
 
 Tomb of Lazarus 112 
 
 Solomon's Pools 112 
 
 Jacob's Well 140 
 
 Samaritan High Priest and Scroll 144 
 
 Ruins of Gates, Hill of Samaria 148 
 
 Ruins of Temple, Hill of Samaria 148 
 
 Colonnades, Hill of Samaria 154 
 
 Women Carrying Fuel 154 
 
 Mary's Well, Nazareth 158 
 
 Street Leading from Mary's Well 158 
 
 Nazareth from Hill on the North 160 
 
 Tiberias and the Sea of Galilee 160 
 
 Sea of Galilee 178 
 
 A Bedouin's Tent 178 
 
 Mount Carmel from the Sea 186 
 
 Mount Carmel from the South 186 
 
 Unloading Cattle from Steamer 192 
 
 Plowing in Egypt 192 
 
 Egyptian Mode of Drawing Water 198 
 
 Cairo from Citadel 202 
 
 Cairo Water Carrier 202 
 
 Obelisk at Heliopolis 212 
 
 The Nile 214 
 
 Tourist on Camel 214 
 
 Pyramid 218 
 
 12
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE 
 AND EGYPT
 
 ON THE ATLANTIC 
 
 At last the desire I had cherished for many 
 years was about to be fulfilled. I was actually 
 on board an ocean steamer and on my way to 
 Palestine. On May 14, 1913, I went on board the 
 steamship Kaiser Franz Josef I, which sailed at 
 four in the afternoon from New York, bound for 
 Trieste, Austria, stopping at Algiers, Naples, 
 Patras and Venice. It is the largest boat of the 
 Austro- American line, being five hundred feet 
 long, sixty-two feet wide and eighty-three feet 
 high. Its displacement is 16,500 tons and will 
 carry a load of 12,500 tons. It was only a year 
 and a half old and was well finished and equipped. 
 It was kept scrupulously clean, and the service 
 was excellent. 
 
 The boat was manned by Austrians, and as 
 I stepped on board and was conducted to my 
 stateroom, I realized some difficulty in making 
 myself understood. I seemed to be the foreigner, 
 
 15
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 but, as the attendants for the most part under- 
 stood German and a little English, I was able to 
 get along. The stewards, as the waiters and at- 
 tendants are called, were mostly young men and 
 boys. There was one boy that appeared to be not 
 more than ten years of age, who was acting as a 
 steward; but was mainly employed in waiting 
 upon the chief steward. He was dressed in the 
 regulation steward's uniform, wearing long 
 trousers, and looked odd enough. 
 
 There were about one thousand eight hundred 
 persons on board. The crew consisted of four 
 hundred thirteen persons. There were over a hun- 
 dred first-class passengers, three hundred second- 
 class, and about a thousand steerage passengers. 
 The cost of passage, including board and berth, 
 was from twenty-nine dollars for steerage to 
 ninety dollars or more for first class. 
 
 Two tugs towed our steamer away from the 
 dock, and as we left, friends bade their departing 
 loved ones good-by over and over again, until we 
 had gone too far to distinguish faces or voices. 
 We passed out into the great Atlantic. It was 
 only a little while until we were out of sight of 
 land, and we began to realize that our home land 
 was left behind and we were on the high seas. 
 
 16
 
 ON THE ATLANTIC 
 
 There were several decks with stairs leading 
 from one to another, as in a house. There were 
 two promenade decks around the edge of the 
 steamer, protected by a railing about four feet 
 high. The staterooms, or sleeping-rooms, were 
 of different sizes and accommodated from one 
 to four persons each. In the steerage there was 
 a great sleeping-room for the men and one for the 
 women. 
 
 Hundreds of tons of water were taken on 
 board in New York, to furnish the passengers and 
 crew with water to drink and to wash in. Sea 
 water was used for the bath-tubs. More than two 
 hundred tons of coal were burned each day. The 
 ship was lighted by electricity. There was a heat- 
 ing and ventilating system by which hot or cold 
 air, according to the outside temperature, was 
 forced into each room. We had breakfast at eight 
 o'clock, lunch at half past twelve and dinner at 
 eight. As we traveled eastward about four hun- 
 dred miles a day, our time was set ahead thirty- 
 five minutes each day to keep up with sun time. 
 The sea was not very rough on the Atlantic 
 with the exception of one day. On Saturday, May 
 17, it was high and the boat rolled considerably. 
 It was a grand sight to see the great waves roll 
 
 17
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 and break. I was much impressed with the scene, 
 which was wholly new to me. It was interestino 
 to walk when the boat was rocking and lurching. 
 The deck seemed to come up to meet the foot or 
 to dodge downward or sidewise to elude the step. 
 Even with a light sea several passengers were sea- 
 sick, and when Saturday came, the dining-room 
 was not very generously patronized. I was fa- 
 vored with freedom from sickness and was able to 
 enjoy the entire voyage. 
 
 To me the view of the ocean from the steamer 
 was most attractive. If it had not been necessary 
 for me to read or write, I should have spent more 
 time on deck watching the waves. When it is 
 cloudy, the water is a very dark blue, and when 
 the sun shines upon the water, it varies from an 
 ashen gray to a beautiful blue, — almost an azure 
 blue, — according to the angle from which one 
 views it. We saw little life outside the ship. 
 But one steamer was seen and one sail-boat until 
 we neared the coast of Spain. A few flying-fish 
 were seen and several sea-gulls and stormy petrels. 
 
 One night some of us had a rather amusing 
 
 experience. Along between one and two o'clock 
 
 I was awakened by spatters of water, and soon 
 
 streams of it were pouring upon my bed. We 
 
 18
 
 ON THE ATLANTIC 
 
 called a steward as quickly as possible, but it 
 was several minutes before one appeared, and 
 several more before the flow was stopped. A 
 faucet had been left open on the deck above, and 
 the tub overflowed and the water found an open- 
 ing into our room. The berth below mine was 
 affected, but not so seriously as mine. The only 
 harm done was in the loss of sleep. We were 
 soon fixed up with dry beds. 
 
 I must describe one Sunday on board ship. We 
 had Sunday-school, or at least a study of the les- 
 son for the day. I was appointed to lead. This 
 exercise was followed by a preaching service. In 
 the afternoon our tour party held a deck meeting 
 among the steerage passengers. Although they 
 were foreigners, many of them understood Eng- 
 lish and nearly all were very respectful and atten- 
 tive. There was preaching again in the evening. 
 
 On Monday we came in sight of one of the 
 Azores group of islands. It was a welcome sight 
 to us who had not seen land for five days. Late 
 in the evening we saw another island by moon- 
 light. The reflection of the moonlight upon the 
 ocean waves and the island made the scene an in- 
 spiring one. The Azores stretch a distance of 
 three hundred miles from east to west. The one 
 
 19
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 nearest the European coast is eight hundred miles 
 away. There are nine islands in the group, in- 
 habited by 250,000 people. These islands have a 
 semi-tropical climate and produce much fruit. 
 They belong to Portugal. 
 
 20
 
 II 
 
 FKOM GIBRALTAR TO GREECE 
 
 The sight of Gibraltar was eagerly greeted by 
 the passengers on the steamer. Most of us had 
 never seen this great rock. The wind was blow- 
 ing a gale and it seemed as if we were not going 
 to be able to enjoy the long-anticipated view, but 
 the wind went down and the sea became quiet as 
 we entered the Strait of Gibraltar. The distance 
 between Europe and Africa is only about ten 
 miles at the narrowest part of the strait. 
 
 The course of the steamer was close to Gibral- 
 tar, perhaps a mile from the southern point. With 
 our field-glasses we could see the different parts 
 of the great natural fortification. I took some 
 pictures just before we came opposite it. I was 
 not the only one, for there was a fine array of 
 cameras pointed toward Gibraltar as we passed 
 by. The sun was shining on the west side of the 
 rock and this gave us a good opportunity to take 
 the pictures. 
 
 21
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 Gibraltar has long been an English fortifica- 
 tion, although it is naturally a part of Spain. At 
 a distance it looks like an island, but as one comes 
 near, the low plain connecting it with the main- 
 land is seen. The rock is one thousand feet high 
 and about two miles long. It is honeycombed 
 with chambers in which are placed the most pow- 
 erful guns of modern times. A garrison of six 
 thousand men is stationed here, and the popula- 
 tion of the town is fifteen thousand. A single 
 cannon is to be seen by those who pass by and it 
 is mounted on the very top of the fortress in full 
 view. The others are concealed within the mas- 
 sive rock. 
 
 The rock stands for solidity. We sometimes 
 hear the expression, "As firm as Gibraltar." It 
 would seem impossible for any enemy to capture 
 this stronghold, even with the modern machinery 
 of war. The English are not wholly agreed as to 
 the advisability of retaining Gibraltar. There are 
 many who for two reasons would give it over to 
 Spain. They consider it as a natural possession 
 of that country. As a second reason, they think 
 it is not of sufficient importance to justify the 
 expenditure of the large sum necessary to main- 
 tain it as a stronghold. 
 
 22
 
 FROM GIBRALTAR TO GREECE 
 
 We watched the great fortress until we had 
 sailed so far that we could get no further satis- 
 faction in trying to see it. It was hard for us to 
 realize that we had passed out of the Atlantic 
 into the great Mediterranean of which we had 
 read much in geography and history, and with 
 which much of Bible history is connected. At the 
 opposite end from Gibraltar lies the land toward 
 which we were going. 
 
 It was Thursday afternoon when we passed 
 Gibraltar and on Friday afternoon we drew into 
 the Bay of Algiers. Our party of twenty-six went 
 at once to the Algiers Mission Band home, where 
 the representatives of the different missions were 
 gathered to greet us. Pictures and charts were 
 hung about the walls to show what the missions 
 were doing and what the needs were. 
 
 Miss Trotter, the superintendent of the mis- 
 sion, told us that there were 650,000 boys between 
 the ages of five and twelve years in Algeria alone 
 who were without any Christian instruction. 
 From this mission we went to a mission kinder- 
 garten, where a few Arab boys were painting 
 scripture texts under the instruction of a native 
 Christian. They were allowed to paint the texts 
 and then were required to commit tbem to mem- 
 28
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 ory. In this way they were receiving a little 
 knowledge of God's word. We saw a few native 
 Christians who were willing to be greatly perse- 
 cuted for renouncing Mohammedanism. At this 
 mission we saw a negro Christian from Timbuctu. 
 A noticeable thing about him was his height. He 
 was six feet ten inches tall. He had been in 
 America. I think he was the biggest Christian 
 I ever saw. 
 
 We called at the French Wesleyan mission 
 where many schoolboys were singing Christian 
 songs. They sang heartily and beautifully. It 
 can not be told how much good earnest, devoted 
 missionaries are doing in bringing the light of the 
 gospel to this darkened people. 
 
 We saw a native woman preparing food in 
 the native way at one of the missions. She had 
 a large cloth spread upon the floor, and on this 
 she had the materials of which she was making 
 the native foods. 
 
 A throng of boys and girls surrounded us at 
 times begging for a little money. A baby two or 
 three years old ran out in the street by our car- 
 riage as we passed and begged for a penny. A 
 little girl ran after us for a mile or more, until 
 some one in the party gave her a small coin. A 
 
 24
 
 FKOM GIBRALTAR TO GREECE 
 
 blind boy, led by his sister, ran recklessly after our 
 company begging for money. We made our way 
 through the steep and narrow streets of the Arab 
 quarter. Articles of food, fruits, vegetables, 
 bread, cakes and meats, were exposed for sale 
 along the sides of these filthy streets. Meat was 
 piled on papers spread upon the pavement. I 
 was thankful for the gospel and what it has 
 brought to the world. What we saw in Algiers 
 is only a faint picture of what exists in other 
 parts of the Mohammedan world. 
 
 Distances are not small on the Mediterranean. 
 After our steamer, the Kaiser Franz Josef I, had 
 taken on coal at Algiers, we were off on a six- 
 hundred-mile run to Naples, Italy. The sea was 
 sometimes rough, and on this trip a few of the 
 passengers were seasick. 
 
 The steamer is almost a little world in itself. 
 Even if there is no land in sight, there is much to 
 interest the passenger who is making his first 
 ocean voyage. The bow of the steamer is given 
 over to the steerage passengers. During the day 
 this deck presents an almost endless variety of 
 scenes. Groups of men, women and children are 
 to be seen, walking, sitting and lounging about. 
 Many of them had their food brought from below
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 and ate on the deck, rather than in the dining- 
 room. 
 
 Many nationalities were represented in this 
 class of passengers. One day they had a pastime 
 in which several men and boys tried to climb a 
 greased rope stretched firmly in an upright posi 
 tion. One or two succeeded in climbing high 
 enough to get some of the provisions that were 
 suspended high above them. The climbers had 
 rags and sand in their pockets, which they used 
 on the rope to keep them from slipping. 
 
 There was sorrow on our steamer among the 
 different classes of passengers. There were two 
 deaths among the steerage. Two persons, a lady 
 and a baby, who were sick with tuberculosis, died 
 and were buried at sea. An aged Greek among the 
 second-class passengers, who had been sent by his 
 friends on the voyage for his health, jumped over- 
 board near Naples and was drowned. There was 
 great excitement among the passengers when the 
 cry was heard, ''A man overboard I" A life-buoy 
 was thrown out and a life-boat was made ready. 
 The steamer circled about the place for an hour, 
 but no trace of the body could be seen, and we 
 proceeded on our way. It was learned that he 
 was broken down nervously and mentally unbal- 
 26
 
 FKOM GIBRALTAR TO GREECE 
 
 anced. A lady among the first-class passengers 
 was taken ill and died, and was buried at sea. Out 
 of the eighteen hundred persons on board the 
 steamer four died during the twelve days between 
 New York and Patras. 
 
 Between Algiers and Naples we passed in sight 
 of the island of Sardinia. As usual the passen- 
 gers were eager to catch sight of land. When 
 tourists are traveling on land, they are eager to 
 see water; and when traveling on the sea, they 
 are eager to sight land. 
 
 The afternoon before the steamer reached 
 Naples was a busy one on the forward deck, for 
 there were about five hundred passengers to leave 
 the boat at that place. The hoisting machines 
 were kept working at lifting baggage and freight 
 from the hold, or lower part of the ship, ready to 
 be put off upon reaching the city. 
 
 Before arriving at Naples, I looked with much 
 interest at the place on the Italian shore, Puteoli, 
 where Paul disembarked on his way to Rome, as 
 a prisoner, and proceeded toward the city on foot. 
 The very thought, that I passed that morning over 
 the place where Paul had been, caused me to feel 
 that in a sense the spot was sacred. 
 The steamer here took on coal. Barges loaded 
 
 27
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 with coal were made fast alongside the ship, and 
 men carried the coal on their backs in flexible, 
 woven baskets. They were so numerous and so 
 active that they reminded one of a swarm of bees 
 about the hive on a summer's day. 
 
 In passing in and out of the Bay of Naples 
 we were in plain sight of Vesuvius, about which 
 we had read and heard much. It appeared entire- 
 ly at rest and gave little intimation that it was 
 ever an active volcano and had been the cause of 
 untold loss of life and property. 
 
 About midnight of this day our ship passed 
 within sight of the volcano Stroraboli on the 
 island of that name, and I arose to see it. Smoke 
 was seen issuing from it and occasionally flames 
 shot up from it. The moon arose and the com- 
 bined scene of land and water was truly beauti- 
 ful. I retired to arise again in a few hours to see 
 the Strait of Messina, where the steamer was to 
 pass between the dreaded Scylla and Charybdis 
 of the ancients, one on the shore of Italy and the 
 other on the island of Sicily. Through this strait 
 the water rushes at times and forms an eddy, or 
 whirlpool, which is dangerous to navigation for 
 small boats. The streets of Messina and other 
 cities lining the shores on either side of the strait 
 28
 
 FEOM GIBRALTAE TO GREECE 
 
 were beautifully illuminated, and the moonlight 
 upon the waters and upon the mountains made the 
 sight altogether worth the effort necessary to see 
 it. Mount Etna was visible in the distance. 
 
 The steamer's course lay around the toe of 
 Italy across the Adriatic Sea. As we approached 
 the shore of Greece we came in sight of the islands 
 of Cephalonia and Zante. On May 26, at eleven 
 o'clock at night, I first touched European soil. 
 It was at Patras, Greece, on the Gulf of Patras. 
 I was in the land where modern Greek, the suc- 
 cessor of the language that I had labored hard 
 to learn to read, was spoken apparently without 
 an effort. 
 
 29
 
 Ill 
 
 GLIMPSES OF GREECE 
 
 After a night's rest at Patras we took the train 
 for Corinth and Athens. To an American the two 
 little locomotives that drew our train, and the 
 small railway carriages, divided into compart- 
 ments with doors opening on the sides, were ob- 
 jects of curiosity. The route lay along the Gulf 
 of Patras and the Gulf of Corinth. On either side 
 mountains arose, and I saw very clearly that what 
 I had read about the mountainous surface of 
 Greece was true. 
 
 I could see snow-crowned Parnassus in the dis- 
 tance and close by us were lemon, fig, olive and 
 mulberry trees with fruit upon them. Goats were 
 seen almost everywhere and I saw many donkeys 
 used as pack animals. Work is still being done 
 in primitive style. Grain is cut by men and wo- 
 men with sickles, bound into bundles and laid on 
 the ground, and then carried on the backs of 
 donkeys and horses to outdoor thrashing-floors, 
 
 30
 
 GLIMPSES OF GREECE 
 
 where it is trodden by donkeys and winnowed by 
 being tossed into the air for the wind to carry the 
 chaff away. Every available spot in the valleys 
 and upon the mountainsides is carefully tilled. 
 Much attention is given to irrigation. 
 
 Shortly after noon our train passed by the old 
 Corinth, where Paul preached for a year and a 
 half. Nothing is left of the old city and the place 
 is marked only by a few huts of recent years. I 
 had a view of the Acropolis of Corinth. The 
 train stopped at the new Corinth, a mile east, 
 that the passengers might have lunch. 
 
 Every mile of the journe}' across Greece was 
 full of interest to me. Occasionally a woman 
 could be seen sitting at her door or walking along 
 the road spinning with her distaff. It was amus- 
 ing to me to see donkeys loaded with small bar- 
 rels. Pack-saddles are used, upon which are 
 fastened the articles to be carried, and these must 
 be evenly balanced on the two sides. It is aston- 
 ishing to see the loads which these little donkeys 
 can carry. 
 
 The people through the country appear frank, 
 
 sturdy, industrious and friendly. The rugged, 
 
 ragged nature of the country seems to have placed 
 
 a stamp upon the inhabitants. Men wearing the 
 
 31
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 national costume of Greece were occasionally 
 seen. This costume consists of tight breeches and 
 white kilts coming a little below the hips. When 
 in Corinth I had a good view of the canal that con- 
 nects the Gulf of Corinth with the Ionian Sea. 
 At the place where the railway crosses the canal, 
 the level of the latter is about one hundred feet 
 below the railway. 
 
 I knew, and yet it was hard to realize, that I 
 was in the land made famous for its great men — 
 its poets, philosophers, orators, historians, war- 
 riors, painters and sculptors. The land seemed to 
 me too mountainous and, in places, too barren to 
 sustain a large population, and yet it has been 
 the home of a great, liberty-loving people, and the 
 home of a great civilization. It is still the home 
 of a patriotic race. On the railway trip across 
 Greece the train stopped at every village, and they 
 were many, and I saw soldiers all along the route. 
 The fighting in connection with the recent war 
 with Turkey was not entirely over. I took oc- 
 casion to speak to many soldiers and found a 
 large number who had been in America and could 
 speak English. A soldier in Athens told me that 
 sixty-five thousand Greeks had returned to their 
 country from America to take their stand in de- 
 32
 
 GLIMPSES OF GEEECE 
 
 fense of Greece in the war. I found that they in- 
 tended to return to America when the war was 
 over. 
 
 Soon after the train drew out of Corinth 
 toward Athens, we came in sight of the Ionian 
 Sea and passed not far from the Gulf of Salamis. 
 where the great battle was fought between the 
 Greeks and Persians in the year 490 B. C. Soon 
 Athens was in sight and the Acropolis was plain- 
 ly seen. The ride from Patras to Athens was one 
 of the most interesting of my life, but I was thor- 
 oughly tired at night. A good night's rest, how- 
 ever, fitted me for the pleasure of a full day of 
 sight-seeing in one of the world's most historic 
 cities. 
 
 Here is a mingling of the most ancient civili- 
 zation and the modern. A group of us visited the 
 National Museum, where are preserved many an- 
 cient pieces of statuary and other remains of an- 
 cient art. We visited the University of Athens 
 and later in the day visited the ruins of the Gre- 
 cian and the Eoman market-places, the temple of 
 Theseus, the gate of Hadrian and the temple of 
 Jupiter. 
 
 Not far from the Acropolis and a little north- 
 west of it is the Areopagus, or Mars Hill. As T 
 
 33
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 ascended the steps leading to the summit of this 
 rocky hill, I was deeply moved by the thought that 
 here more than eighteen centuries ago Paul 
 preached to the people of Athens. One of our 
 company read to us Paul's address as recorded in 
 Acts 18. I looked around upon the hill, which is 
 now bare, to try to find the exact spot where Paul 
 stood, but that was impossible. I looked over the 
 city, as it is likely Paul did when he was there. T 
 took several pictures of Mars Hill, for it was to 
 me the place of greatest interest in Athens, al- 
 though I was much interested in other historic 
 places. A little group of us returned to this hill 
 the next morning and looked about again and had 
 prayer there. 
 
 The Acropolis stands a hundred fifty feet 
 above the level of Athens and five hundred feet 
 above sea level. Around it are massive and inter- 
 esting ruins. It is a natural stronghold, as its 
 sides are all steep. The top contains about ten 
 acres. This space is covered with the ruins of 
 ancient magnificence, some of them dating back 
 to the Pelasgi, 1400 B. C. The principal ruins are 
 those of the Parthenon, the temple of Wingless 
 Victory and the Erechtheum. The Greeks thought 
 that by erecting a temple for the worship of the 
 
 34
 
 MARS mix, ATHENS 
 
 AN ATHENS STREET SPRINKLER
 
 GLIMPSES OF GEEECE 
 
 goddess of Victory and representing her as with- 
 out wings, she could not fly away and would re- 
 main with them. 
 
 The I'arthenon was the most important struc- 
 ture on the Acropolis. It was surrounded by 
 forty-six columns about thirty feet high and six 
 feet in diameter. These buildings were erected 
 for the worship of pagan gods. Untold wealth 
 and labor were expended in these structures. It 
 is not at all unnatural that Paul should preach 
 to the men of Athens about their idolatry. 
 
 In the Athens of to-day is a population of two 
 hundred ten thousand and many splendid build- 
 ings. Some of the customs and methods are prim- 
 itive. Flocks of goats are still brought in through 
 the streets in the evening and led out in the morn- 
 ing for pasture. One morning I saw a milk pedler 
 who carried the milk in cans on a donkey's back 
 and he, too, was riding the donkey. I saw the 
 street sprinklers in operation. A tank was car- 
 ried on a two-wheeled cart, which was drawn by 
 a donkey led or driven by a boy. To an American 
 this system of sprinkling streets seems almost lu- 
 dicrous, but not so much so as a system I saw 
 later in another place, where a man sprinkled the 
 street from a goatskin filled with water and car- 
 
 35
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 ried on his back. The boy who was managing the 
 sprinkling outfit had a bundle of oats on his cart. 
 Instead of stopping to feed his donkey, he took a 
 handful of the grain and walked at his head and 
 let the animal eat as he was going along about his 
 work. That was a very common sight in the city. 
 To an American the sublime and the ridicu- 
 lous seem to meet in Athens.
 
 IV 
 
 FEOM ATHENS TO JAFFA 
 
 My stay in Athens from Tuesday evening to 
 Thursday afternoon (May 27-29) was rather short 
 to see the wonders of this historic city, yet I had 
 time to visit the places of the greatest importance, 
 and was well satisfied to move onward toward 
 Palestine. 
 
 Athens is not on the sea. Its seaport town is 
 Piraeus, five miles away. The carriage ride to the 
 wharf was along a splendid road through a fine 
 section of country. Pirajus is a busy little town 
 and is an important shipping point. About a 
 hundred steamers lay in the harbor, and among 
 them were three gunboats. 
 
 Our company took passage on the steamship 
 Osmanieh, of the Khedivial Mail line, bound for 
 Alexandria, Egypt, which lies five hundred ten 
 miles to the southeast. This steamer is much 
 smaller than the one on which we sailed from New 
 York to Patras, but we found it very comfortable. 
 37
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 Early on the second day we passed the eastern 
 end of the island of Crete. We were again cross- 
 ing the path of the apostle Paul, for we read of 
 his sailing south of Crete on his way to Kome 
 as a prisoner. 
 
 May 30 was not allowed to pass without some 
 recognition of Decoration day by the party of 
 twenty-six Americans on board ship. In the eve- 
 ning they gathered in the music room and sang 
 patriotic songs. Then followed prayer, an ad- 
 dress by one of the party and more songs. The 
 next morning we arrived at Alexandria, where 
 we had to take another steamer for our destina- 
 tion. 
 
 As we had several hours here, we spent the 
 time in looking about the city. Alexandria has 
 a population of 400,000, and is one of the most 
 important seaports of Africa. The inhabitants 
 are mostly Mohammedans. We were shown Pom- 
 pey's Pillar, a red stone shaft nearly one hundred 
 feet in height and ten feet in diameter. Our 
 drive through the city took us through the poorer 
 sections, as well as through some of the richest. 
 There is great wealth here, as well as great poverty. 
 
 It was interesting to me to note the great num« 
 ber of small shops, or stores, as we call them. In 
 38
 
 FROM ATHENS TO JAFFA 
 
 one section is a succession of drygoods shops and 
 joining this is a section where there are many 
 provision shops; then would be seen a succession 
 of shops for the manufacture and sale of orna- 
 ments. 
 
 Street pedlers were numerous, selling fruits, 
 vegetables, bread and cakes. Almost all were far 
 from clean. There were many men engaged in 
 selling drinking water and lemonade. They carried 
 large bottles and clanked brass rings or dishes 
 together to call attention to their stock. 
 
 A great variety of costumes is seen. In some 
 parts of the city most of the men wear the robe 
 or long cloak reaching nearly to the feet. Many 
 wear an ordinary coat over this night-robe sort 
 of garment. Many among the people, both men 
 and women, go barefooted. Others wear slippers 
 that cover the toes and front of the feet with 
 nothing at the heel to hold the slippers in place. 
 Some wear sandals with simply a strap over the 
 toes. In some parts of the city the men wear 
 European clothes. 
 
 We proceeded from Alexandria on the steamer 
 Prince Abbas, which was still smaller than the 
 Osmanieh, but, as the sea was smooth, the voy- 
 age was pleasant. We lay in the harbor at Port 
 39
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 Said nearly all day for the unloading and load- 
 ing of freight. A short distance from us a steamer 
 was being coaled. The coal was carried up steep 
 planks by barefooted natives. They worked fast 
 and kept up a constant yelling. 
 
 At Port Said a motley crowd of second- and 
 third-class passengers came on board. Moslem 
 men and women were among them. The women 
 wore their black or dark veils constantly. Some 
 had the metallic nose-piece. At the hour of prayer 
 for the Mohammedans some of the men went 
 through with their devotions. I watched one as 
 he made his preparations for the ceremony. He 
 first washed his hands and arms up to the elbows 
 very carefully three times, by having water poured 
 upon his hands. He washed his feet and ankles 
 likewise, then his face. His prayer rug was laid 
 down and, standing in his bare feet, he turned his 
 face toward Mecca, then turned his head toward 
 the right and toward the left. He bent forward, 
 placing his hands on his legs just above his knees. 
 Then he kneeled down and bent forward twice 
 until his forehead touched his rug. He rose to 
 his feet and went through this round of exercises 
 seven times. In each position which he assumed 
 he repeated a prayer. Having finished, he put on 
 40>
 
 FROM ATHENS TO JAFFA 
 
 his shoes and went about his affairs. The devoted 
 Mohammedan prays in this manner five times a 
 day, at the beginning of dawn, at about eight in 
 the morning, at noon, at sunset and at half past 
 eight in the evening. 
 
 A voyage of about three hundred miles from 
 Alexandria brought us to Jaffa. There is no har- 
 bor at the latter place, and the steamer anchored 
 nearly a mile from shore. The passengers had to 
 pass a medical examination before they were al- 
 lowed to land. We were taken off the steamer in 
 rowboats and, as the waves were rolling, the tri'J) 
 to shore was very interesting. We had been ea- 
 gerly looking to catch a glimpse of the Holy Land, 
 and we hailed with delight our first sight of 
 Palestine. Our feet were pressing the soil of the 
 land loved by all believers in the true God. We 
 were at Jaffa, the Joppa of the scriptures. 
 
 The first demand upon us after landing was to 
 pass through the custom-house. The Turkish gov- 
 ernment is exacting with reference to duties, espe- 
 cially on tobacco and spirits. Our conductor, Mr, 
 Vickers, assured the inspectors that our party did 
 not indulge in the use of liquor or tobacco, and 
 they were satisfied with opening and examining 
 two or three suitcases only. 
 41
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 As we passed out of the custom-house, we en- 
 tered a narrow street, too narrow and steep for 
 carriages, which was lined on each side with little 
 shops. The street was filled with people and 
 donkeys. There was a throng of beggars, many 
 of whom were pitiable objects, crippled, sore-eyed, 
 dirty and wretched-appearing. The street was 
 filthy and ill-smelling. 
 
 After a short walk we came to the carriages 
 which were to convey us to our stopping-place, 
 where we were to have lunch at noon. It was still 
 early in the forenoon and we started out in car- 
 riages to see the city. 
 
 Jaffa is still the seaport of Jerusalem, as it 
 was in the time of Solomon, when Hiram, king of 
 Tyre, sent timber hither from Lebanon for the 
 construction of the great temple. This timber was 
 convened from Lebanon to the Mediterranean Sea 
 and floated on the sea to Joppa, whence it was 
 carried a distance of a little more than fifty miles 
 to Jerusalem (1 Kings 5 : 9 ; 2 Chron. 2 : 16) . Jop- 
 pa is mentioned in Bible history as the place from 
 which Jonah sailed, when he undertook to flee 
 from the Lord and thus avoid the work to which 
 he had been divinely appointed. 
 
 The city has at present a population of 50,000 
 
 42
 
 FEOM ATHENS TO JAFFA 
 
 Of these 30,000 are Mohammedans, 10,000 Jews 
 and 10,000 Christians. The buildings are mostly 
 of stone. There are some fine modern structures. 
 Hospitals, schools and orphanages have been es- 
 tablished through Christian benevolence. 
 
 In our drive about Jaffa we visited the tradi- 
 tional site of the house of Simon the Tanner. The 
 New Testament narrative shows that his house 
 was near the sea, and this location answers that 
 condition. We entered the courtyard of the house 
 and found a crowd of beggars about the well. We 
 were warned by our guide against pickpockets. 
 The building is, in part, occupied as a tannery. 
 
 We secured permission to ascend the stone 
 stairway to the top of the house. We had our 
 doubts about this being the house of Simon, but 
 we were satisfied that our location was something 
 like that of Peter when he was on the house-top 
 for prayer. The roof is of stone and constructed 
 for use as a place to sit or rest. 
 
 As we passed from this place, we saw beggars 
 sitting by the wayside asking piteously for "bak- 
 sheesh." One woman with two or three small chil- 
 dren sat begging by a road in the outskirts of the 
 city. 
 
 We rode to a Russian church which is built 
 43
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 upon what is said to be the site of the home of 
 Dorcas (Acts 9 : 36-42). We were conducted down 
 into a rock-hewn tomb, which was said to be that 
 of Dorcas. I know that the history recorded in 
 the Bible concerning Dorcas is reliable, but I can 
 not say so much for the reliability of the tradi- 
 tion that the home and tomb of Dorcas were here. 
 It was interesting, however, to recall the story of 
 the miracle that was wrought near by, if not there. 
 We were permitted to enter the church and ascend 
 the tower to the height of a hundred feet. From 
 this point we had a fine view of the sea to the 
 west, of the plain of Sharon to the north and east, 
 and of the country to the south. The region about 
 Jaffa is level, fertile and well adapted to agricul- 
 ture. The view northward extends to Mount Car- 
 mel, and eastward to the mountains of Judea. 
 
 In and about Jaffa there are many fruit trees. 
 Lemons, oranges, olives, figs, apricots and grapes 
 are produced in large quantities. I think the 
 best oranges I ever ate grew about Jaffa. They 
 were large, sweet and juicy and of a delicious 
 flavor. 
 
 In going through the streets of Jaffa I saw 
 sights that were new to me. I had seen at home 
 great loads of barrels on wagons, but here I saw 
 44
 
 FROM ATHENS TO JAFFA 
 
 a train of camels loaded with large barrels. Sev- 
 eral of these were fastened on either side of each 
 camel. It looked strange indeed to me to see a 
 train of camels going through the streets thus 
 loaded. 
 
 A little later I saw a camel train loaded with 
 lumber. Each camel had a bundle of boards, per- 
 haps fourteen feet long, fastened upon either side. 
 To one accustomed to seeing wagons used for haul- 
 ing lumber, this mode of transportation seemed 
 strange enough. The camel is trained to lie down 
 when told, and its burden is secured to it while 
 in that position; and when the driver wishes to 
 proceed, the animal arises and goes on. It lies 
 down also at the word of the driver to have the 
 load removed. 
 
 It is not safe for tourists to drink the water 
 of Palestine until it has been boiled. The people 
 of our party were looked upon by the hotel pro- 
 prietors and waiters as being peculiar, because we 
 did not drink wine. It seems to be very common 
 for tourists to drink wine, but our party called 
 for boiled water at every stopping-place. 
 
 It was June 2 when we entered Palestine. The 
 weather was pleasant. There was no thought of 
 rain, for it does not rain from April to October. 
 
 45
 
 PHYSICAL FEATUEES OF PALESTINE 
 
 The name Palestine is from the term which the 
 Greeks applied to the land inhabited by the Phil- 
 istines. The Greek form of the word is Palais- 
 tine and the Latin form is Palestina. We often 
 call this country the Holy Land, and properly, 
 too, because the prophet Zechariah employed this 
 term in speaking of it where he said, "And the 
 Lord shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy 
 land, and shall choose Jerusalem again." 
 
 In our school maps of Asia we notice a small 
 stretch of country at the east end of the Mediter- 
 ranean Sea. This is called Syria, and is four 
 hundred miles from north to south and from seven- 
 ty to one hundred miles from east to west. The 
 southern part of this country is known as Pales- 
 tine. Its greatest length from north to south is 
 not more than one hundred sixty miles. Its coast 
 line on the Great Sea, as the Mediterranean was 
 anciently called, is about two hundred miles. 
 46
 
 PHYSICAL FEATURES OF PALESTINE 
 
 On the north of this wonderful land are the moun- 
 tains of Lebanon and on the south is the desert, 
 while on the east is the great wilderness country 
 beyond the mountains of Moab. The coast line 
 extends from northeast to southwest and the east- 
 ern boundary extends nearly in a northerly and 
 southerly direction. 
 
 It is customary to think of the portion west 
 of the Jordan River as Palestine, but we must 
 bear in mind that a considerable portion to the 
 east is included, although most of the great events 
 of Bible history are located in the land west of 
 the river. From the Mediterranean Sea eastward 
 to the place where the Jordan flows into the Dead 
 Sea is something more than fifty miles. From the 
 Sea of Galilee directly westward to the Mediter- 
 ranean is only thirty miles. Four or five Ameri- 
 can counties contain as much territory as that 
 portion of Palestine west of the Jordan. The 
 whole surface of Palestine on both sides of the 
 river could be placed in the state of Maryland, 
 and it would take twenty-two Palestines to cover 
 the state of Texas. We look upon Holland as a 
 small country, and yet it is larger than all Pales- 
 tine. If a track were constructed entirely 
 around Palestine, a passenger train would require 
 
 47
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 only ten hours to travel the whole distance at 
 fifty miles an hour. 
 
 The Holy Land has strikingly diversified physi- 
 cal features. Entering it from the west, we find 
 a coast plain along the Mediterranean Sea, vary- 
 ing in width from a mile or two to fifteen miles. 
 This plain is broken through toward its northern 
 part by Mount Carmel, where there is a strip only 
 six hundred feet wide between the sea and the 
 mountain. The coast plain rises but a few hun- 
 dred feet above the sea and is for the most part 
 very fertile. This is the part of Canaan (an early 
 name for Palestine) which was occupied by the 
 Philistines. 
 
 From the coast plain eastward there is a 
 rise of the surface to a range of hills or moun- 
 tains that extends parallel to the plain. The 
 height of this range varies from one thousand five 
 hundred to three thousand feet. It reaches its 
 greatest elevation in Mount Lebanon at the north 
 and in the region of Hebron at the south. This 
 forms the watershed of western Palestine, streams 
 flowing from it westward into the Mediterranean 
 and eastward into the Jordan and the Dead Sea. 
 There are numerous watercourses, or wadies, that 
 break through this range and in many places the 
 
 48
 
 PHYSICAL FEATURES OF PALESTINE 
 
 mountainsides are jagged and bare. The range 
 is cut in two b^' the plain of Esdraelon, which 
 extends from the Mediterranean Sea along the 
 base of Mount Carmel in a southeaKSterly direc- 
 tion to the Jordan River. This is the most beauti- 
 ful and productive region of Palestine, and at the 
 present time much attention is being given to its 
 cultivation. On the range just mentioned are 
 Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Shechem, Nazareth, and 
 many other places of note in sacred history. 
 
 This mountain range descends sharply on the 
 east into the Jordan valley. The level of the Dead 
 Sea is nearly one thousand three hundred feet 
 below that of the Mediterranean, and the range 
 in many places is from two thousand five hun- 
 dred to three thousand feet above the level of the 
 Mediterranean, therefore in descending from the 
 high points of the mountains to the Jordan, one 
 goes down four thousand feet in a distance of 
 twelve or fifteen miles. 
 
 The Jordan valley is one of the rich regions 
 of the Holy Land. Its width varies from five to 
 fifteen miles. For a short distance north of the 
 Dead Sea the soil is impregnated with salt to such 
 a degree that there is little vegetable growth. 
 Further north the soil is productive. With proper 
 
 49
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 irrigation this valley would become one of the 
 garden spots of the earth. As it is, great fields 
 of grain are to be seen in spring and summer, 
 and large flocks and herds are supported. Bed- 
 ouin camps are numerous here. The northern 
 end of the valley lies twenty-five miles north of 
 the Sea of Galilee. 
 
 To the east of the Jordan valley and parallel 
 with it is a range of mountains, which in places 
 reaches an elevation of three thousand feet. The 
 ascent from the valley to the summit of this range 
 is as rapid as that on the west side. At the north 
 is Anti-Lebanon, in which stands lofty, snow-clad 
 Mount Hermon, and at the south, just back from 
 "the tongue" of the Dead Sea the elevation is 
 three thousand feet. 
 
 This eastern range is broken through between 
 the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea by the rivers 
 Yarmuk and Jabbok, and further south by the 
 Arnon, which flows into the Dead Sea. The can- 
 yon through which the Arnon flows is fifty miles 
 long and its sides rise to a height of one thousand 
 five hundred to three thousand feet on either side, 
 making it one of the greatest canyons of earth. 
 
 It was from Mount Nebo in this range, a 
 height almost east from Jerusalem, that the Lord 
 50
 
 PHYSICAL FEATURES OF PALESTINE 
 
 gave Moses his wonderful view of the Promised 
 Land. The atmosphere of Palestine is so clear, 
 and the elevation where Moses stood is so great, 
 that he could see plainly the stretches of coun- 
 try to the north, west and south, that his people 
 were to possess and inhabit. 
 
 The low-lying Jordan valley is very warm. It 
 is said that there is no other part of the earth's 
 surface that sinks to so great a depth as this. As 
 one rises to the higher altitude of the mountains, 
 the heat diminishes and the air is invigorating. 
 At night the temperature is so low that one needs 
 plenty of covering to be comfortable. 
 
 The land of Palestine is remarkable for its 
 variety of physical features, of extremes of drouth 
 and moisture, of temperature and of productions. 
 It is remarkable as being the scene of events of 
 age-long interest and the center of attraction 
 among all lands to myriads of devout souls of 
 many varying creeds. 
 
 61
 
 VI 
 FKOM JAFFA TO JERUSALEM 
 
 There are two railroad lines in Palestine. One 
 connects Jaffa with Jerusalem, and the other ex- 
 tends from Haifa, on the Mediterranean Sea, to 
 Semakh, at the foot of the Sea of Galilee, and ex- 
 tends on northward to Damascus. At present a 
 line is being graded to connect Jerusalem with 
 the railroad that extends across Palestine from 
 Haifa to Damascus. 
 
 To one who has read the Bible and whose ideas 
 of Bible lands have come from that reading, it 
 seems almost unreal to think of riding in a rail- 
 way train in that country. In the Bible people 
 are represented as traveling on foot, or riding on 
 horses, asses or camels, and sometimes in chariots. 
 In fact, it has been only within the last few years 
 that the traveler could ride by railway from Jaffa 
 to Jerusalem. 
 
 After lunch at Hardegg's Jerusalem Hotel in 
 Jaffa, where we had European cooking, we rode 
 
 52
 
 FROM JAFFA TO JERUSALEM 
 
 in carriages to the railroad station, from which 
 the train was to start at two o'clock. Our party 
 of twenty-six with our guides had a railway car- 
 riage to ourselves. The carriage (coach) had 
 doors at the ends, and was divided into four com- 
 partments, one of which was large, having sit- 
 tings for sixteen persons. The seats extended 
 along the two sides of the carriage. The other 
 compartments were small and the seats extended 
 crosswise of the carriage. Most of us were ac- 
 customed to American coaches only. 
 
 It was an interested company of passengers 
 that occupied the carriage that afternoon. We 
 did not wish to let a single object of interest 
 escape our notice. We wanted to see the trees, 
 the grain, the implements of agriculture, the ani- 
 mals and the people, as well as the plains, the 
 hills and the mountains. The train ran slowly 
 and stopped frequently, and we could see much 
 on the route. We passed from one side of the 
 car to the other, as different objects of interest 
 came into view. 
 
 We passed out of Jafifa eastward into the plain 
 of Sharon. This is a broad, level and fertile re- 
 gion. For some distance, perhaps fifteen miles, 
 fruit trees were abundant, especially, apricot, 
 
 53
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 olive and fig trees. There were fields of grain, 
 mostly of wheat, in every direction. 
 
 It was the time of harvest. We made the jour- 
 ney on June 2. Some of the grain had already 
 been harvested, and all seemed ripe and ready to 
 harvest. There has been little advance in the 
 methods of agriculture in the last two or three 
 thousand years. The grain is cut by men and 
 women with sickles. They bind it into bundles 
 and lay it down upon the ground. No rain falls 
 during the summer, so that it is not necessary to 
 put it into shocks or stacks to keep it dry. The 
 people do not seem to be in any great hurry to 
 care for their grain. On account of the lack of 
 rain upon the ripened crop the grain does not 
 shell out much from handling, even if it is very 
 ripe. 
 
 The bundles of grain are carried to the place 
 of thrashing on the backs of donkeys or camels, 
 and sometimes on the heads of women. Nowhere 
 on the way to Jerusalem did we see grain hauled 
 on wagons. We saw camels with great loads of 
 grain bound upon them. We also saw loaded 
 donkeys, many of them so covered with grain that 
 we could scarcely see the animals at all. It was 
 interesting to see the camels carrying their loads 
 
 54
 
 PLOWING IN PALESTINE 
 
 HAILING GRAIN FROM THE FIELDS
 
 FROM JAFFA TO JERUSALEM 
 
 to the thrashing-floors and lying down to have 
 the bundles of grain removed, then getting up to 
 go back to the field for another load. Once in a 
 while we saw a camel acting in a stubborn man- 
 ner. The driver would give the command to it 
 to lie down, and it would obey very reluctantly, 
 and then would get right up before the load was 
 in place or before the driver had mounted. 
 
 We saw women and girls gleaning in the 
 wheat fields just as Ruth gleaned centuries ago 
 in the fields of Boaz. After the reapers have fin- 
 ished their work and the bundles are carried 
 away, the gleaners go over the ground, carefully 
 picking up every stalk that has been missed. I 
 saw several women returning to their homes in 
 villages at the close of the day, carrying on their 
 heads the bundles of grain they had succeeded in 
 gleaning. The most successful of them could not 
 have gathered more than six or eight quarts of 
 wheat after it was thrashed. 
 
 I saw no thrashing-machines in Palestine. 
 The grain is separated from the straw in the way 
 it was in David's time. The bundles of grain are 
 spread over a level space in circular form about 
 twenty-five feet in diameter. Donkeys, camels or 
 cattle are driven round and round over thi« 
 
 65
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 thrashing-floor until the grain is tramped out of 
 the straw and chaff. Often the animals are 
 hitched to an instrument something like a stone- 
 boat, which they drag over the straw to beat out 
 the grain. I saw several places where a donkey 
 and a cow were hitched together for this work. 
 
 After the flooring had been well trodden, the 
 straw was shaken thoroughly to free it from the 
 grain and pitched to one side, and the grain and 
 chaff were gathered into a heap. When the wind 
 blows, the workers toss the grain and chaff into 
 the air, that the wind may carry the chaff away, 
 leaving only the grain. This method of winnow- 
 ing grain was in use in Bible times. 
 
 After crossing the plain of Sharon we came 
 to the hills and mountains of Judea. We passed 
 close to the place which was anciently called 
 Ajalon, where Joshua commanded the sun and 
 the moon to stand still (Josh. 10:12-14), while 
 Joshua defeated the five kings of the Amorites. 
 
 The railroad winds among hills and valleys 
 from this point to Jerusalem. It passes through 
 historic ground. Zorah was in plain sight. This 
 is noted as being the birthplace of Samson and 
 the place where he was buried. We must have 
 passed through the region where Samson do- 
 56
 
 FEOM JAFFA TO JEEUSALEM 
 
 stroyed the grain of the Philistines by sending 
 foxes into it with firebrands attached to their 
 tails (Judges 15:4). High up on the steep side 
 of a mountain we saw a cave in which Samson is 
 said to have hidden to escape from the Philistines. 
 
 The hills and mountains were mostly rugged 
 and barren. Here and there were small patches 
 of grain, and a few olive trees were seen. We saw 
 large flocks of goats on the mountainsides, feed- 
 ing upon the scanty vegetation which they found. 
 In some places the hillsides were terraced and 
 carefully cultivated. 
 
 At about six o'clock we came within sight of 
 Jerusalem. We had come fifty-four miles from 
 Jafifa and in that distance we had ascended nearly 
 two thousand five hundred feet, for Jerusalem 
 is that much higher than Jaffa. We had literally 
 "gone up" to Jerusalem. We get something of an 
 idea of the size of Palestine, as we note that in 
 traveling the fifty-four miles from Jaffa to Jeru- 
 salem we went about one-half of the distance across 
 the country from west to east. 
 
 We were all eager to catch our first glimpse of 
 the sacred city, and when we saw it, our hearts 
 were thrilled. We were at the center of what was 
 once a great nation and a great ecclesiastical 
 
 67
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 system. We were at the place where great events 
 had taken place. In striking contrast to our ideas 
 of what Jerusalem had been was the scene that 
 met our ejes as we passed out of the station 
 grounds. There was a great crowd of drivers, 
 pedlers, beggars and idlers eager to get something 
 from the tourists. They were exceedingly noisy 
 and demonstrative, but as all arrangements had 
 been made for the arrival of our party and our 
 conveyance to the hotel, we had no special diflS- 
 culty in getting through the crowd. The station 
 is about three-fourths of a mile from the city and 
 we were conveyed to our hotel in the city in car- 
 riages, riding northward to the Jaifa gate, the 
 principal gate in the west wall of Jerusalem. We 
 were taken to the Grand New Hotel, where we 
 were very comfortably cared for, having pleasant 
 rooms, good beds and good food. 
 
 68
 
 VII 
 A VIEW OF JEKUSALEM 
 
 One can not see Jerusalem satisfactorily from 
 any one point, but needs to look at it both at 
 long range and at short. He needs to find some 
 point from which he can see the whole city to 
 get an idea of the size, shape and general ap- 
 pearance. 
 
 From several points around Jerusalem such 
 a view can be secured, since there are mountains 
 around the city. The best place that I found 
 from which to view Jerusalem was the Mount of 
 Olives to the east of the city. From here one looks 
 westward across the valley of Kidron and sees 
 the city proper enclosed by an irregular-shaped 
 wall of four sides. The distance around the wall 
 is about two and a half miles. Its extent from 
 east to west is greater than that from north to 
 south. 
 
 The location of the present wall is not the 
 same as the ancient one, for there have been sev- 
 
 59
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 eral changes since David's time. The wall is 
 thirty-eight and a half feet high and is massive. 
 Some of the blocks of stone which form the pres- 
 ent wall have probably done service for upward 
 of three thousand years, for it is claimed that 
 they were in use in the time of the jebusites, who 
 held this site before Israel gained it. 
 
 In looking down upon Jerusalem it is seen 
 that there are hills in the city itself. The space 
 within the walls is far from being level, though 
 it is more nearly so now than anciently, for the 
 lower parts have been filled up to a considerable 
 extent. There is a valley extending in a northerly 
 and southerly direction through the city and is 
 called the Tyropeon valley. On each side of this 
 valley are two hills. These hills and vallej'^s were 
 very noticeable in ancient times. It was an ideal 
 place of defense, and a picturesque place for a 
 city, according to the ideas of the ancients. 
 
 The space within the walls is closely built up. 
 From the Mount of Olives one sees the great 
 buildings used by Christians, Jews and Moham- 
 medans as places of worship. The buildings are 
 of stone and have flat roofs. Some are four or 
 five stories high, but ordinarily they are only one 
 or two. The walls are very thick, thus rendering 
 
 60
 
 A VIEW OF JERUSALEM 
 
 the houses comparatively cool, even during the 
 hot middays of Palestine. 
 
 From the high point of view previously men- 
 tioned one sees that much of the city of Jerusalem 
 lies outside of the walls. The space north of the 
 walls for some distance is built up, and this may 
 be called the new part of the city. There are 
 many fine residences and there are many houses 
 where there is distressing poverty. The building 
 stone is light in color, and the extreme brightness 
 of the sun, as it is reflected from the buildings 
 and numerous walls of the city, is trying to the 
 eyes. 
 
 Another point from which one gains a good 
 view of the city is the tower of the German Luth- 
 eran church, which occupies a position near the 
 center of the city proper. This church was estab- 
 lished a few years ago by the German emperor. 
 A company of us went there one day and secured 
 permission to ascend the tower to a height of a 
 hundred twenty feet. There was a fine view in all 
 directions. To the north lies a range of hills 
 which rises to a considerable height toward the 
 east. To the north also is seen the hill of Calvary 
 not far from the wall. To the east is a range of 
 hills of which the Mount of Olives is the most im-
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 portant. Looking in this direction one sees the 
 Temple Area, in which the Mosque of Omar is 
 the most conspicuous building. To the south we 
 see over the lower levels of the city and outside 
 the walls the valley of Hinnom, beyond which a 
 range of hills shuts off the view southward. One 
 sees to the west a range of hills beyond the valley 
 of Hinnom which extends parallel with the west 
 wall of the city not far from it. 
 
 The population of Jerusalem is about 70,000. 
 About 35,000 people reside outside the city walls. 
 There are 10,000 Mohammedans, 45,000 Jews and 
 15,000 Christians. The Christians include 7,000 
 Orthodox Greeks, 4,000 Latins, or Roman Catho- 
 lics, 1,000 Armenians, 1,G00 Protestants and a few 
 United Greeks, United Armenians, Copts, Abys- 
 sinians and Syrians. 
 
 The number of Jews has greatly increased with- 
 in the last few years. There is no encouragement 
 from the Turkish government for Jewish immigra- 
 tion into Palestine, and there is little business to 
 attract Jews to that country, yet many have come. 
 They are supported to a considerable extent 
 through the benevolence of European Jews.
 
 EAST PART OF .TERVSALEJ[ AND THE MOUNT OF OLB'ES 
 
 NORTIT PART OF .TF.Rl'SAT.EM
 
 \ 
 
 VIII 
 THE TEMPLE SITE 
 
 The hill Jebus, as the site of Jerusalem was 
 anciently called, was a stronghold when the Is- 
 raelites entered Canaan. It did not come fully 
 into the possession of this people until it was 
 captured by David during his reign. After he had 
 reigned seven years at Hebron, he removed the 
 seat of government to Jerusalem. 
 
 There are four distinct hills within the present 
 city walls. They are Bezetha in the northeast, 
 Moriah in the southeast, Zion in the southwest, 
 and Akra in the northwest. The portion that has 
 for three thousand years been a great center of 
 interest is the southeast section, which is called 
 Moriah. This is probably the Moriah of Abra- 
 ham's time, and therefore its historic interest 
 dates back almost to the beginning of the Israel- 
 itish race. 
 
 I wish to describe my visit to the site of the 
 ancient Jewish temple. This particular part of 
 63
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 Jerusalem is known as the Temple Area. It oc- 
 cupies about one-sixth of the entire space within 
 the present walls of the city. It is an irregular 
 quadrangle. The north side is three hundred fifty- 
 one yards in length, the south is three hundred 
 nine yards, the east is five hundred eighteen yards 
 and the west side is five hundred fifty-six yards. 
 This area is not entirely level, even after much 
 grading has been done. It is ten feet higher in 
 the northwest corner than in other parts. The 
 southeast portion has been raised several yards. 
 
 As I entered the place I saw a space of some- 
 thing like thirty-five acres with but two large 
 buildings in it. It was about nine o'clock in the 
 forenoon of June 4, 1913, that I first stepped into 
 this sacred enclosure. The sun was beating down 
 with strength upon the large open space, and as 
 the area is all paved with stone, the rays of the 
 sun were reflected and made the place very hot. 
 It was desirable to be in the shade as much as 
 possible. 
 
 It seemed to me almost too wonderful to be 
 true, that I was at the place where Abraham 
 showed his faith in God by placing his son Isaac 
 on the altar for sacrifice; where David erected 
 an altar (2 Sam. 24 : 25) ; where the temple stood 
 
 64
 
 THE TEMPLE SITE 
 
 which King Solomon built and for which his 
 father, King David, had made magnificent prepa- 
 rations; where the Jews, after their return from 
 their seventy years' captivity in Babylon, built 
 again the temple that had been destroyed by 
 Nebuchadnezzar, and which was dedicated amid 
 the rejoicing and weeping of the returned cap- 
 tives; where the costly and elaborate temple of 
 Herod stood; where Jesus was brought when 
 eight days old to be presented before the Lord, 
 and was recognized by the aged priest Simeon and 
 the aged prophetess Anna ; where He was brought 
 when twelve years of age ; where He twice cleansed 
 the temple of trafifickers in animals for sacrifice 
 and in money ; where He came to attend the Pass- 
 over more than once; and at the center of the 
 system that falsely and unjustly condemned Jesus 
 to death. Though the place is profaned now, yet 
 it seems in a sense holy ground. It was here that 
 the holy fire was long kept burning upon the altar, 
 and the recollection of this and other facts made 
 me feel that it was not an ordinary place. 
 
 The Temple Area is now wholly controlled by 
 the Mohammedans. It is held by them to be the 
 most sacred spot in the world next to Mecca. 
 Orthodox Jews never enter it for fear of treading 
 
 65
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 upon the "Most Holy Place." The most important 
 and imposing building in the enclosure is the 
 Dome of the Eock, commonly called the Mosque 
 of Omar. It was called by the latter name by 
 Europeans, because they believed that it was built 
 at the command of Omar; but Arabic historians 
 maintain that it was built by Abd el-Melik. It 
 is called the Dome of the Eock because it is be- 
 lieved that it is built upon the rock upon which 
 Solomon's temple stood. The building has eight 
 sides, and each side is sixty-six feet and six inches 
 in length. The lower part is covered with marble 
 slabs. The upper part above the windows is cov- 
 ered with porcelain tiles. The frieze is covered 
 with passages from the Koran in Arabic. The 
 mosque has a magnificent gilded dome, and this 
 makes the Mosque of Omar the most imposing 
 structure in Jerusalem. 
 
 Visitors are allowed to enter the mosque, ex- 
 cept on Friday, which is the Mohammedan holy 
 day, and during the Nebi-Musa festival, or Easter 
 week. The Mohammedans do not enter the mosque 
 with their shoes on their feet, lest they should de- 
 file the sacred place, and visitors are not allowed 
 to go in without first putting on the slippers fur- 
 nished for the purpose. As we came to the en- 
 
 66
 
 THE TEMPLE SITE 
 
 trance, Arab attendants put felt slippers over our 
 shoes and tied them on. They had slippers large 
 enough to cover any size shoe loosely, for they 
 do not require visitors to remove their shoes. As 
 we came out, the attendants were ready to remove 
 the slippers, and to demand "baksheesh." There 
 is an admission fee of from four to ten francs. 
 
 The building is elaborately and richly orna- 
 mented throughout. It is built over the "rock," 
 which is fifty-eight feet long and forty-three feet 
 wide. It is said that the great Jewish altar for- 
 merly stood over this rock. The rock is carefully 
 guarded against the near approach of Christians, 
 whom the Mohammedans call infidels. It is se- 
 curely screened in, but we were allowed to look 
 at it through the lattice-work around it. 
 
 We were permitted to descend into a cavern 
 under the "rock," and were shown an opening in 
 it, through which, it was said, the blood of Jewish 
 sacrifices poured from the altar above. 
 
 I noticed that the Mohammedans did not re- 
 move the coverings from their heads as they en- 
 tered this mosque or any other place. The men 
 keep their turbans or fezes on all the time, even 
 when they eat. 
 
 From the Dome of the Eock we passed to the 
 67
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 south side of the Temple Area to the Mosque of 
 Aksa, which we entered after having again put 
 on slippers so as not to profane the sacred (?) 
 place. This structure was formerly a Christian 
 church, built by Justinian and several times de- 
 stroyed. It is said that Omar converted the church 
 into a mosque and caused the doors to be overlaid 
 with gold and silver plates. The present mosque 
 represents a vast amount of wealth. Costly rugs 
 covered the extensive floors of the building. 
 
 There is an apartment here set aside for 
 women, where they can hear something of the 
 services, but can not be seen. Women have not 
 much to hope for in this world or in the next. 
 Mohammedanism declares that they must have 
 their faces covered when in public, and we saw 
 them going about in the hot days of that warm 
 climate with their faces closely covered with black 
 veils. Some wore veils that covered their faces 
 below the eyes and had their heads covered down 
 to the eyes. This is the Egyptian style. The 
 Turkish Mohammedan women are wearing white 
 veils, and some of the stylish young women wear 
 very thin ones. 
 
 I saw many buildings arranged with openings 
 through which the women could look out without 
 
 68
 
 THE TEMPLE SITE 
 
 being seen. Pipes, like small drain-tile, were set 
 closely together in the wall for this purpose. 
 Through Christian mission schools in Mohamme- 
 dan lands the condition of women is being made 
 more endurable. 
 
 After leaving this mosque we went down 
 eighteen steps underneath it into a substructure, 
 a part of which is known as Solomon's Stables, 
 from the tradition that Solomon used the place 
 for his horses. Mangers were shown to us, and 
 holes through the corners of the stone columns, 
 which might have been used as hitching-places for 
 horses. It is quite probable that the Crusaders 
 used these vaults as stables during the time when 
 they held possession of Jerusalem. 
 
 Scattered over the Temple Area there are 
 many raised places with prayer-recesses, and there 
 are numerous fountains where Mohammedans 
 wash their hands, faces and feet before praying. 
 The area is planted with cypress and other trees. 
 
 It would seem blessed if genuine Christianity 
 had possession of this spot, which is made sacred 
 by the events of past ages.
 
 IX 
 
 THE TOMB OF CHRIST 
 
 One can not be sure as to the location of the 
 tomb of our Lord. There are two places in Jeru- 
 salem, the one inside the walls and the other out- 
 side, that are claimed by their respective advo- 
 cates to be the place where He lay. 
 
 We shall speak first of the Church of the Holy 
 Sepulcher, which is claimed by many to be built 
 over the tomb of Christ. As early as 336 A. D. 
 churches were built here to mark the spot. It is 
 said that excavations were made earlier than this 
 date and a cavern was found, which was thought 
 to be the tomb. It is said that Helena, the mother 
 of the emperor Constantine, had excavations 
 made, and she claimed to find the cross on which 
 Christ was crucified. 
 
 From the date just mentioned until now there 
 
 has been a church on this spot. One after another 
 
 has been erected and destroyed in whole or in 
 
 part. The building as it now stands, or we might 
 
 70
 
 
 ^^^^^^HI5^ ^^Tj' 
 
 V 
 
 'r| 
 
 
 fa^^^llttriit ^ 
 
 ENTRANCE TO THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHER 
 
 GARDEN TO-M):, (.(Jlil)().\ S CALVARY
 
 THE TOMB OF CHKIST 
 
 say the group of buildings, is largely as it was 
 built in 1810. It covers about three and a half 
 acres of ground and is nearly square. 
 
 There are twenty-four different chapels, large 
 and small. The principal one is called the Greek 
 Cathedral. There are chapels for different sects, 
 as the Greeks, the Latins, the Armenians, the 
 Copts, the Syrians, the Abyssinians, and there are 
 chapels marking the traditional places of events, 
 as the Chapel of the Angels, and the Chapel of 
 the Parting of the Garments. There are also 
 chapels in honor of persons, as Empress Helena, 
 Mary Magdalene and Longinus. There are also 
 several monasteries in the group of buildings. 
 
 We enter the church through a comparatively 
 small doorway for such a great building. In the 
 vestibule are stationed a number of Turkish sol- 
 diers who have charge of the keys* of the church 
 and whose duty it is to keep order. The church 
 is used jointly by several different sects, each sect 
 having certain parts of the building for its own 
 use and to care for. These sects are liable to tres- 
 pass upon one another's rights and quarrel among 
 themselves. Such a quarrel some years ago pre- 
 cipitated a riot, in which several persons were in- 
 jured, some fatally. These soldiers are appointed 
 
 n
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 by the Turkish government and are paid by the 
 Christians. 
 
 Passing through the vestibule we enter one of 
 the churches, or chapels, and see the Stone of the 
 Anointing, on which it is claimed that the body 
 of Jesus lay, or rather it covers what tradition 
 says is the real Stone of the Anointing. I saw 
 men and women, young and old, rich and poor, 
 as well as children, kneeling down by this slab 
 and reverently kissing it. 
 
 In going through the Church of the Holy Sepul- 
 cher one is lost in the confusion of its maze of 
 chapels, stairways, passageways and chambers. 
 The buildings are upon different levels and some 
 of the chapels are one above another. Almost in- 
 numerable candles and lamps are burning in all 
 parts of the church, and these are apportioned to 
 the different sects whose priests or officials care 
 for them. 
 
 In going from one part to another I saw wor- 
 shipers bowing before images and kissing various 
 portions of the buildings. To all appearances 
 they were practising a species of idolatry in their 
 professed worship of Christ. 
 
 The Chapel of the Holy Sepulcher is in the 
 center of the rotunda under the great dome. This 
 
 72
 
 THE TOMB OF CHRIST 
 
 is a building within a building. It is twenty-six 
 feet long and seventeen and a half wide. In front 
 is a sort of antechamber with benches on either 
 side, where Oriental pilgrims remove their shoes 
 before entering the place, which is claimed to be 
 the tomb of Christ. We next enter what is called 
 the Angels' Chapel, where it is said the angels 
 were on the morning of the resurrection. A low 
 door leads into the so-called Chapel of the Holy 
 Sepulcher, which is six and a half feet long and 
 six feet wide. Forty-three lamps hang from the 
 ceiling. Four of these belong to the Copts, and 
 thirteen each to the Greeks, Latins and Arme- 
 nians. The tombstone is covered with marble 
 slabs and is used as an altar. 
 
 The visitor is shown the traditional spots 
 where all the events connected with the crucifix- 
 ion, burial, resurrection and appearances of our 
 Lord took place. He is shown the hole in the 
 rock in which the Savior's cross stood, as also 
 the places where stood the crosses of the thieve:^ 
 who were crucified with Christ. He is shown the 
 crack in the rock which was made by the earth- 
 quake at the time of the crucifixion. He is shown 
 the alleged site of the home of Joseph of Ari- 
 mathsea. Perhaps the most extravagant claim of 
 
 73
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 all is the one which locates in the church the 
 tomb of Adam. 
 
 On the roof of the Church of the Holy Sepul- 
 cher is a street much like a city street, upon which 
 many apartments open. The interior decorations 
 are profuse. Most of them are costly and many 
 are grotesque. An urn in the Greek Cathedral 
 marks what the people there call the center of 
 the world. 
 
 This group of buildings with the furnishings 
 and treasures inside represents an immense amount 
 of money. The square before the entrance is filled 
 with beggars and pedlers of souvenirs. 
 
 I went three times to this church. The last 
 time was on Sunday morning at eight o'clock. 
 Services were being carried on in different chapels. 
 J saw a part of the service in the Greek Cathedral. 
 I waited to see the wafers given to the communi- 
 cants. They passed before the officiating priest 
 and received the wafer from him and at the same 
 time fondly kissed his hand. From this service 
 I went to a Protestant church, where I heard a 
 good gospel sermon. 
 
 For many years there has been serious doubt 
 about the location of the tomb of Christ. North 
 of the walls of Jerusalem is a hill which has 
 
 74
 
 THE TOMB OF CHRIST 
 
 come to be called Gordon's Calvary, after General 
 (Chinese) Gordon, because he believed it to be the 
 real Calvary and often resorted to the place for 
 prajer and meditation. At the base of the hill 
 on the west is a garden, and a tomb is hewn in 
 the rock which here rises almost perpendicularly 
 to the top of the hill. I present a picture of the 
 garden tomb which a member of our party took, 
 and two of our party appear at the right of the 
 door of the tomb. Many Protestants believe this 
 is the tomb of Christ rather than the one under 
 the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. If Christ lay 
 in either one, it seems to me that it was in the one 
 called the Garden Tomb. 
 
 76
 
 THE JEWS' WAILING PLACE 
 
 One of the most interesting places I visited 
 within the walls of Jerusalem was the Jews' 
 Wailing Place. In a marked way it connects the 
 distant past with the living present and with the 
 future. 
 
 There are about forty-five thousand Jews in 
 Jerusalem. A small proportion of these are na- 
 tive Palestinian Jews, but far the greater number 
 have come from the different countries of Europe. 
 A few have come from America. They are there 
 for religious reasons. Many aged Jews are there 
 to die and to be buried in the soil of the Holy 
 Land. 
 
 The opportunities for trading are small in 
 Palestine, for that land is mainly agricultural. 
 Jews as a rule do not seem inclined to till the 
 soil, hence naturally there is not much attraction 
 for Western Jews in that country. However, 
 many Jews have gone there during the past few 
 
 70
 
 THE JEWS' WAILING PLACE 
 
 years, and are supported in large part by their 
 brethren in Europe and America. The efforts of 
 wealthy Jews to repeople Palestine with their 
 own race is only partially successful. 
 
 Although the population of Jerusalem is con- 
 siderably more than one-half Jewish, the Jewish 
 quarter within the walls does not occupy more 
 than one-fifth of the space. The Mohammedan 
 quarter occupies nearly one-half of the space with- 
 in the walls, jet the Mohammedans number only 
 ten thousand. We must bear in mind, however, 
 that about one-half the population of Jerusalem is 
 outside the walls. 
 
 The Jews are not entirely at home in Jeru- 
 salem, for it is under Mohammedan control, and 
 the presence of Jews is simply tolerated. The 
 Jews do not find much favor at the hands of most 
 of those who are called Christians. They are 
 almost strangers in their own country. 
 
 The place toward which their eyes and hearts 
 turn, the Temple Area, is in the hands of Moslems 
 and they are not allowed to enter there. If thpy 
 had access to this sacred spot they would be afraid 
 to walk there for fear of treading upon the "Most 
 Holy Place." 
 
 They are not welcome in what the so-called 
 77
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 Christians regard the very center of Christendom, 
 the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Dr. Leary re- 
 lates in his book, "The Real Palestine of To-Day," 
 the case of an Italian who went into that church. 
 He was walking about in the different parts of 
 the church when he was mistaken for a Jew by the 
 Christians (?) and nearly beaten to death before 
 they discovered their mistake. 
 
 There is one place, however, in the city, which 
 is to Jews a most sacred place, the Wailing Place. 
 There are about seventy synagogues, but this place 
 belongs to all Jews alike. It is situated in the 
 southeastern part of Jerusalem by the southwest- 
 ern boundary of the temple enclosure. At this 
 place, which is reached by a narrow alley through 
 a wretched part of the city, there is a wall one 
 hundred fifty-six feet long and fiftj'-nine feet high. 
 The nine courses at the bottom are constructed 
 of huge blocks of stone. One of these is sixteen 
 and a half feet long and thirteen feet wide. The 
 Jews consider this wall in some way connected 
 with the ancient temple. It may have been a part 
 of the wall which formed the substructure of the 
 temple platform. 
 
 The stones are weather-beaten and gray. The 
 narrow space along this wall is nearly always 
 78
 
 JEWS WAILING PLACE 
 
 A I'AKTV MAKINO TOUR AltOlT THE WALLS
 
 THE JEWS' WAILING PLACE 
 
 occupied by devout Jews, who go there to lament 
 over the departure of Israel's glory. 
 
 I went there on a Friday afternoon and I 
 found this noted place thronged with men and 
 women, old and young, rich and poor, in a variety 
 of costumes. Pilgrims were there from distant 
 lands. Some were refined in their appearance, 
 while others were coarse. They stood leaning 
 against the walls, some of them moaning and weep- 
 ing, others reading from their prayer-books. 
 
 It was a sad sight indeed. The faces of most 
 of the Jews were disconsolate in appearance. 
 Aged men with their books sit there for hours at 
 a time. There is a superstition that the stones of 
 this wall weep on each anniversary of the destruc- 
 tion of Jerusalem. The mourning ones both weep 
 for the city's lost glory and pray for the coming of 
 the Eedeemer, not believing that He has come 
 already. 
 
 I was inclined to linger there to receive a deep 
 impression of the scene. I took a photograph of 
 the wall and the group there assembled. The ap- 
 proach to the place was thronged with beggars, as 
 are all the historic parts of the city. 
 
 On Friday of each week at the beginning of 
 the Jewish Sabbath the following litany is 
 
 TO
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 chanted, the leader repeating a line and the peo- 
 ple responding: 
 
 "For the palace that lies desolate ; 
 
 We sit in solitude and mourn. 
 For the temple that is destroyed ; 
 
 We sit in solitude and mourn. 
 For the walls that are overthrown; 
 
 We sit in solitude and mourn. 
 For our majesty that is departed ; 
 
 We sit in solitude and mourn. 
 For our great men who lie dead ; 
 
 We sit in solitude and mourn. 
 For the precious stones that are burned ; 
 
 We sit in solitude and mourn. 
 For the priests who have stumbled; 
 
 We sit in solitude and mourn. 
 For our kings who have despised Him; 
 
 We sit in solitude and mourn." 
 
 I quote another litany used on this occasion : 
 
 "We pray Thee, have mercy on Zion ; 
 
 Gather the children of Jerusalem. 
 Haste, haste, Redeemer of Zion ; 
 
 Speak to the heart of Jerusalem. 
 80
 
 THE JEWS' WAILING PLACE 
 
 May beauty and majesty surround Zion ; 
 
 Ah! turn Thyself mercifully to Jerusalem. 
 May the kingdom soon return to Zion ; 
 
 Comfort those who mourn over Jerusalem. 
 May peace and joy abide with Zion; 
 
 And the branch (of Jesse) spring up at Jeru- 
 salem." 
 
 I turned away from this place with a feeling 
 of gladness that the Redeemer has come already, 
 and myriads have been saved eternally through 
 the atonement He made not far from the spot 
 where the Jews were making their lamentations. 
 
 81
 
 XI 
 A DONKEY RIDE 
 
 Our party consisted of twenty-six persons be- 
 sides our two guides, and at the beginning of 
 our sight-seeing about Jerusalem it was thought 
 best to make two companies of us, so that we 
 could more readily hear the explanations that 
 were made to us of the things we saw. 
 
 We were to make a circuit of the walls of 
 Jerusalem ; and as there is no carriage road close 
 to the walls a part of the distance, we were to ride 
 on the backs of donkeys. To most of us this was a 
 novel experience, for we had never before ridden 
 on donkeys. We mounted our beasts close by the 
 hotel. It was interesting to see a college presi- 
 dent, a doctor, several ministers and the women 
 riding on those insignificant animals ; the donkey, 
 however, is highly respected in Palestine and 
 other Eastern countries. He carries immense bur- 
 dens, for his size, and is freight-car, passenger- 
 coach and sometimes both combined. He is equal- 
 
 82
 
 A DONKEY RIDE 
 
 ly at home in the city and in the country, and 
 his unmusical voice is often heard. 
 
 One rather stout lady of our party preferred 
 not to trust herself to be carried by a donkey on 
 this trip and permitted the group to go without 
 her. 
 
 I had read about donkey-boys, and had made 
 up my mind that he was a needless attendant, a 
 sort of superfluity; but I had not been on the 
 back of my donkey long before I found that the 
 beast either did not understand English or did 
 not propose to regard what I said. I afterward 
 concluded that it was both, for I learned the Ara- 
 bic expressions used to start and stop him, and he 
 had very little regard for what I said, even in 
 Arabic. I had reins and used tbem, but the donkey 
 went in whatever direction he fancied. The 
 donkey-boy, however, could make him go fast or 
 slowly, as he chose, but I found that even he had 
 to use both strong language and a stick to keep 
 him going with any speed. It was desirable to 
 proceed slowly most of the way, for in places the 
 path was rough and steep, and then we wished to 
 see as much of our strange surroundings as pos- 
 sible. 
 
 We went out through the Jaffa gate, turned 
 83
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 southward and soon found ourselves on a steep, 
 stony path. We turned eastward at the corner 
 of the wall and rode with the wall upon our left 
 and the valley of Hinnom upon our right. We 
 looked across the valley to the hill of Evil Coun- 
 sel. The valley is stony and not attractive. 
 There is here and there an olive tree. 
 
 Near the southeast corner of the city wall is 
 the pool of Siloam. This belongs to the Greeks 
 and has been filled up by them. At this point our 
 party halted and several of us took photographs 
 of the group. 
 
 Turning northward we rode along the Kidron 
 valley, or the valley of Jehoshaphat, as the lower 
 part of this depression is called. On the east side 
 of the valley we saw what is called the tomb of 
 Absalom. It is quite improbable that this is the 
 place referred to in 2 Sam. 18 :18, although tradi- 
 tion makes this the pillar there mentioned. The 
 tomb is of peculiar construction. The bottom 
 part, twenty-one feet high and nineteen and a half 
 feet square, is hewn from the solid rock. Upon 
 this a superstructure of large stones is built, 
 terminating in a low spire. The whole monu- 
 ment rises to a height of forty-eight feet above 
 the surrounding rubbish. It was formerly the 
 
 S4
 
 A DONKEY RIDE 
 
 custom of the Jews to throw stones at this struc- 
 ture in memory of Absalom's cruel revolt against 
 his father. 
 
 The west side of this valley, extending up to 
 the city walls, is a Moslem cemetery. On the east 
 side, extending far up the slope, is a Jewish 
 burial-ground. The graves are marked by stone 
 slabs laid upon them. One day when I was out 
 in this valley I saw a Jewish funeral procession. 
 Priests accompanied the corpse, which was car- 
 ried on a bier on the shoulders of four men. The 
 body was wrapped in cloth. There were no women 
 in the procession. 
 
 Crossing to the east side of the valley we left 
 our donkeys near the reputed garden of Gethsem- 
 ane, which I shall describe later. We then rode 
 westward along the north wall of Jerusalem and 
 stopped at a point a short distance east of the 
 Damascus gate. Here we entered what are called 
 Solomon's Quarries, but for what reason they are 
 so called I could not learn, only that tradition 
 says Solomon obtained building stone from this 
 place. These quarries extend more than a third 
 of a mile southward directly under the city, and 
 there are numerous side chambers off from the 
 main chamber. There is evidence that vast quan- 
 
 S6
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 titles of stone have been taken out. There are 
 still visible indications of how the workmen split 
 the rock. Dry wooden wedges were driven into 
 crevices in the rock and then water was applied 
 to them. The wood swelled and split off great 
 fragments of rock. The roof of the chamber is 
 supported by immense stone pillars. 
 
 Again mounting our donkeys we rode to Gor- 
 don's Calvary, which I have already mentioned. 
 It was toward dusk when we rode back through 
 crowded streets to our hotel. The donkey-boys 
 tried to make the last part of the ride interesting 
 to us by keeping the donkeys going at a good pace. 
 They were evidently laying plans to secure liberal 
 tips when we should finally dismount. 
 
 We had gone entirely around the walls of 
 Jerusalem on our donkey-ride, and had passed 
 over the very places of which we had often read 
 in the scriptures. We had viewed the walls, 
 some of the huge stones of which apparently date 
 back to the time of David. We had been on the 
 ground which had resounded with the tread of 
 Israelitish, Babylonian, Roman, Crusader and 
 Moslem armies. Jerusalem stands as a memorial 
 of God's past dealings with His people and as a 
 prophecy of what shall be in the future. 
 86
 
 XII 
 
 THE MOUNT OF OLIVES 
 
 The most direct way to reach the Mount of 
 Olives from Jerusalem is to go out St. Stephen's 
 gate, which is on the east side of the city, and 
 walk directly eastward. The distance to the top 
 of the hill is about a mile. 
 
 The Mount of Olives is rather a ridge than a 
 single peak. In the ridge there are several peaks 
 rising a little above the general elevation of the 
 ridge itself. The most noted peaks are Scopus 
 and the Mount of Olives. Scopus is the northern 
 part of the ridge, and it was on this hill that 
 Titus, the Eoman general, encamped with his 
 army when he besieged and captured Jerusalem 
 in A. D. 70. The highest point of the ridge is 
 2,680 feet above the level of the sea« 
 
 The most interesting spot about the base of 
 the Mount of Olives is Gethsemane. We reached 
 this place during a donkey-ride which I have pre- 
 viously described. To reach Gethsemane we rode 
 
 87
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 across the viaduct over the Kidron valley, past 
 the place where it is said that Stephen suffered 
 martyrdom by being stoned. A chapel is erected 
 here to mark the traditional spot. A short dis- 
 tance east of this is the place called Gethsemane. 
 The fact is, there are several places about Jeru- 
 salem that are called, by different sects, Gethsem- 
 ane, so we are by no means certain that the one 
 we visited is really the place. 
 
 The garden is enclosed by a high stone wall, 
 and the entrance is through a low gateway on 
 the east side. The enclosure is an irregular 
 quadrangle two hundred feet long and the same 
 in width. It is owned by the Franciscans, an or- 
 der of the Komish church. It is tended with great 
 care, being laid out with walks and flower-beds. 
 
 In the enclosure there are eight very old olive 
 trees. They are so aged that the trunks are par- 
 tially decayed and are shored up with stones. 
 The claim is made that the tree is still standing 
 under which Jesus suffered His agony, but this 
 is very improbable. It may be that the present 
 trees are shoots from the trees that existed then, 
 for olive trees live to a great age. The Francis- 
 cans gather the leaves and fasten them to leaflets 
 describing the garden, and hand them to visitors, 
 88
 
 GETHSEMANE, HOMAX 
 
 TRAUITIONAL PLACE WHERE THE DISCIPf.ES WATCHEU
 
 THE MOUNT OF OLIVES 
 
 expecting to receive a gift toward the mainte- 
 nance of the place. The oil from the olives which 
 grow on these trees is much esteemed and com- 
 mands a high price. The stones of the olives 
 are made into rosaries and sold. 
 
 I took a photograph of a portion of the garden 
 including an olive tree. As we passed out of the 
 place we came to a large ledge of rock, on which, 
 tradition says, Peter, James and John took their 
 position to watch while Jesus prayed, and where 
 they repeatedly fell asleep. This place also I 
 photographed. It rather seemed to me that this 
 place was the one or close to the one where Christ 
 prayed, "Father, if Thou be willing, remove this 
 cup from me : nevertheless not my will, but Thine, 
 be done" (Luke 22:42). 
 
 When we made the ascent of the Mount of 
 Olives, we went in carriages out the Jaffa gate, 
 and rode northward to the corner of the wall and 
 turned eastward. We went on the road leading 
 eastward and northward for some distance and 
 crossed the Kidron valley where there was little 
 depression. Circling southward and eastward we 
 ascended the ridge by an easy grade. On the way 
 we passed some beautiful country homes. 
 
 The Mount of Olives has upon_it scattered 
 80
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 olive, fig and carob trees. There is vegetation 
 where water is obtainable for irrigation. In 
 Christ's time there was a much more luxuriant 
 growth than now. Along the lower slope of the 
 hill I saw women carrying bundles of grain upon 
 their heads, which they had obtained by gleaning 
 during the day. 
 
 The Mount of Olives is largely occupied by 
 chapels, churches and other religious institutions 
 of different sects, Moslem, as well as Christian. 
 Traditions abound as to places where scripture 
 events took place. One of the heights of the ridge 
 is called, "Viri Galilei," which means, "Men of 
 Galilee," from a tradition that the two angels 
 addressed the men of Galilee at that place after 
 Christ's ascension. There is shown to the tourist 
 a stone in which is a foot-print of a man, which 
 is said to be that of Jesus, as He ascended to 
 heaven. This is unreasonable enough, for the 
 record says that Jesus led His disciples as far as 
 Bethany and was there taken from them (Luke 
 24:50). 
 
 The view from the summit of the Mount of 
 
 Olives is delightful. To the west, across the Kid- 
 
 ron valley, one sees the city of Jerusalem spread 
 
 out before him on its four hills. The gilded dome 
 
 fiO
 
 THE MOUNT OP OLIVES 
 
 of the Mosque of Omar is the most striking build- 
 ing in the city. Northward the city extends some 
 distance outside the walls. To the north is the 
 hill Scopus. To the southwest one looks across 
 the valley of Hinnom to the hills and plains of 
 Kephaim. To the south are the hills that hide 
 Bethlehem from view. The view to the east is 
 enchanting. One looks down the slope upon Beth- 
 any, and then over hills and valleys to the blue 
 waters of the Dead Sea. Although this sea is 
 nearly twenty miles away, it seems so near that 
 one could walk to it in an hour. One can see the 
 course of the Jordan marked by a fringe of green 
 along its banks. Twenty-five or thirty miles away 
 rise the mountains of Moab, distinctly and beauti- 
 fully blue. 
 
 My trip to this sacred place is never to be for- 
 gotten. On the Sunday afternoon that I spent in 
 Jerusalem, toward evening, in company with Pro- 
 fessor Luckey, I walked across the Kidron and 
 part of the way up the slope of the Mount of 
 Olives. As we went on, the sacredness of the 
 day and of the surroundings became more and 
 more impressive. At dusk we entered Jerusalem 
 by St. Stephen's gate and bade farewell to the 
 soil of the Mount of Olives.
 
 XIII 
 A VISIT TO BETHLEHEM 
 
 We were glad when the afternoon came for 
 our company to visit Bethlehem. We rode in 
 carriages, going out the Jaffa gate on the west 
 side of the city of Jerusalem and turned south- 
 ward. AVe rode along the wall for a short dis- 
 tance and crossed the valley of Hinnom. The sun 
 was warm and I was careful to protect my head 
 well from the heat. I put a large white handker- 
 chief over my head under my hat and let it hang 
 down to cover the back of my neck. I also carried 
 an umbrella to keep the sun off. It was quite 
 necessary to protect the eyes also from the bright 
 sun. The light there is very strong as the sun 
 beats down upon white buildings, walls and rocks. 
 The excessive brightness of the sun, in addition 
 to the dust driven by the wind, results in numer- 
 ous cases of sore eyes and blindness. 
 
 As we were ascending the hill two and a half 
 milefi from Jerusalem, we came to a well ou the 
 02
 
 A VISIT TO BETHLEHEM 
 
 left hand side of the road. This well has an in- 
 terest in connection with Christmas, for there is 
 a tradition, or story, that when the wise men came 
 from the East to look for Jesus, they came to 
 this well after leaving Jerusalem and stopped 
 here. It is said that here they saw the star which 
 had guided them from their distant home, and 
 which led them to the birthplace of Jesus at Beth- 
 lehem. 
 
 It is quite certain that Joseph and Mary trav- 
 eled over this very road on their way from their 
 Nazareth home to the city of Bethlehem, and they 
 may have stopped at this well to drink and to 
 rest. This road is good. It is macadamized and 
 is much used as there is a large amount of travel 
 from Jerusalem to Bethlehem and southward. 
 Farther on we saw a large rock by the road. There 
 was a depression in the rock, which tradition says 
 was made by Elijah when he rested there one night 
 during his flight from Jezebel. 
 
 On our way we passed through a hilly and 
 rocky country. There were level patches to be 
 seen here and there, but not large except in one 
 place. Portions of the mountainsides were ter- 
 raced and there were small areas of grain and 
 olive trees. The country was much parched, for 
 
 88
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 no rain had fallen since April, and the warm sun 
 had drawn most of the moisture from the ground. 
 It was harvest time, and the wheat and barley 
 were being cut by hand with sickles. The crop 
 was light. It would seem almost impossible for 
 people to get a living from such rocky, barren 
 soil. In the fall, winter and early spring there 
 are abundant rains, and there is plenty of pasture 
 for flocks and herds. We were told of instances 
 of persons' carrying twenty-five cents' worth of 
 produce ten miles to Jerusalem to sell it. 
 
 At a point four and a half miles from Jeru- 
 salem we came to Rachel's tomb. Here it is said 
 that Jacob buried Rachel. The place is visited 
 by Christians, Jews and Mohammedans, all of 
 whom look upon it with a considerable degree of 
 reverence. 
 
 We soon came to the outskirts of the city of 
 Bethlehem, as its distance from Jerusalem is only 
 about five miles. The city lies upon the northern 
 slope of a hill. After riding a short distance into 
 the town, we came to a place where the street was 
 too narrow to allow a carriage to pass, so we 
 went the remainder of the distance on foot. 
 
 The buildings of the city are of stone and are 
 mostly old and not very attractive. On our way
 
 RACHEL S TOMB 
 
 F.j^- 
 
 CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY
 
 A VISIT TO BETHLEHEM 
 
 through the narrow streets we saw a building in 
 course of construction. The blocks of stone were 
 being carried to the place by men. We saw a 
 man carrying on his back a stone that must have 
 weighed about five hundred pounds. Four or five 
 men accompanied him and frequently lifted the 
 stone while another man stepped under the bur- 
 den. The carrier had a heavy staff in one hand 
 to steady himself. There are several monasteries, 
 convents and schools in Bethlehem. The popula- 
 tion is 11,000 and nearly all are Christians, that 
 is, they belong to sects that believe in Christ. 
 There are only about sixty Protestants in the 
 city. 
 
 Bj far the most interesting point in Bethle- 
 hem is that which is said to be the birthplace of 
 Christ. A tradition dating from the second cen- 
 tury says that a cavern in the east part of the 
 city was the scene of the birth of our Lord. In the 
 early part of the fourth century Constantine, the 
 emperor of Kome, who had embraced Christianity, 
 built a church upon this spot, and it is almost 
 certain that a part of the original structure re- 
 mains. This cavern is reached by descending a 
 flight of steps on either side of the high altar of 
 the church. It is called the Chapel of the Na- 
 
 95
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 tivity. A silver star in the pavement marks the 
 supposed place of Christ's birth. Near by is 
 shown a stone manger in which it is said that 
 Christ was laid. We are by no means sure that 
 this is the exact place of His birth nor that He 
 was ever laid in that particular manger, but we 
 do know that we were not far from the place of 
 His birth and that He was laid in a manger there 
 or near by. 
 
 So impressed was I with the thought that I 
 was near, and perhaps upon, the very spot where 
 Jesus was born, that I felt a sacred awe coming 
 over me, and seemed to have a clearer sense than 
 ever before of what the coming of Jesus into the 
 world meant. 
 
 There is a large paved space in front of the 
 main entrance of the Church of the Nativity. A 
 slender cross stands upon the pointed roof of the 
 church. I took a picture of the building and the 
 open space in front. 
 
 As we looked off toward the east we saw what 
 is known as the Field of Boaz, which is said to be 
 the place where Ruth gleaned (Ruth 2:1-3). I 
 wondered where it was that the shepherds re- 
 ceived the announcement of the birth of Christ. 
 I saw the fields in the distance that might have 
 06
 
 A VISIT TO BETHLEHEM 
 
 been occupied by the shepherds and their flocks 
 on that first Christmas night. I was sure that 
 not far from the spot where I stood the shepherds 
 heard the song of the angels, "Glory to God in 
 the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward 
 men" (Luke 2:14). 
 
 There were many beggars in Bethlehem and 
 all visitors to places of interest were entreated 
 by these persons to give them "baksheesh." Many 
 people make a living by manufacturing souvenirs 
 and selling them to tourists. 
 
 The ride back to Jerusalem late in the after- 
 noon was delightful. The air became cool and 
 the extreme brightness of the sun had given way 
 to softer rays. The few hours which we spent in 
 making our visit to Bethlehem are a most pleasant 
 memory. It is not a dream, my trip to the place 
 of Christ's birth, but a reality, the memories of 
 which are most vivid. 
 
 97
 
 XIV 
 OVER THE JERICHO ROAD 
 
 The morning we were to make our journey to 
 Jericho we were called at five o'clock to prepare 
 to start from Jerusalem at six. It has only bean 
 a few years since a wagon road was made between 
 the two cities. Travelers were obliged to go on 
 foot or on the backs of horses or donkeys. The 
 members of our party of twenty-six besides the 
 conductor, Mr. Vickers, and two guides rode in 
 canopy-top spring wagons. Each wagon wa.s 
 drawn by three horses, driven by an Arab. 
 
 We rode out the Jaffa gate on the west side of 
 the city and rode northward to the northwest 
 corner of the city, then turned east. We rode 
 the length of the city along the wall, then turned 
 southward across the Kidron valley. As we came 
 to the hill on the east side of the valley, the horses 
 had to travel slowly, and we were besieged by 
 throngs of beggars. They took advantage of the 
 necessity we were under of going slowly and kept 
 
 98
 
 OVER THE JERICHO ROAD 
 
 begging for money until we reached the place in 
 the road where the teams could travel faster. 
 
 We turned southward and eastward after 
 having crossed the valley, and skirted the base 
 of the Mount of Olives, leaving it upon our left. 
 We found an excellent macadamized road the 
 first half of the way to Jericho, built and main- 
 tained by the Turkish government. Since the 
 Jordan valley is about four thousand feet lower 
 than the highest part of Jerusalem, the descent 
 is rapid and we went down many steep hills. As 
 we wound among the hills and looped back and 
 forth upon their sides, we realized fully the signif- 
 icance of the expression used with reference to the 
 man that fell among thieves, "A certain man went 
 down from Jerusalem to Jericho." The distance 
 is something like twelve miles, but one must drive 
 eighteen to cover the distance between the two 
 cities. The hills are a little higher than I ex- 
 pected to find them. 
 
 For some distance the valleys and terraced 
 hillsides are carefully cultivated, but the growth 
 is small except where there is irrigation, and there 
 is not much of that. I saw a place not far on the 
 road from Jerusalem to Jericho where cattle were 
 at work pumping water for purposes of irrigation. 
 
 99
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 Three or four miles from the city we came to 
 what is called the Apostles' Spriug from the sup- 
 position that the apostles must have drunk water 
 from it. There is no well between that place and 
 the Jordan valley. The water is not very good. 
 There is a building close by where refreshments 
 are sold, and here we were besought for "bak- 
 sheesh." While we were stopping for a few min- 
 utes a large drove of camels came by. They did 
 not keep to the road all the way, but cut across 
 from one loop to another to save distance. A 
 driver had a little trouble with the camel he was 
 riding. He had dismounted near the spring, and 
 as he went to mount again, he ordered the camel 
 to kneel down. He was slow to obey and the 
 driver beat him. The camel finally got down, but 
 instantly got up without giving the driver time 
 to mount. This process was repeated several 
 tin)es before the driver succeeded in mounting. 
 This was noticeable, because, as a rule, the camels 
 I saw were very docile. Several Syrian boys were 
 about this place with slings for sale. They were 
 said to be of the same kind as that which David 
 used in slaying Goliath. 
 
 We had gone but a short distance from the 
 Apostles' Spring before we came to a deep ravine, 
 
 100
 
 OVER THE JERICHO ROAD 
 
 which is called Cherith. Here we saw the place 
 bj a brook between steep, high, rocky walls, where 
 tradition says that Elijah was fed by ravens 
 during the great drought in the land of Israel. 
 Near this spot are caves or excavations in the 
 steep rock walls where many hermits live. These 
 walls seemed to be four or five hundred feet high. 
 A donkey path leads along the ravine about mid- 
 way between the top and the bottom of the rocky 
 side. This is a difficult place to reach. 
 
 About half way between Jerusalem and Jeri- 
 cho we came to the Khan Hathrur, a Turkish 
 post-office and rest-house, where refreshments are 
 sold. This place is called the Samaritan Inn, for 
 tradition says that this is the scene of the story 
 of the good Samaritan. We stopped here for a 
 time to look over the curios and souvenirs that 
 were for sale and to let the horses rest. 
 
 I could easily believe that this is not a safe 
 region for one to traverse alone. We met many 
 Bedouins traveling on foot or with camels, horses 
 or donkeys. They were generally fully armed with 
 guns or knives. In answer to my inquiries of the 
 guides as to why they went armed, I was told that 
 it was to protect themselves and their flocks from 
 robbers and wolves. It was also hinted that the 
 
 101
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 Bedouins m*<!ded to protect themselves from one 
 another. The keeper of the Khan Hathrur had a 
 bright boy about twelve years old who was anxious 
 to come to America for the sake of the great op- 
 portunities here. He will probably succeed in 
 making his way hither within a few years. 
 
 The region between the Samaritan Inn and 
 Jericho is a desert indeed. Almost no vegetation 
 was to be seen, only an occasional tuft of a prickly 
 plant. The road was not so good as that between 
 Jerusalem and the Samaritan Inn. Much of the 
 way it lay over the bare bed-rock, and was so 
 steep in places that it was necessary for the men 
 of the party to walk. To me it was more comfort- 
 able to walk than to ride over the rough rocks 
 down the steep hills. 
 
 We reached Jericho at eleven o'clock in the 
 forenoon and found it to be a straggling, unat- 
 tractive little village of a few hundred inhabi- 
 tants. Before noon we rode to the old Jericho, 
 about a mile north, and saw where excavations 
 had been recently made, uncovering what are be- 
 lieved to be the walls of the Jericho of Joshua's 
 time. I was interested in visiting Elisha's pool 
 at this place. It seems certain that this is the 
 fountain whose bitter waters Elisha miraculous- 
 102
 
 .SAMARITAN IN.V 
 
 JEBICHO
 
 OVER THE JERICHO ROAD 
 
 ly made sweet. There is an abundant flow of 
 good water which supplies the village of Jericho 
 and is used to some extent for irrigation. 
 
 There are several hotels in Jericho for the 
 convenience of tourists. We stayed at Hotel 
 Bellevue where we had comfortable accommoda- 
 tions. The heat was more oppressive here than 
 at any other place I visited in Palestine, though 
 the thermometer registered only eighty-seven de- 
 grees in the hotel. The Jordan valley lies so low 
 in comparison with Jerusalem, that there is a 
 great contrast between the atmospheric condi- 
 tions of the two places. The nights were pleasant- 
 ly cool everywhere I was in Palestine except 
 Jericho. 
 
 103
 
 XV 
 
 IN THE JOKDAN VALLEY 
 
 A little to the northwest from Jericho is what 
 is called the "Hill of the Temptation." Tradition 
 has it that this is the place where Jesus under- 
 went His temptation in the wilderness. The loca- 
 tion meets the conditions, as they are stated in 
 the Gospel narratives, but there are other places 
 which meet them equally well. Among the cliffs 
 of this region were formerly the homes of hermits, 
 and there still exists the "Chapel of the Tempta- 
 tion." There is a Greek monastery on the very 
 top of this hill. 
 
 In this region it was not diflScult for me to see 
 in my imagination the Israelites as they marched 
 across the bed of the Jordan and the valley to 
 Gilgal toward Jericho. 
 
 At half past two o'clock in the afternoon our 
 party started in carriages from Jericho for the 
 Jordan. Our route lay nearly east. After leaving 
 the town we passed through a region which had 
 
 104
 
 IN THE JORDAN VALLEY 
 
 little vegetation and where there were no well- 
 defined roads. We passed over dry watercourses. 
 It was during the dry season and everything was 
 parched. 
 
 To our right a few miles we could see the Dead 
 Sea and in the distance ahead of us could be seen 
 a line of trees and bushes, which marked the 
 course of the Jordan River. On beyond the river 
 a distance of eight or ten miles arose the moun- 
 tains of Moab, in which are the Pisgah range and 
 Mount Nebo. 
 
 During the ride of five miles from Jericho to 
 the Jordan we passed through no village nor by a 
 human habitation. In the distance to the left is 
 what is thought to be the site of the ancient Gil- 
 gal, and farther on in the distance is the Greek 
 Monastery of St. John, which, tradition says, was 
 built over the grotto where John the Baptist 
 dwelt. Far off to the right and not far from the 
 Dead Sea is the Monastery of St. Gerasimos. The 
 region is desolate and barren, but without doubt, 
 with a system of irrigation in operation, water 
 being supplied in abundance from the Jordan, the 
 valley could be made exceedingly productive. 
 
 In about an hour we came to the bank of the 
 Jordan. I looked with feelings of reverence upon 
 105
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 the historic stream, recalling the crossing of the 
 Jordan by the Israelites and Elijah and Elisha 
 upon dry ground, and remembering other events 
 connected with the river. Then I recalled some 
 of the hymns which have reference to the Jordan. 
 
 The water is not clear, but has a tawny color 
 because of the yellow soil it carries, washed from 
 the banks in its rapid course. Naaman, the leper, 
 was not pleased with its waters twenty-eight cen- 
 turies ago, when he was told to bathe in them for 
 his healing. He thought Abana and Pharpar, rivers 
 of Damascus, better than all the rivers of Israel. 
 The water seemed clearer than I had expected to 
 see it, but the river was comparatively low. In 
 time of flood it would be more yellow. 
 
 The Jordan's average width when not in flood 
 is about one hundred feet. From the Sea of Gali- 
 lee to the Dead Sea is a distance, in a direct line, 
 of sixty miles and it falls six hundred ten feet. 
 By its many windings it flows one hundred eighty- 
 five miles in passing from the one sea to the other. 
 
 At the point where we stopped on the bank 
 of the Jordan, the river is possibly seventy-five 
 feet wide and twenty feet deep. The banks are 
 covered with trees and shrubs overhanging the 
 water. There are tamarisks, willows and large 
 
 lOG
 
 IN THE JORDAN VALLEY 
 
 poplars. I took a photograph of the Jordan at a 
 bend of the river, looking east. In the distance is 
 a native in a rowboat. The scene at four o'clock 
 in the afternoon, when I took the picture, was 
 very impressive, with the waters placid, the sun 
 shining upon them and the reflection of trees 
 making a beautiful view. 
 
 An interesting event took place here. A mem- 
 ber of the party, Dr. Eamsay, was baptized. He 
 had been baptized in infancy in Ireland. He was 
 converted when a young man in Minneapolis 
 among the Volunteers, under the labors of 
 Mr. Andrick, who was also a member of the party. 
 He had long desired to be baptized in the Jordan 
 and as the opportunity was afforded, Mr. Andrick 
 baptized him. A service consisting of song, the 
 reading of a scripture portion, and prayer was 
 held. 
 
 As our time was limited, we stayed at this 
 place not more than an hour, and passed south- 
 ward a few miles to the Dead Sea. I had ex- 
 pected to see this water dingy and dark in appear- 
 ance, but found it blue and clear. As I tasted it, 
 I found it exceedingly bitter and salt. It contains 
 about twenty-five per cent of salts of different 
 kinds. Most of the men in our party sought a re- 
 107
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 tired place and went in bathing. So great is the 
 buoyancy of the water that one can not sink. One 
 has a little difficulty in swimming there because 
 his feet are apt to be carried out of the water, 
 and he must keep them down and hold his head 
 up. One can lie on his back and read. In fact, 
 a photograph was taken of a tourist floating in 
 the water. He was holding an umbrella over his 
 head with one hand and a book in the other and 
 reading. The salts in the water are apt to irri- 
 tate the skin of the bather, but I experienced no 
 unpleasant sensations from that source. 
 
 Here we saw a small, rudely-constructed build- 
 ing in which drinks and native food were sold. 
 In this region the heat is great and the atmos- 
 phere oppressive. After an hour's stay we rode 
 to Jericho and spent the night at the hotel. This 
 was the warmest night I experienced during my 
 stay in the Orient. 
 
 We arose at three o'clock the next morning and 
 started back to Jerusalem at four. We started 
 thus early so that we might ascend the long, steep 
 hills during the cool part of the day. 
 
 108
 
 XVI 
 BETHANY 
 
 One of the very interesting events occurring 
 during our absence from Jerusalem on our Jordan 
 trip was a visit to Bethany. It was on our way 
 back from Jericho that we stopped at this place, 
 whose name is familiar to all Bible readers. The 
 village lies almost directly upon the road between 
 Jerusalem and Jericho. 
 
 We remembered that it was hither that Jesus 
 journeyed, not hastily, but leisurely, when word 
 came to Him that His friend Lazarus was sick, 
 and arrived after he had been dead four days. 
 Here He raised him from the dead. 
 
 We remembered also that it was toward this 
 little town that Jesus wended His way from Jeru- 
 salem several times during the week before His 
 crucifixion, in order to find a quiet resting-place 
 in the home of His friends, Mary, Martha and 
 Lazarus. 
 
 So fully did the name of Lazarus become iden- 
 100
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 tified with the town that the Arabic name is El- 
 Azarijeh, which literally means "The Lazarus," 
 and Moslems, as well as the so-called Christians 
 there, regard Lazarus as one of the saints. 
 
 As we rode up the hills from Jericho toward 
 Jerusalem and came within a few miles of the 
 city, we saw to the north of the road the little 
 village which we know as Bethany. It lies upon 
 the southeast slope of the Mount of Olives. Its 
 situation is beautiful. In the time when it flour- 
 ished, and when the land was more fruitful than 
 it is to-day, it was called Bethany, which means 
 "house of dates." This was probably because of 
 the date-palm orchards growing there then. The 
 region is still somewhat productive. We saw sev- 
 eral thrashing-floors very close to Bethany and 
 the region is dotted with olive, fig and other trees. 
 
 The village is Moslem and consists of about 
 forty houses, most of which appear much dilapi- 
 dated. They are mostly of stone, while a few mud 
 hovels may be seen. There is nothing attractive 
 there now, only from the historic associations of 
 the place. 
 
 We left the carriages at the edge of the vil- 
 lage and went on foot to the places of interest, 
 for the streets were too narrow for carriages. We 
 110
 
 BETHANY 
 
 went first to the traditional tomb of Lazarus, 
 which is close by the Mohammedan mosque. We 
 saw nothing at first to give us an idea that we 
 were close to a tomb. We saw only a rather 
 rough stone wall like those that formed the sides 
 of houses along the narrow street. 
 
 Our guide stopped before an ordinary door- 
 way and informed us that this was the entrance 
 to the tomb of Lazarus. As we looked down the 
 steps inside the door, the place seemed gloomy 
 enough. There was a woman by the door with 
 a supply of small candles, which she furnished to 
 visitors who wished to go down into the tomb. 
 Of course she expected a fee for providing them. 
 One goes down a stairway of twenty-two steps to 
 the tomb antechamber and by two long steps more 
 to reach the tomb proper. The place was original- 
 ly a cavern with tombs, but it has been walled up 
 with masonry. 
 
 About ninety feet southwest of the tomb of 
 Lazarus is a ruined tower, called the Tower of 
 Lazarus. It is said that this is on the site of the 
 house of Simon the leper, where Mary anointed 
 Jesus. A hundred feet east of this tower is the 
 supposed site of the home of Mary and Martha. 
 
 The visitor to Bethany is an object of deep 
 111
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 interest to the inhabitants. They crowd around 
 him in great numbers asking for "baksheesh." 
 The beggars I saw there were as wretched and 
 persistent as those I saw anywhere. They crowded 
 about us before the entrance to the tomb of Laza- 
 rus and I took a picture of them. 
 
 The traditional sites of these places of historic 
 interest are somewhat changeable. They have not 
 remained the same during the centuries, but since 
 Bethany is small, I was satisfied that I was not 
 far from the spot where Jesus spoke the memor- 
 able words, ''Lazarus, come forth." 
 
 We went back to the carriages with the satis- 
 faction of having been where Christ performed 
 one of His most important miracles, and near the 
 place from which He ascended to heaven. We 
 rode on the two miles to Jerusalem, thinking of 
 the journey of Jesus toward the city which He 
 entered in triumph. We came to a spot where the 
 whole of Jerusalem burst upon our view, as it 
 did upon His, and my feelings can not well be 
 described. He looked down upon the gilded and 
 profaned temple of the Lord, while we looked 
 down upon the great Mosque of Omar. 
 
 112
 
 TOMl! OF L.VZAKLS 
 
 ^!5»-*«*v ^»^P^ 
 
 
 
 SOLOMON S POOLS
 
 XVII 
 SOME JERUSALEM POOLS 
 
 One of the greatest material needs of modern 
 Jerusalem is an adequate water supply. Water is 
 a precious commodity there in the long dry sea- 
 son. Sometimes it is so scarce that it is sold in 
 the streets. It is too scarce to be used in street- 
 sprinkling to any great extent. At different times 
 I saw water, that had been used for washing or 
 scrubbing, thrown into the streets of the city to 
 lay the dust. 
 
 The water used in the city is largely drawn 
 from cisterns, in which it is caught during the 
 winter season. There are a few large public reser- 
 voirs, and very many smaller ones, in which water 
 is saved to be used during the summer. 
 
 In ancient times water was brought from 
 springs and other sources outside the city, and 
 carried by bidden conduits into the city, so that 
 the inhabitants were able to withstand a long 
 siege. To some extent water is now being brought 
 113
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 from a distance in conduits to supply the needs 
 of the city. 
 
 It is diflScult to locate with any certainty the 
 pools of which we read in the Bible, with the ex- 
 ception of Siloam, and even that is disputed ; yet 
 it is quite certain that this pool is at the southeast 
 corner of Jerusalem. It is probably fed from the 
 Fountain of the Virgin which is perhaps eighty 
 rods north of it, up the Kidron valley. A subter- 
 ranean channel connects the fountain with the 
 pool. I saw many women and girls carrying water 
 from this fountain in water-pots, and men were 
 there filling their goatskin bottles. 
 
 There is a difference of opinion as to the loca- 
 tion of the pool of Gihon. One view is that it is the 
 same as the Fountain of the Virgin, so called from 
 the tradition that Mary went there for water 
 when Jesus was a babe; another view is that it 
 was in the valley west of Jerusalem, nearly op- 
 posite the Jaffa gate. Our guide told us that the 
 latter was the location of Gihon. 
 
 In company with a few others of the party I 
 went early one morning in search of Hezekiah's 
 pool. After much inquiry we found it. It is also 
 called the Patriarch's pool, and is situated near 
 the intersection of David street and the street of 
 114
 
 SOME JERUSALEM POOLS 
 
 the Christians, in the west central part of the 
 city. We ascended a flight of steps in a building, 
 and passing through it, we stood on a balcony 
 overlooking the pool. It is merely an open cistern, 
 partially hewn from the solid rock and partially 
 constructed of masonry. The bottom of it is ten 
 feet below the grade of the street. It is two hun- 
 dred forty feet in length and one hundred forty- 
 four in width. During the rainy season it con- 
 tains water which is conducted into it from the 
 roofs of adjoining buildings, and is also supplied 
 from the Mamilla pool <Hitside the walls of the 
 city on the west, with AAhich it is connected by 
 a conduit. When I saw it, there was no water 
 in it, except in one corner. It is called Hezekiah's 
 pool from the tradition which ascribes its con- 
 struction to King Hezekiah. 
 
 We went east and north of this pool to visit 
 the pool of Bethesda. Near the gate of St. 
 Stephen and a little north of the Temple Area is 
 the church of St. Anne, As we approached the 
 front of this building, we saw several persons 
 drawing water from what appeared to be a well ; 
 but upon inquiry we found that the water came 
 from an immense cistern. We learned that when 
 the people were preparing to build a school and 
 115
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 monastery in connection with St. Anne's church, 
 their excavations uncovered a great reservoir, or 
 pool, over which there had been a chapel. We de- 
 scended fifteen feet from the present grade to 
 reach the ancient level. From this point twenty- 
 four steps lead down to the level of the water. 
 While we are not certain that this is the pool 
 which in the scriptures is called Bethesda, it seems 
 to answer to the conditions very well. The priests 
 in charge of the place appeared to have no doubt 
 about it. 
 
 Eight miles south of Jerusalem there are three 
 pools, which are now known as Solomon's pools. 
 They are thus named from a fanciful interpreta- 
 tion of Eccl. 2:6, in which Solomon speaks of 
 making pools for himself. These pools are large. 
 The lowest and largest one of the three is nearly 
 six hundred feet long, one hundred fifty feet wide 
 and forty-eight feet deep. They are supplied with 
 water from the hill on the side of which they are 
 constructed. Conduits were laid to carry the 
 water to Jerusalem. These lines wound about 
 among the hills to maintain the proper grade, so 
 the water would run to the city. The distance 
 from the pools to Jerusalem is eight miles, but on 
 account of their windings, the length of the con- 
 116
 
 SOME JEEUSALEM POOLS 
 
 duits is forty-seven miles. One line, however, 
 reaches the city in a length of twenty miles. These 
 pools have been repaired within a few years, and 
 the conduits have been put in order, so that a 
 limited supply of water is conveyed to Jerusalem. 
 Steps are being taken looking toward the pro- 
 viding of an adequate water supply for the com- 
 fort and health of the inhabitants of the sacred 
 city, and relief is hoped for. 
 
 117
 
 XVIII 
 SOME JEKUSALEM TRADITIONS 
 
 Jerusalem is, first of all, a religious city. It is 
 commercial in no great sense, but it is held to be 
 a sacred city by Jews, Christians and Mohamme- 
 dans. There have come to be traditions almost 
 without number. Some of these date back to the 
 sixth century and some are but two or three hun- 
 dred years old. 
 
 When we consider the history of the city, re- 
 membering that it was destroyed by Nebuchad- 
 nezzar in the sixth century B. C. ; that Herod cap- 
 tured the city in B. C. 37; that the Romans cap- 
 tured and destroyed it in A. D. 70, and that it 
 lay in ruins until 130, when it was rebuilt by 
 Hadrian, and in two years trouble again arose 
 through an outbreak of the Jews, who were for- 
 bidden to enter the city ; that for centuries Jeru- 
 salem was buried in obscurity; that after the ac- 
 ceptance of Christianity by Rome the Jews were 
 allowed certain privileges in the city; that early 
 
 118
 
 SOME JERUSALEM TRADITIONS 
 
 in the seventh century it was captured and par- 
 tially destroyed by the Persians; that twenty- 
 three years later, in 637, it was taken by the Mo- 
 hammedans; that in 969 it fell into the hands of 
 an Egyptian party ; that it was captured in 1099 
 by the Christians in the First Crusade; that it 
 was recaptured by the Mohammedans in 1187, and 
 that it has since passed through severe struggles ; 
 it must be granted that little is definitely known 
 concerning the location of the events of Bible 
 times. 
 
 We bear in mind that Bible events have been 
 deeply impressed upon the minds of the people, 
 and those who are religiously inclined wish to fix 
 upon some place with which a particular event 
 may be connected. The ignorant and unscrupu- 
 lous would be inclined to accept conjectures as 
 facts, and thus there arose many traditions which 
 are without any foundation in fact. 
 
 I have already noted a few traditions, and I 
 may mention some of them again, and I shall in 
 addition speak of others. I do not mention them 
 because I consider them probable, but to show 
 how ready certain people are to believe unproved 
 and unreasonable things. 
 
 In connection with the Church of the Holy 
 U9
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 Sepulcher there is a chapel erected on the tradi- 
 tional spot where Abraham saw the ram caught 
 in the bushes as he was about to sacrifice his son 
 Isaac. Not far from this chapel is another called 
 the Chapel of Adam from the tradition that Adam 
 was buried there. Above this is the traditional 
 spot where the cross stood on which Christ was 
 crucified. The tradition goes on to declare that 
 the blood of Christ trickled through the rock be- 
 neath and came in contact with the bones of 
 Adam and he was restored to life. Outside the 
 walls of Jerusalem to the southeast is an old mul- 
 berry tree, protected by stones, which marks the 
 traditional place where Isaiah, according to tra- 
 dition, suffered martyrdom by being sawn asunder. 
 Near this place is a well which is called Job's 
 Well. There is a tradition that the holy fire from 
 the temple was hidden in this well during the 
 years of the Babylonish captivity, and was dis- 
 covered by Nehemiah on his coming to Jerusalem 
 from Babylon. The traditional tomb of David 
 was shown to us and also the room where the Last 
 Supper was held. 
 
 In the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is a stone 
 slab, which tradition says is the one upon which 
 the body of Jesus was laid to be anointed. The 
 120
 
 SOME JEKUSALEM TRADITIONS 
 
 stone now there was placed in position in 1808. 
 A chapel is shown, which is called the Prison of 
 Christ, marking the spot where Christ and the 
 two thieves were confined, according to tradition, 
 before they were crucified. There is an altar with 
 two round holes in it, said to be the stocks in 
 which the feet of Jesus were placed. The Chapel 
 of Longinus marks a strange tradition. It is said 
 that Longinus was the Roman soldier who thrust 
 a spear into Jesus' side. He was blind in one eye, 
 and when the water and blood gushed forth, some 
 went into his blind eye and his sight was restored. 
 Tradition says that the stone columns of the 
 Chapel of St. Helena used to shed tears over the 
 death of Christ. It is said that Helena discovered 
 the true cross at this place. 
 
 To the south of Jerusalem across the valley 
 of Hinnom is the Hill of Evil Counsel, on which 
 is shown an olive tree where tradition says that 
 Judas hung himself. In the slope of this hill are 
 many rock-hewn tombs. The largest of these is 
 called the Apostles' Cave from the tradition that 
 the apostles hid themselves in it during the cruci- 
 fixion of Christ. A tomb in the valley of Jehosha- 
 phat is called the Grotto of St. James from the 
 tradition that James lay concealed here without 
 121
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 food from the time of the betrayal of Jesus until 
 His resurrection. 
 
 On the Mount of Olives is the Church of the 
 Lord's Prayer, built there to mark the traditional 
 spot where Jesus taught this prayer to the 
 disciples. There is a portico extending around an 
 open court, and in this portico I saw thirty-two 
 tablets containing the Lord's prayer in as many 
 different languages. 
 
 On Easter day crowds gather at the Church of 
 the Holy Sepulcher to see what is claimed to be 
 the miracle of the Holy Fire. All is excitement 
 and expectancy, for at a given time fire bursts 
 from an opening in the Chapel of the Holy Sepul- 
 cher. Multitudes accept the claim that the fire 
 comes from heaven, but it is reported that a wire 
 reaching upward from this apartment to the roof 
 is smeared with an inflammable substance which 
 is set on fire at the roof and quickly burns down- 
 ward. 
 
 The House of St. Veronica marks the tradi- 
 tional spot where Veronica is said to have wiped 
 the sweat from the Savior's brow on the way to 
 Calvary, and His image remained imprinted on the 
 handkerchief. This one handkerchief is shown as 
 a relic in several European churches ! 
 122
 
 SOME JERUSALEM TRADITIONS 
 
 I will mention two Mohammedan traditions. 
 One is that all will meet in the valley of Jehosha- 
 phat for judgment. A thin wire rope will be 
 stretched from the Golden Gate of Jerusalem, 
 which has been walled up for years, across the val- 
 ley to the Mount of Olives. Christ will sit on the 
 wall of the city and Mohammed will sit on the 
 Mount of Olives, as judges. All men must pass 
 over the wire. The righteous will be helped quick- 
 ly across by angels, but the wicked will fall into 
 the abyss. Under the Dome of the Rock in the 
 Temple Area is a cavern. Mohammed said that 
 one prayer offered there was better than a thou- 
 sand elsewhere. Tradition says that he prayed 
 there and was translated to heaven on the back 
 of his horse. In the ceiling is seen the mark of 
 his head, and on the side the print of the hand 
 of the angel that restrained the Rock from follow- 
 ing Mohammed to heaven. 
 
 I have given but a few of the many traditions 
 current about Jerusalem. I mention them because 
 they are curious and because they show how far 
 people will go in superstition when they lose sight 
 of the essence and power of true religion. We may 
 well be thankful for the light of the gospel of 
 Jesus Christ that saves from superstition. 
 
 128
 
 XIX 
 
 SHOPPING IN JERUSALEM 
 
 When we speak of going shopping in America, 
 we think of large stores with great stocks of goods 
 and many clerks to wait upon customers; but 
 shopping in Jerusalem is very different from what 
 it is here. In our own country we have depart- 
 ment stores in our large cities where one can buy 
 almost any article he may desire, but in the sacred 
 city the stores, or shops, are very small, with one 
 or two exceptions. 
 
 In a previous section I have said that the city 
 is divided into four principal quarters, the Chris- 
 tian, the Armenian, the Jewish and the Moham- 
 medan. Each of these quarters has its own shop- 
 ping district. The shops in one quarter do not 
 differ greatly from the shops in another. 
 
 We may picture to ourselves a narrow street, 
 eight or ten feet wide, paved with stones. Some 
 of the streets for a part of their length are roofed 
 over, so that there is not much natural light ad- 
 
 124
 
 SHOPPING IN JERUSALEM 
 
 mitted. On each side of the street there are rooms, 
 possibly ten feet square, which are used as shops. 
 In these the shopkeepers and their aFiiistants, if 
 there are any, carry on their trade. Some of 
 the shops are larger than others and they vary in 
 shape. 
 
 Naturally we do not look for department stores 
 here. Each shop is given over to the handling of 
 a limited line of goods or to a particular kind of 
 w^ork. In the dry-goods section there are shops 
 on each side of the street, in which goods are piled 
 up high on shelves about the walls. The counters 
 generally extend parallel with the street and on 
 the street line, so that the purchaser stands out- 
 side the shop to do his buying. The whole front 
 of the shop is open to the street. To close the 
 shop, iron shutters are pulled down and locked at 
 the bottom with padlocks. This way of closing 
 shops is common in the East, and in many parts 
 of Europe the fronts of shops and stores are pro- 
 tected with this kind of shutter. 
 
 I saw many native restaurants where foods of 
 different kinds were for sale. Pieces of meat were 
 pierced with slender wooden rods, or spits, and 
 roasted over a charcoal fire and sold to patrons 
 who ate them there with the native flat loaves of 
 125
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 bread. On several mornings I went through David 
 street and Christian street and passed provision 
 shops, where the wares were not especially in- 
 viting. Fresh meat was exposed for sale, hanging 
 where the dust of the street could settle upon it, 
 and where flies could have easy access. I saw a 
 shopkeeper going through his daily work of 
 washing the native cheeses he had for sale. 
 
 These goods, and especially fruits and vege- 
 tables, are placed on the sidewalks, if we might 
 call them sidewalks. It was a mystery to me how 
 many of these poor tradesmen could make a living, 
 until I was reminded that very little is expended 
 for living by the poor in that country. 
 
 I saw a trade being carried on in Jerusalem 
 that is probably the same practically as in Bible 
 times. The business of changing money still exists. 
 There were several money-changers sitting at 
 stands with coins of different kinds, prepared to 
 exchange the money of one country for that of 
 another. I was informed that they were inclined 
 to take a good compensation for the service ren- 
 dered in their trade. I had no occasion to patron- 
 ize them, as that service could be obtained at the 
 hotel. 
 
 In Palestine, as in other Oriental countries, a 
 
 126
 
 SHOPPING IN JERUSALEM 
 
 Bible custom still exists in the manner of measur- 
 ing grain. At the grain market the buyer takes 
 the measure and fills it with grain, pressing it 
 down with his hands and shaking it together, so 
 that he can put more in. He heaps it up until 
 no more will stay on the measure. This is called 
 a measure of grain. 
 
 I went out on the street one day to buy a few 
 lemons. A boy of fourteen or fifteen was about 
 the hotel door, whom I had seen there a number 
 of times. He was bright and seemed pleasant and 
 accommodating. I asked him where I could buy 
 some lemons. He knew and showed me the way to 
 a street pedler. I bought the fruit at a satisfac- 
 tory bargain, but I had to give my guide a tip 
 also. It seemed to me that an active, intelligent 
 boy ought to be doing better than to be getting 
 money in that way, but he said there was abso- 
 lutely no job that he could get in Jerusalem and 
 he was trying to get enough money to go to 
 America. 
 
 One is asked a high price for articles and seems 
 under the necessity of bringing the merchant 
 down in his price or pay much more than the ar- 
 ticle is worth. I wished to buy a pair of colored 
 glasses to protect my eyes from the bright sun- 
 127
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 light of Palestine. The guide of our party ofifered 
 to take me to a shop outside the walls where I 
 could buy the glasses. I looked at the goods and 
 found the prices asked were far higher than I 
 thought I ought to pay, so selecting the pair I 
 wished, I offered him about half his price and he 
 accepted it with little hesitation. 
 
 There is a store called the London shop out- 
 side the walls, which resembles some of our gen- 
 eral stores in a country town; but it had an 
 Oriental appearance in the kind of goods sold. 
 The American Colony store is close to the prin- 
 cipal hotel in Jerusalem, and is inside the walls. 
 It is a large establishment and carries goods like- 
 ly to be wanted by tourists. Among the souvenirs 
 were beautiful oflSce-desks made of olive wood. 
 These and other articles of furniture appealed to 
 us, but their cost and the expense of bringing them 
 to America kept us from buying extensively. 
 
 One peculiarity of Oriental shops is that a 
 siesta, or rest period, is taken in the middle of the 
 day. This custom prevails also to some extent in 
 Europe. It is a little annoying to an active Ameri- 
 can, who wishes to do shopping, to find business 
 places closed for two hours in the middle of the 
 day. 
 
 128
 
 SHOPPING IN JERUSALEM 
 
 It is interesting, as well as annoying, to be 
 solicited to go into souvenir shops by the keepers 
 or their agents. As we went to and from our 
 hotel we passed several shops of this kind. The 
 keepers well knew that we were tourists and they 
 begged us to go in and look at their' goods, and 
 told us over and over that their goods were "very 
 cheap." 
 
 As we passed through the streets on Sunday, 
 we saw that many of the shops were closed in 
 the Christian quarter, but aside from that there 
 was little evidence of Sabbath-keeping. Friday 
 is the sacred day of the Mohammedans and Satur- 
 day is the Jewish Sabbath, hence business is going 
 forward to a great extent on every day of the 
 week. 
 
 129
 
 XX. 
 
 CHRISTIANIZING JERUSALEM 
 
 It seems rather strange to think of the Chris- 
 tianizing of Jerusalem, the great religious center 
 of the world; but we read in the Gospel of Luke 
 that the preaching of the gospel was to begin at 
 Jerusalem, and in the Acts, that the apostles were 
 to be witnesses first in Jerusalem. In the time of 
 our Lord there was a wide difference between the 
 formal, empty, hypocritical religion of the mass of 
 the Jews and the true, spiritual religion that Je- 
 sus taught. 
 
 I realized as I went from place to place in and 
 around Jerusalem that, in an important sense, I 
 was treading upon holy ground, for I was in the 
 city where great moral and religious events had 
 occurred. The very atmosphere seemed to whis- 
 per of religion. The buildings devoted to religious 
 uses were everywhere, — churches, convents, mon- 
 asteries, shrines, mosques, synagogues and schools. 
 Yet the religion was so formal, so empty, so cor-
 
 CHRISTIANIZING JERUSALEM 
 
 rupt, that the true Christian naturally turned 
 from it with pity for the people who were in spiri- 
 tual darkness. 
 
 One passes great numbers of persons of relig- 
 ious orders in going through the city. There are 
 Mohammedans with white turbans upon their 
 heads. The white turban is worn by those who 
 lay claim to peculiar sanctity. Occasionally a 
 Mohammedan is seen who declares by wearing a 
 yellow turban that he has made a visit to Mecca, 
 the most sacred spot to the Moslem world. In 
 the vicinity of Roman Catholic institutions one 
 sees large numbers of priests of different orders, 
 wearing long robes and many of them with low- 
 crowned, broad-brimmed, black beaver hats. 
 About Greek institutions are many priests with 
 full beards, wearing tall, black, rimless hats with 
 flat tops. 
 
 The Mohammedan element in Jerusalem, as 
 elsewhere, needs to be Christianized. There is a 
 pathetic sadness generally upon the faces of this 
 class of people. Their lives are corrupt. Their 
 hearts are unchanged. Their religion does not 
 affect their conduct to make it right. 
 
 The Jewish world needs to be Christianized. 
 The rejecters of Jesus Christ have little to hope 
 131
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 for. They gather at their Wailing Place and la- 
 ment the distresses that have come to their sacred 
 city and to their race. They see their holy place 
 defiled and profaned by the unhallowed feet of 
 the Moslems. They are confronted by the garb 
 and ceremonies of those who believe that Christ 
 has come. They take some comfort in considering 
 that they are living where their ancient fathers 
 lived and are to be buried in the sacred soil of 
 Judea. 
 
 The professedly Christian sects need to be 
 Christianized. The Greek, the Latin, the Coptic 
 and the Armenian monasteries are full of relig- 
 ionists, who make much of ceremony and little of 
 spirituality. They have an idolatry that is de- 
 structive of true religion. They seem to worship 
 sacred places and to adore images and relics. The 
 Romish priests have elaborate ceremonies at the 
 dififerent stations along the "Via Dolorosa," or sor- 
 rowful way, the way over which Jesus, according 
 to tradition, passed in going to Calvary. The 
 Greeks have imposing services on the days before 
 Easter and other occasions which they consider 
 sacred. On Holy Thursday the patriarch of Jeru- 
 salem washes the feet of twelve high ecclesiastical 
 ofiQcials with great ceremony. 
 132
 
 CHRISTIANIZING JERUSALEM 
 
 Because of the strength of their religious prej- 
 udices, the people of Jerusalem are not easy to 
 reach with the gospel of Christ. Their multi- 
 plicity of religious forms and their devotion to the 
 religion of their fathers result in their full de- 
 pendence upon what they have, and they do not 
 accept the salvation of Christ. Their faith is in 
 forms of religion. Evangelical repentance and 
 saving faith are not evident. I was moved with 
 pity for these classes of people as I saw them bow- 
 ing down to images and kissing objects, which to 
 them were sacred. 
 
 There are only about one thousand six hun- 
 dred Protestant Christians in Jerusalem. There 
 is an English Protestant community under the di- 
 rection and support of the Church of England. 
 They have two or three churches and schools for 
 boys and girls. Under the care of the English is 
 an ophthalmic hospital. This institution is greatly 
 needed in Jerusalem where diseases of the eye are 
 very prevalent. This hospital is a short distance 
 outside the city walls on the road to Bethlehem. 
 The German Evangelical people have a church, 
 hospitals, schools and an orphanage for boys. 
 
 The most refreshing place, religiously, that I 
 found in Jerusalem was the American church in 
 
 133
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 the north part of the section of the city outside 
 the walls. This is the headquarters of the Chris- 
 tian and Missionary Alliance in Palestine. They 
 have a neat church, and they have schools for 
 Jews and Arabs. The preaching I heard the Sun- 
 day morning I was there was strongly evangelical 
 and was spiritual. A most interesting and suc- 
 cessful Sundaj^-school is maintained. 
 
 I wish to quote short parts of the annual re- 
 port of the Palestine mission of the Christian and 
 Missionary Alliance. The first is in regard to the 
 Hebron portion of their work. "Hebron is still 
 one of the most fanatical cities in the Moslem 
 world. Miss Butterfield and the native helpers 
 worked faithfully in the city during the first half 
 of the year. Mr. and Mrs. Van Guysling have 
 been stationed there with Muallim Ibrahim Ja- 
 meel and Miss Liza Karkar who was graduated 
 this year from our training class. They have suc- 
 ceeded in regathering a small day school, chiefly 
 of Jewish girls. The night school for young men 
 continues. The district includes fifty villages. 
 Eiding in all kinds of weather over rugged moun- 
 tain trails, sleeping in native huts and eating na- 
 tive food are not gratifying to the flesh, but it is 
 the only way these sons of Ishmael can be given 
 134
 
 CHRISTIANIZING JERUSALEM 
 
 the gospel. Those who do it need prayer, espe- 
 cially in these troublous times. From Hebron and 
 Beersheba we are attempting to evangelize all the 
 villages of Southern Palestine, except a few adja- 
 cent to Gaza which are under the care of the 
 Church Missionary Society." 
 
 A few sentences are quoted from the report on 
 the school work in Jerusalem. "There are about 
 fifty children enrolled, all in the primary classes. 
 The Bible is an important part of the curriculum, 
 and all of the pupils attend Sunday-school .... 
 Nearly all of the girls and most of the older boys 
 are converted. Some have been baptized and oth- 
 ers are in the communicants' class. The work is 
 essential as a recruiting ground for native work- 
 ers." 
 
 I saw these boys and girls in the church on 
 Sunday morning and a brighter and better looking 
 company one seldom sees. It is an inspiration to 
 see young people blessedly saved out of the super- 
 stition and degradation that prevail in that land. 
 The work of Christianizing Jerusalem is going for- 
 ward slowly. 
 
 135
 
 XXI 
 FKOM JEKUSALEM TO SHECHEM 
 
 The time came when I must bid farewell to 
 the sacred city of Jerusalem, where I had spent 
 several days full of intensest interest. 
 
 The members of our party had been notified 
 that we were to start at six o'clock on Monday 
 morning, June 9, for our trip northward. As I 
 had correspondence to attend to which I had not 
 finished on Saturday night, I arose at about three 
 o'clock to get my mail ready and be prepared for 
 the journey. 
 
 A few minutes after six we rode out the 
 Jaffa gate in large, three-seated, canopy-top, spring 
 wagons, each wagon being drawn by three horses. 
 A provision wagon accompanied us with attend- 
 ants to provide lunches for the party Monday and 
 Tuesday noons. 
 
 We turned northward and rode to the north- 
 west corner of the walls of Jerusalem, and then 
 turned eastward to the Damascus gate. The 
 136
 
 FIIOM JERUSALEM TO SHECHEM 
 
 large open spae« outside this gate is a busy place 
 in the early morning. There are many camels and 
 donkeys here, attended by their drivers, for hire 
 for the day. At this gate we turned northward on 
 the Damascus road. We passed near Scopus. 
 
 I realized that I was soon to catch my final 
 view of the city, and turned persistently to see as 
 much as I was able of the sacred place. The 
 Temple Area, with the glittering dome of the 
 Mosque of Omar and with the Mosque of Aksa^ 
 was in sight, and the imposing Church of the 
 Holy Sepulcher, as well as the other buildings of 
 the city within and without the walls; and I could 
 see the valleys and mountains about Jerusalem, 
 and all were interesting, but my eyes lingered 
 upon the Mount of Olives, and I carried with me 
 the deep impression made upon my mind and 
 heart by Calvary and the Garden Tomb. 
 
 As our conductor announced to us that we 
 were near the place where we should have our last 
 view of Jerusalem, we turned and looked until we 
 descended the hill that hid the city from our eyes. 
 Although we bade farewell to Jerusalem, there 
 remained enough places of interest in Palestine to 
 engage our attention for the period that was before 
 us in that land. 
 
 137
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 The early morning air was delightfully cool 
 and invigorating. An overcoat was not in the 
 least uncomfortable, but in an hour or two the 
 gun's rays were warm. After riding three or four 
 miles we came to the location of ancient Mizpeh 
 and a little further on was Ramah, which was 
 the home of Samuel. The country is generally less 
 rugged and more productive than that to the east 
 and south of Jerusalem, yet we passed through a 
 succession of valleys and rode over some rather 
 steep hills. 
 
 At El-Bireh, ancient Beeroth, we halted and 
 ascended to the roof of a building to secure a view 
 of the country. To the northeast of us we saw 
 Beitin, which is the Bethel of the scriptures. A 
 few miles to the west of us, but out of sight, was 
 the place which is thought to be Emmaus. About 
 three-quarters of a mile west of Beeroth we saw 
 a Christian village, Ramallah, which has a popula- 
 tion of five thousand. The Friends have a mission 
 in the village. Mrs. Pemberton and her son of 
 our party had visited acquaintances there, and 
 the mission people earnestly desired that our en- 
 tire party should visit the mission, but time would 
 not admit of the stop. Some came down from the 
 mission to greet us. There is a tradition that El- 
 138
 
 FROM JERUSALEM TO SHECHEM 
 
 Bireh is the place where Joseph and Mary first 
 discovered the absence of Jesus from their com- 
 pany when returning to Nazareth from the Pass- 
 over at Jerusalem. 
 
 A little before noon we came to El-Lubban, the 
 ancient Lebonah, which lies in a valley. It is on 
 the boundary between Judea and Samaria. Close 
 by the road is a fine spring of water, where sheep, 
 goats and cattle were drinking. Here is an or- 
 chard of fig and orange trees. The provision wagon 
 had preceded us and our lunch was ready for us 
 under the trees when we arrived. The table cloth 
 was spread on the ground and we greatly enjoyed 
 the outing amid the strange surroundings. 
 
 After a halt of two hours we went on our way. 
 Along the road here and there we saw small sys- 
 tems of irrigation. The water is pumped from 
 springs or creeks to a level sufficiently high to 
 lead the water over the fields to be irrigated. We 
 soon came in sight of Mount Gerizim and Mount 
 Ebal, the mountains of blessing and cursing men- 
 tioned in Deut. 11:29 and Josh. 8:33. Far to 
 the north is seen Great Hermon. 
 
 Soon after passing the northeast side of Mount 
 Gerizim we came to Jacob's Well, which is a few 
 rods to the east of the road. The place is con 
 139
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 trolled by the Greek church. A chapel is built 
 over the well. It was the time of service when we 
 arrived, and we were obliged to wait a while be- 
 fore we could enter. When we went in, we found 
 a few priests, who had conducted the service, but 
 there was no congregation. The well is said to 
 have been at one time two hundred forty feet deep, 
 but, owing to the accumulation of rubbish, it is 
 now not more than seventy-five. The priest in at- 
 tendance let down a bucket and drew up some of 
 the water, which was offered to the visitors. 
 
 It seems quite reasonable that this is the well 
 at which Jesus preached to the Samaritan woman. 
 While we were waiting to enter the chapel of 
 Jacob's Well, we observed that a great church was 
 being erected over the present chapel. Men and 
 women were working on it. Women were carry- 
 ing mortar up ladders for the men who were lay- 
 ing the stone. 
 
 A half mile north of Jacob's Well is what is 
 called Joseph's Tomb. It seems almost certain 
 that it is in the "parcel of ground" which Jacob 
 bought (Gen. 33 : 19 ; Josh. 24 : 32). The Moslems 
 built the tomb and control it. 
 
 A short ride from Jacob's Well, less than two 
 miles, brought us to Shechem, called also in the 
 140
 
 FKOM JEKUSALEM TO SHECHEM 
 
 Bible Sichem and Sychar. It was called Neapolis, 
 new city, after the country was conquered by the 
 Romans in 67 A. D. Its present name, Nablus, 
 is a corruption of Neapolis. 
 
 We had ridden thirty-four miles from Jerusa- 
 lem. There were many olive and fig trees along 
 the way. We saw fields of wheat, some large and 
 some small. From Jacob's Well into Nablus we 
 rode through a beautiful and fertile valley. 
 
 Nablus is interesting as to its location. It lies 
 between Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal. There 
 is a ridge extending between the two mountains, 
 from which the ancient city took its name, since 
 Shechem means shoulder, the city being built 
 upon a ridge, or shoulder. 
 
 The population is about 25,000, Nablus being 
 second only to Jerusalem, among the cities of 
 Palestine, in the number of its inhabitants. The 
 people are mostly Moslems, who maintain eight 
 large mosques and two schools. There are seven 
 hundred Greek Christians and a few Latins. The 
 Protestant community is small, numbering one 
 hundred fifty, but they maintain a church, a 
 school and a hospital. 
 
 Our party was divided into two companies for 
 the night, as the hotel did not have accommoda- 
 141
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 tions for us all. Ten of our number stayed at a 
 Latin convent where tourists are cared for. Those 
 who lodged there had no complaint to make about 
 the food, but their accommodations for lodging 
 were not altogether comfortable. It is a task to 
 keep free from insects in that country. The rest 
 of our party stayed at the Hotel Nablus, which 
 belongs to the Hamburg- American steamship line, 
 and our accommodations were excellent. 
 
 Nablus is in a rich and beautiful region. The 
 soil is productive. Much wheat is raised outside 
 of the city, and olive, fig and other kinds of fruit 
 trees tlourish. There is an abundant supply of 
 water. In this respect it differs greatly from Je- 
 rusalem. There are said to be twenty-two springs 
 of water about the city and few of them are dry 
 in the summer. Systems of irrigation utilize the 
 water and add greatly to the productiveness of 
 the region. There are more than a dozen manu- 
 factories of olive-oil soap. 
 
 Shechem is most interesting for its historical 
 associations. It was here that Abraham wor- 
 shiped by the oak of Moreh. The Samaritans 
 claim that Mount Moriah, where Abraham went to 
 offer up Isaac, was here and not at Jerusalem, 
 and many scholars are inclined to agree with 
 142
 
 FKOM JERUSALEM TO SHECHEM 
 
 them. Jacob lived at Shechem and Joseph was 
 buried close by. The law was read to assembled 
 Israel here. The people were in the amphitheater 
 between the two mountains and heard the curses 
 read from Mount Ebal and the blessings from 
 Mount Gerizim. Eehoboam was made king at 
 Shechem, and Jeroboam, who became king of the 
 seceding ten tribes, had his capital here. 
 
 Present-day interest in Nablus centers in the 
 Samaritans. Shortly after our arrival in Nablus 
 we visited the Samaritan synagogue. Our guide 
 conducted us through a maze of dirty and ill- 
 smelling streets, alleys and covered passageways 
 to the southwest portion of the city, which consti- 
 tutes the Samaritan quarter. We were admitted 
 to the synagogue, which is a small room, but it is 
 a most sacred spot to the Samaritans. The high 
 priest Jacob was there and his son and his grand- 
 son. The office of high priest is hereditary. 
 
 In the synagogue is an ancient copy of the 
 Samaritan Pentateuch. It is most carefully and 
 sacredly guarded. The high priest showed it to 
 us. It is kept wrapped in green Venetian cloth. 
 The claim is made that this copy was transcribed 
 by a grandson or a great-grandson of Aaron, but 
 this claim is generally discredited, and it is 
 143
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 thought that it could not have been made earlier 
 than the beginning of the; Christian era. We pur- 
 chased a picture of the roll and the high priest 
 and have reproduced it. 
 
 The only part of the scriptures which the Sa- 
 maritans accept is the Pentateuch. After the cap- 
 tivity of the kingdom of Israel by the Assyrians, 
 pagans were brought in to people the country, and 
 then followed a mixture of races and religions. 
 The Jews despised the Samaritans and the Samari- 
 tans held themselves aloof from the Jews. 
 
 The Samaritans have remained a separate peo- 
 ple since the period of the Jewish captivity. They 
 observe the great Mosaic feasts upon Mount Geri- 
 zim. This mountain is to them a very sacred 
 place. It does not belong to them, but they are 
 permitted to celebrate their religious feasts there. 
 One of the hopes which they long to realize is the 
 possession of Mount Gerizim. 
 
 The Samaritans do not intermarry with others. 
 Their children are few in number, and it seems 
 as if they can not exist as a people many genera- 
 tions more. There are now less than two hundred 
 of them. They are very poor and are scarcely 
 able to obtain food and clothing sufficient for their 
 comfort. Philanthropic persons in America are 
 144
 
 SAilAlUTAN 1110 11 I'lUEST AND SCKOLL
 
 FROM JERUSALEM TO SHECHEM 
 
 making an effort to assist them to a better way of 
 living and thinking. It may be added that they 
 are looking for the Messiah to come six thousand 
 years after the creation of the world. 
 
 The fact of the existence of this people with 
 their faithful adherence to the Samaritan Penta- 
 teuch, which differs comparatively little from the 
 Jewish Pentateuch, and with their adherence to 
 the Mosaic feasts, and their separateness from 
 other peoples, constitute a strong proof of the 
 truthfulness of scripture history. 
 
 I observed in Nablus a greater disrespect for 
 tourists than I saw at any other point on my 
 whole journey. The boys and girls of the city 
 jeered as we passed along. The boys threw stones 
 toward us, but seemed to fear to throw at us. It 
 is said that it is dangerous for tourists to be out 
 at night without special protection. There seemed 
 to be a spirit of hostility to Christianity. In spite 
 of this I was intensely interested in the place and 
 in the people. 
 
 145
 
 XXII 
 FBOM SHECHEM TO NAZARETH 
 
 I spent a comfortable night at Hotel Nablns. 
 The room was large and airy and the night was 
 cool. Our company was to continue the north- 
 ward journey at six o'clock, so we were astir 
 early. While we were loading ourselves and bag- 
 gage into the wagons, we were persistently so- 
 licited by the Samaritans to buy postcards that 
 pictured their high priest and their Pentateuch. 
 They had also for sale miniature representations 
 of the sacred roll, made of tin, and they were sell- 
 ing a pamphlet in English, giving the history of 
 the Samaritans. 
 
 We rode in the same wagons that had carried 
 us from Jerusalem, and they were to be our con- 
 veyances all the way to Tiberias. Our route lay 
 in a northwesterly direction, but we were going 
 now in one direction and then in another, as the 
 road wound about among the hills. We were 
 going over the route that had been used for cen- 
 
 146
 
 FROM SHECHEM TO NAZARETH 
 
 turies by those who traveled between the North 
 and the South. 
 
 In an hour and a half we reached one of the 
 most historic parts of northern Palestine, the site 
 of ancient Samaria. We emerged into an attractive 
 valley among the mountains, and before us ap- 
 peared the beautiful hill of Samaria. It is a 
 round hill rising three hundred thirty feet above 
 the valley and 1455 feet above the sea, not rugged 
 and rocky, but rising in rather steep slopes from 
 the valley. It is about four miles around the base 
 of the hill. 
 
 Our wagons halted on the west side of the hill 
 and we were given the privilege of walking to the 
 summit. Most of the party eagerly climbed the 
 steep path toward the crown of the hill. The 
 air was cool when we left Shechem, or Nablus, 
 but the rays of the sun had become hot, and it 
 was not particularly easy to make the ascent. 
 There were two or three natives with donkeys for 
 hire, and they were very persistent in their efforts 
 to induce us to ride up the hill. However, we all 
 preferred to walk. A young native had what ap- 
 peared to be ancient coins for sale and was stren- 
 uous in his efforts to sell them to us. It is not 
 unlikely that the coins were found in the soil of 
 147
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 the hill or among the many ruins about the lo- 
 cality. 
 
 Toward the summit, perhaps three-fourths of 
 the way up, we came to the ruins of the ancient 
 gates of the city. I took a photograph of these 
 ruins, looking down upon them from the east. 
 They were massive and must have been imposing 
 before they fell into decay. It is scarcely possible 
 to tell who were the builders of these gates, for 
 different peoples have been in possession of this 
 hill at different times. 
 
 We pressed onward to the top of the hill, and 
 at the summit we walked over plowed ground, 
 where once stood the magnificent city of Samaria. 
 God's word is strikingly fulfilled in this place. It 
 was once a "crown of pride," but the Lord said 
 by the prophet Micah, "I will make Samaria as 
 an heap of the field, and as plantings of a vine- 
 yard: and I will pour down the stones thereof 
 into the vallej', and 1 will discover the founda- 
 tions thereof" (1:6). It would be difficult to 
 reconcile Samaria's ancient magnificence with its 
 present desolation but for God's word which gives 
 the history of the city and the reasons for its 
 overthrow. The ruins declare what the city was 
 once, and the present desolation is clearly seen. 
 
 148
 
 RUI>'S OF GATES, lULL OF SAMARIA 
 
 h iL^i^.1- 't 
 
 iU. 
 
 -■^■'■^ 
 
 
 Is^^ 
 
 V v^lot:->- 
 
 RUINS OF TFMrLi;, HILL OF SA.MAKlA
 
 FROM SHECHEM TO NAZARETH 
 
 Excavations have revealed the remains of an 
 immense Roman structure which may have been 
 a temple. A Roman altar has been found and a 
 great statue of Augustus. There have been dis- 
 covered under these ruins, three other sets of 
 ruins, the oldest of which probably reaches back 
 to the time of the kingdom of Israel. A temple of 
 Baal probably once stood here. I show a picture 
 of the ruins of a huge stairway, which may have 
 been a part of a temple. 
 
 Extending about the hill near the summit are 
 the ruins of a colonnade twenty yards wide and a 
 mile long. Many of the columns are standing to- 
 day in the cultivated fields. They are sixteen feet 
 high. The capitals are gone. Many of the columns 
 lie where they have fallen. Some have rolled a 
 part of the way down the hill. We walked over 
 the top of the hill and came to the ruins of a 
 great church of the period of the Crusades. These 
 ruins had been recently uncovered. 
 
 The city of Samaria was founded by Omri, 
 king of Israel. He bought the hill from Shemer, 
 from whose name Samaria is derived. The loca- 
 tion was favorable for a capital, not only because 
 of its beauty, but also on account of the rich val- 
 ley surrounding its natural means of defense. 
 149
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 The approach to the summit is steep on all sides, 
 and it would have required a powerful army in 
 Bible times to assault the city successfully. While 
 the city was difficult to take by assault, it was 
 taken more than once by siege. 
 
 Ahab and Jezebel were prominently connected 
 with Samaria. It was one of their seats of gov- 
 ernment, the other having been at Jezreel. From 
 the hill the Mediterranean Sea is in sight, and the 
 view is fine in every direction. Herod built a 
 temple here to Augustus and fortified and beauti- 
 fied the place. The modern name is Sebastiyeh, 
 from the Greek Sebaste, which means Augusta. 
 
 Near the ruins of the Crusader church is a 
 thrashing-floor. This was being used the day I 
 was there. The modern Samaria, or Sebastiyeh, 
 has nothing imposing about it. It is a small, 
 straggling village on the lower slope of the east 
 side of the hill. It is built among ruins, and the 
 whole place has the appearance of ruins. 
 
 I left the hill of Samaria with an impression 
 of the place I had never had before. I could 
 easily understand why it took three years for 
 Sargon, Assyria's king, to take the city. The hill 
 was an object-lesson of God's power over the na- 
 tions. The present desolation shows that the 
 150
 
 FROM SHECHEM TO NAZARETH 
 
 prophecies of God's word have their fulfilment. 
 I am glad that I had the privilege of going over 
 that historic spot. We walked down the north 
 side of the hill and came to our wagons which had 
 come here to meet us. 
 
 In about an hour after we left the hill of Sa- 
 maria we reached the plain of Dothan. The road 
 was steep much of the way and wound among the 
 many hills in a northerly direction. Our guide 
 pointed out what is called the hill of Joseph, 
 where tradition says that Joseph was sold by his 
 brothers to the Ishmaelites. 
 
 It required but a little stretch of imagination 
 to see Joseph traveling northward from his home 
 in Hebron twelve miles south of Jerusalem, over 
 the road by which we had come. He was sent to 
 learn the whereabouts of his brothers for whom 
 he was searching. They were attending their 
 father's flocks and herds. Joseph heard at 
 Shechem that they had moved on to Dothan, and 
 he pressed forward until he came in sight of them. 
 We passed close to the place. There were numer- 
 ous flocks of sheep and goats here, attended by 
 shepherds. I saw a boy or youth near Joseph's 
 hill, who must have resembled Joseph in age and 
 dress, and this made the scene impressive. The 
 151
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 place is upon the great thoroughfare between the 
 North and the South and caravans passed over 
 this road. What was once the city of Dothan lies 
 to the left of the route over which we rode. It is 
 now marked only by a few ruins. It was here 
 that Elisha captured the Syrian army that was 
 sent to arrest him, and from here he led them 
 southward to Samaria. 
 
 In the plain of Dothan I saw a field scene 
 which was strange to me. Close by the road 
 seven women and girls were hoeing in a field. 
 They were very attentive to their work. A large, 
 well-dressed Moslem appeared to be the overseer. 
 He was not working, but was directing the work 
 of the women. He had a donkey upon which to 
 ride, and had the appearance of a haughty and 
 overbearing slave-driver. 
 
 A little after noon we arrived at Jenin, per- 
 haps the Engannim, or garden-spring, of Josh. 
 19 : 21 and 21 : 29. A large spring rises east of 
 the town and flows through the middle of the vil- 
 lage. We were taken to the Hotel Jenin, which 
 belongs to the Hamburg-American Line. The 
 cooks who had come with us from Jerusalem pro- 
 vided our lunch in the dining-room. It was rather 
 warm and we were glad to rest for two hours. 
 
 152
 
 FROM SHECHEM TO NAZARETH 
 
 There was nothing of special interest here, so our 
 party started on at three o'clock toward Nazareth. 
 
 For some distance we rode along the route 
 which is being graded for a railroad. This road 
 is to connect Jerusalem with the railroad now in 
 operation between Haifa, or Carmel, and Damas- 
 cus. 
 
 We soon came to the plain of Esdraelon, called 
 in the scriptures Megiddo. This separates the 
 mountains of Samaria from those of Galilee. The 
 plain is triangular in shape and extends a dis- 
 tance of twenty miles from northwest to southeast, 
 and fifteen from north to south. It has arms, how- 
 ever, that reach to the Mediterranean on the west 
 and to the Jordan on the east. 
 
 The plain of Esdraelon is one of the most beau- 
 tiful and productive portions of Palestine. A part 
 of it is under careful cultivation and I saw fine 
 crops of wheat. Here I saw grain being hauled on 
 wagons. Elsewhere it was hauled on the backs 
 of donkeys or camels. I saw also modern machin- 
 ery for harvesting the grain, but there were no 
 thrashing-machines. The thrashing-floors were 
 still in use. 
 
 Soon after entering the plain of Esdraelon we 
 saw ahead of us, nestling among the hills, the city 
 158
 
 GLIMrSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 of Nazareth. It seemed to be near by, but we had 
 a long ride before reaching it. We soon came in 
 sight of Mount Gilboa on our right. This was the 
 scene of Saul's last battle with the Philistines, in 
 which he and his sons fell. This plain has been 
 called the battlefield of the world. It was here 
 that Gideon and his army of three hundred de- 
 feated the Midianites. Here Josiah fell in battle 
 with the Egyptians. The Komans led campaigns 
 here, and Napoleon defeated the Turks on this 
 plain. 
 
 Our wagons halted and Jezreel was pointed 
 out to us off at our right. This is on a hill and 
 was one of the royal residences of Ahab and Jeze- 
 bel. Jezreel is now a village of mud huts. Farther 
 on we saw Shunem, Nain and Endor. These are 
 all upon spurs of the mountains. Little Hermon, 
 the hill Moreh of the scriptures, is on the eastern 
 border of the plain of Esdraelon. Mount Tabor 
 is a little further north. It is a round mountain 
 about two thousand feet in height. 
 
 Looking toward the west we could see Mount 
 Carmel. It was on the eastern portion of this 
 mountain that Elijah met the prophets of Baal 
 and gained the victory over them in the name of 
 Jehovah. Somewhere during our afternoon's ride 
 154
 
 ( (II.II.N .\AI1I S. nil, I, III- ^WIAKIA 
 
 WOMEN CARIUING FUEL
 
 FROM SHECHEM TO NAZARETH 
 
 we crossed the track of Elijah in his flight from 
 Mount Carmel to Jezreel. 
 
 At one point in our journey northward from 
 Jerusalem, we saw a number of women carrying 
 large baskets upon their heads. We wondered 
 what the burdens were, until we were informed 
 that the women had been out gathering fuel. They 
 had picked up the dried dung of animals from the 
 pasture lands and were carrying it home to be 
 used for fuel. 
 
 At about five o'clock we crossed the railroad 
 tracks of the line heretofore mentioned, and in 
 half an hour we were at the foot of the mountains 
 of Galilee. People were returning from the fields 
 in the plain to their homes in Nazareth. A young 
 Syrian was riding on a wheel-rake, the only one 
 I saw in Palestine. The ascent is very steep and 
 most of our company walked a long distance until 
 we came to comparatively level ground. The city 
 is about one thousand feet above the level of the 
 plain of Esdraelon. We rode into Nazareth at 
 seven in the evening and went directly to Hotel 
 Germania where we had excellent accommoda- 
 tions. 
 
 156
 
 XXIII 
 GLIMPSES OF NAZARETH 
 
 After a comfortable evening meal, Professor 
 Luckey and I sat for some time on the balcony 
 opening from our room and looking toward the 
 south. The beauty and impressiveness of the 
 scene I can not easily forget. In the clear moon- 
 light we could look out upon the region that was 
 made sacred by the presence of the Word made 
 flesh. 
 
 We talked of the childhood of Jesus and the 
 impressions made upon Him by living within sight 
 of the scenes of many of the great events of Old 
 Testament history. To me the evening was one 
 of the most sacred I had ever spent. I was really 
 at Nazareth and almost every object suggested 
 something touching the childhood and youth of 
 our Lord, and the common sounds and sights of 
 domestic and business life seemed inconsistent 
 with the sacredness of the place. With these im- 
 pressions upon my mind I retired to enjoy a rest- 
 156
 
 GLIMPSES OF NAZAKETH 
 
 ful night's sleep in one of the most justly cele- 
 brated spots in Palestine. 
 
 Nazareth is one of the most substantial cities 
 of Palestine. It has upward of fifteen thousand 
 inhabitants and is increasing in population. I was 
 surprised to find it so large and thrifty, for I had 
 expected to see only a straggling village. In com- 
 parison with the other cities of Palestine which I 
 visited, I should say that Nazareth was a lively 
 city, that is, lively for Palestine, but not lively 
 as compared with the cities of Western lands. 
 
 Religiously Nazareth has a mixed population. 
 About one-third are Moslems, one-third Orthodox 
 Greeks and the remainder are United Greeks, Ro- 
 man Catholics and other sects, including some- 
 thing like three hundred Protestants. While agri- 
 culture is the principal industry, there is consid- 
 erable manufacturing. There are no large fac- 
 tories, but artisans carry on their own small enter- 
 prises. Knives, sickles and other articles of steel 
 are made. As tourists we were besieged by pedlers 
 of large and ugly-looking pocket knives. 
 
 Early the next morning after reaching Naza- 
 reth three or four of us started out to find Mary's 
 Fountain, so called because of the idea that Mary, 
 the mother of Jesus, was accustomed to come here 
 157
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 for water. The fountain, or spring, is in the east 
 part of the city, and the water is conveyed in 
 pipes two or three hundred feet to a point where 
 several streets come together. As we approached 
 the fountain, we met many women and girls car- 
 rying water-pots upon their heads. The ordinary, 
 water-pot holds about three gallons. Some were 
 carrying five-gallon cans of water. The women 
 wind a strip of cloth into a ring for a cushion to 
 place upon the top of the head. On this they place 
 the water-pot or can of water. I saw some women 
 who each carried two water-pots, one on her head 
 and the other in her arms. It was a common 
 sight to see a woman with a baby in her arms and 
 carrying a water-pot upon her head. 
 
 An arch is built over the place where the water- 
 pots are filled and there are several faucets, so 
 that the many who come for water can be accom- 
 modated. The water-pots are not glazed, that is, 
 they are porous, so that evaporation is constant- 
 ly taking place at the outside, and on this account 
 the water is kept cool. Mary's Fountain is the 
 only spring about Nazareth, and it is therefore 
 likely that this was the water supply in Christ's 
 time. In the morning and in the evening the scene 
 presented by the crowds that come for water is 
 
 158
 
 MARY S WF.LL, XAZARKTII 
 
 ^TREL:T LKADIXG FROM MARY S WELL
 
 GLIMPSES OF NAZARETH 
 
 pirturesque. Occasionally a man comes and fills 
 his goatskin bottle and carries it away on his 
 back, and now and then a donkey is led to the 
 spring and loaded with cans of water. These 
 cans are placed on either side of the donkey on the 
 pack-saddle. 
 
 The people of Nazareth show what they say is 
 the house of Mary and the place where the angel 
 made the announcement to her that she should be 
 the mother of Jesus. The tourist has difficulty 
 in locating the spot, for the Greeks have one place 
 and the Latins have another which they claim is 
 the exact location. The reputed workshop of 
 Joseph is also shown. The places are all caverns 
 under ground, fitted with altars, and churches 
 are built over them. We have the satisfaction of 
 knowing that this is the Nazareth in which Jo- 
 seph, Mary and Jesus dwelt. 
 
 We visited a school for boys and girls, which 
 is conducted by the Greek church. The children 
 recited for us very readily. They are taught Eng- 
 lish and some of the pupils recited pieces and read 
 in English. They sang for us, and one of their 
 songs was ''America." 
 
 Nazareth is situated a thousand feet above the 
 level of the plain of Esdraelon in a basin of the 
 159
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 mountains of Galilee. To the north of the city 
 proper the hill rises five or six hundred feet 
 higher. Five of us made the ascent of this hill. 
 The climb was tiresome in the heat of the day, 
 but the view from the summit well repaid us for 
 the effort. To the south we saw the plain of 
 Esdraelon stretching away southward and west- 
 ward, bordered on the east by Little Hermon, 
 Mount Tabor and Mount Gilboa. To the south- 
 west Mount Carmel could be seen and beyond it 
 lay the Mediterranean. To the east across the 
 Jordan appeared the mountains of Gilead. Mount 
 Hermon could be seen to the northeast. From this 
 point we could see a large part of the land where 
 the great events of sacred history took place. 
 
 Near the summit of the hill is a Protestant 
 orphanage. The buildings are substantial and 
 beautiful and the view from them is fine. I was 
 glad to know that Christian work was being done 
 for Nazaretb in education and in medical atten- 
 tion, as well as in that which is directly religious. 
 
 At our hotel, at the spring and in our going 
 from place to place we were solicited persistently 
 to buy fancy work made by the women of Naza- 
 reth. They do beautiful work and are anxious to 
 sell it. A Syrian girl calls herself Mary. She is 
 
 160
 
 XAZARKTH FROM IIUX OX THE NORTH 
 
 TTT^KRTAS AM) I H K SFA OF GAIJI-FE
 
 GLIMPSES OF NAZARETH 
 
 a fine-appearing girl and succeeded iu selling her 
 wares to many in our party. These pedlers stayed 
 about the hotel as late in the evening as they could 
 interest prospective purchasers, and when we got 
 up in the morning, they were sitting outside, work- 
 ing and waiting for the tourists to appear on the 
 streets. 
 
 I was glad to walk the streets of Nazareth and 
 to visit the scenes of the childhood, youth and 
 early manhood of the Nazarene. 
 
 161
 
 XXIV 
 FEOM NAZAKETH TO TIBEKIAS 
 
 After spending parts of two most delightful 
 days in Nazareth our party left the city on the 
 afternoon of June 11 to ride in carriages the six- 
 teen miles to Tiberias, on the western shore of 
 the Sea of Galilee. We rode past Mary's Foun- 
 tain in the eastern part of the city, and this was 
 the third time I visited this interesting spot. As 
 we ascended the hill to the northeast, we had a 
 fine view of Nazareth lying below us in a basin of 
 the hills of Galilee. We soon passed over the hills 
 which hid the boyhood home of Jesus from our 
 view. 
 
 One road between Nazareth and Tiberias leads 
 southward by way of Mount Tabor, on the top of 
 which are ruins of the Koman and the Crusader 
 periods, and there are now Greek and Latin mon- 
 asteries on the summit, from which it is said the 
 view is beautiful. We took the northern road 
 among the hills and valleys and in less than an 
 162
 
 FEOM NAZARETH TO TIBERIAS 
 
 hour we were at a little village called El-Meshhed, 
 in the territory of Zebulun. This is the ancient 
 Gath-Hepher, the birthplace of the prophet Jonah. 
 His tomb, according to tradition, is here. 
 
 Leaving Gath-Hepher, we rode in a few min- 
 utes into Kafr Kenna, or ancient Cana ; at least, 
 tradition declares this to be the Cana of the scrip- 
 tures. Immediately upon the arrival of our party 
 the children of Cana ran after us, calling, "Hajji, 
 hajji," which means pilgrim, offering us water 
 for money. The narrow streets have stone walls 
 or low stone buildings on either side, very unat- 
 tractive to an American. Cana has one thousand 
 inhabitants, of whom about half are Moslems. The 
 most of the other half are Greek Christians. There 
 are one hundred fifty Latins and a few Protes- 
 tants. 
 
 We were taken to a chapel which is built upon 
 the spot where Christ's first miracle is said to 
 have been performed. In the Greek church there 
 stands a huge jar, hewn out of rock, which tradi- 
 tion says was one of those in use at the marriage 
 at Cana, and contained the water which was turned 
 into wine. We were at liberty to believe the tra- 
 dition if we desired. It is very probable that the 
 village is the ancient Cana, but not much de- 
 163
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 pendence can be placed upon the claims about the 
 location of the miracle or about the jar. In John 
 21 : 2 we learn that Nathaniel was of Cana in Gali- 
 lee, and the alleged site of his home is occupied 
 bj a small chapel of the Roman Catholics. 
 
 The ride to Tiberias was pleasant. The route 
 lay among the hills, winding through the valleys, 
 affording picturesque views, all new to us. The 
 descent is rapid. Nazareth lies more than a thou- 
 sand feet above the level of the Mediterranean and 
 the Sea of Galilee is six hundred eighty-two feet 
 below, hence the descent is about two thousand 
 feet. 
 
 In two hours we came to the neighborhood of 
 the Horns of Hattin. There are two peaks rising 
 a little from the table-land, in shape somewhat 
 resembling a saddle. It is generally supposed that 
 between the two horns Jesus preached what is 
 called the Sermon on the Mount. On the slopes 
 of this hill camels in great numbers graze. About 
 twelve miles north of the Horns of Hattin is the 
 city of Safed on the highest point of Galilee. Je- 
 sus may have pointed to it when He spoke of a 
 city set upon a hill. 
 
 This region is remarkable also from the fact 
 that southeast of the Horns of Hattin was fought 
 
 164
 
 FEOM NAZARETH TO TIBERIAS 
 
 a great battle between the Crusaders and the Mos- 
 lems, which decided the fate of the Crusades. The 
 Moslems were victorious in this battle, which was 
 fought in 1187, and the power of the Crusades was 
 broken. Subsequent attempts to regain Palestine 
 were fruitless and the land continued under the 
 sway of the Moslems. 
 
 A ride of a few miles eastward from the Horns 
 of Hattin brought us to a point where, having 
 rounded a hill, we had our first sight of the Sea 
 of Galilee. I was deeply moved as I looked upon 
 its beautiful blue waters and realized that it was 
 the sea whose waves Jesus more than once had 
 stilled. From every point where the sea was vis- 
 ible I looked eagerly at it and feasted my eyes 
 upon the scene. The Sea of Galilee was much in 
 my thoughts as I was planning my trip to Pales- 
 tine and I was looking forward to the time when 
 I should actually see it. As I think of it now, I 
 did not see much besides the sea during the re- 
 mainder of the ride to Tiberias. We soon came 
 within sight of the city of Tiberias and I got out 
 of the wagon to take a picture of the city and the 
 Sea of Galilee, on whose shores it stands. 
 
 We arrived at Tiberias at six o'clock in the 
 evening and went at once to the Hotel Tiberias 
 ia5
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 where we were comfortably cared for. I was glad 
 that ray room opened upon the Sea of Galilee. The 
 carriages that had brought us from Jerusalem 
 were sent back and went by a more direct route 
 than the one by Nazareth. Our journey to the 
 Mediterranean would be made by steamer and by 
 railroad, hence we had no further use for the 
 wasons. 
 
 166
 
 XXV 
 
 AT THE SEA OF GALILEE 
 
 After arriving at Tiberias it was not easy to 
 content ourselves until we had gone down to the 
 shore of the Sea of Galilee, even though the time 
 was short before the evening meal. We must be 
 close to its waters and become intimate with this 
 sacred and historic sea. We spent a few minutes 
 on the shore and then went to the hotel for dinner. 
 We were served with fish taken from the Sea of 
 Galilee. 
 
 The city of Tiberias, which is mentioned in 
 John 6 : 23, is situated on the west shore of the 
 sea nearly midway between the north and south 
 ends. It was founded in the Roman period, about 
 15 A. D., and was named in honor of the Roman 
 emperor Tiberius. It became prominent, after 
 the destruction of Jerusalem, as the center of 
 Jewish influence, and was for a time the place 
 where the Sanhedrin met. It now has a popula- 
 tion of nearly nine thousand, of whom seven thou 
 
 167
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 sand are Jews and the rest are Moslems, Greeks, 
 Roman Catholics and a few Protestants. The 
 Scotch have a mission and a hospital here. There 
 are ruins of the Roman and Crusader periods 
 about the city. 
 
 The Sea of Galilee is called also the Sea of 
 Tiberias, the Lake of Genuesaret and the Lake of 
 Chinnereth. The last name is from a word mean- 
 ing a lute, as the sea has something of the shape 
 of that instrument. Its length is thirteen miles 
 and it broadens out at its widest part, about half 
 way between the north and the south, to seven 
 and a half miles. Its greatest depth is said to be 
 one hundred fifty-seven feet. It is surrounded on 
 all sides by mountains which rise to a height of 
 two thousand feet. These mountains are broken 
 by wadies, or ravines, which extend down to the 
 shore. The Jordan River flows into the north end 
 through a narrow valley, and flows out as a nar- 
 row stream at the south. In some places the 
 mountains extend close to the shore of the lake, 
 but generally there is a narrow strip of beach 
 between the mountains and the shore. 
 
 The Sea of Galilee is subject to sudden storms. 
 The wind sweeps down upon it through the 
 wadies, which act as funnels, and quickly pro- 
 168
 
 AT THE SEA OF GALILEE 
 
 duce a great commotion on the waters. Those who 
 go out on the lake are very cautious. If they see 
 the water begin to grow rough in the distance, 
 they make all possible haste to reach the shore 
 before the storm strikes them. It was not my 
 privilege to see one of these tempests on the lake, 
 as there were none while I was there. 
 
 The morning after the arrival of our party at 
 Tiberias we got an early start to ride on the lake 
 to the northern end. A part of our company rode 
 in a little steamer and the rest in two rowboats 
 which were towed by the steamer. We set out to 
 visit what is believed to be the site of ancient 
 Capernaum. The water was a little rough, sufli- 
 ciently so to cover some of us plentifully with 
 spray, but there was no storm on. The ride was 
 enchanting, for while the scenery was beautiful, 
 I was taken up with the scenes of the past. I 
 looked to the west and sa\\' clearly the Horns of 
 Hattin and other places which were familiar to 
 our Lord and His disciples. I saw the shore upon 
 which the people were gathered to listen to Him 
 as He spoke from a fisherman's boat, though I 
 could not locate the exact place on the shore. I 
 looked over the stretch of hills about the sea and 
 imagined them thickly dotted with cities and vil- 
 169
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 lages as they were in Christ's time, but now there 
 is only here and there a straggling village. These 
 hills were gray from the drought and heat, for no 
 rain had fallen for two or three months; but in 
 early spring they are covered with beautiful flow- 
 ers and herbage. 
 
 I looked toward the northeast and saw where 
 the Jordan wound its way into the Sea of Galilee 
 between banks that were lined with shrubbery, 
 and on farther toward Mount Hermon with its 
 summit covered with snow, the scene of Christ's 
 transfiguration. I noted the hills to the east 
 sloping down to the water and wondered if I 
 could locate the steep place where the swine 
 rushed violently down into the sea after the devils 
 had entered into them. There is one place which 
 answers the conditions well. The mountain pro- 
 jects boldly toward the sea and extends by a pre- 
 cipitous descent to the water's edge. I learned 
 that this was supposed to be the spot where the 
 herd of two thousand swine was lost. The region 
 of the ten cities, or Decapolis, appeared to be 
 largely desolate. 
 
 I enjoyed the occasion to the full, and if I 
 had possessed greater capacity for enjoyment, 
 there was enough in the scene to have filled it. 
 170
 
 AT THE SEA OF GALILEE 
 
 The fresh, invigorating breeze, the beauty of the 
 hills, the attractiveness of the waters of Gennesa- 
 ret, together with the associations of the region, 
 conspired to make the occasion one never to be 
 forgotten. 
 
 A ride of seven miles brought us to the sup- 
 posed site of Capernaum on the northwest shore 
 of the lake. The region has been to a large extent 
 explored, and excavations have been made, show- 
 ing the ruins of a city of considerable size. Ex- 
 tensive ruins have been uncovered a short distance 
 back from the shore which seem to be those of the 
 ancient synagogue, built by the centurion. It was 
 constructed of fine limestone and was seventy- 
 nine feet in length and fifty-nine in width. There 
 was a colonnade extending around the north, 
 west and south sides. Many of the bases of the 
 columns are still in position. The synagogue was 
 solidly built and elaborately decorated. The 
 Franciscans of the Romish church own the site 
 and have enclosed it by a wall. It is their inten- 
 tion to restore the synagogue, making it appear as 
 nearly as possible as it was when originally built, 
 and to build over it a great church. Thus another 
 sacred s])ot will be covered up by an ecclesiastical 
 institution. 
 
 171
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 Ou our return trip to Tiberias we stopped at 
 the alleged site of the Bethsaida of the New Testa- 
 ment scriptures. It is quite certain that there 
 was a Bethsaida Julias ou the northeast shore of 
 the lake, and it is thought by many that there 
 was another Bethsaida in the region which I have 
 just mentioned; vet by some it is believed there 
 was only one Bethsaida. We were glad to go 
 ashore at this point on the west side of the lake. 
 The beach is beautiful. I took occasion to gather 
 a number of pebbles and shells that were washed 
 by the waters of the Sea of Galilee to bring home 
 as souvenirs of that delightful day. We passed 
 near the site of ancient Magdala on this trip. 
 
 In the afternoon of the day that we had visited 
 the sites of Capernaum and Bethsaida, we visited 
 the studio of an American lady who was making 
 a protracted sojourn in Tiberias to paint a picture 
 representing the scene of Christ and His disciples 
 on the shore of the Sea of Galilee on the occasion 
 of the miraculous draft of fishes. 
 
 The artist had searched long and patiently for 
 a man whom she might use as a model for Peter, 
 After several months she found a Jew of Jerusa- 
 lem, converted to Christanity, who answered to 
 her idea of the appearance of Peter. She had 
 172
 
 AT THE SEA OF GALILEE 
 
 made several sketches of this man and of the 
 other disciples, as well as of Jesus, and was 
 painting the whole scene on a canvas twelve by 
 twenty feet in size. She was able to reproduce the 
 style of dress worn by the men of Galilee, and 
 could paint the boats as they were used in Christ's 
 time. She had watched the sea, the mountains, 
 the sky and the clouds until she was able to trans- 
 fer to her canvas the scene with all its beautiful 
 colorings. The painting gave promise of being 
 one of rare excellence. It represents the scene at 
 the instant when Peter, having fallen upon his 
 knees before Jesus, was saying to Him, ''Depart 
 from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord" (Luke 
 5:8). 
 
 A number of the men of our party went south- 
 ward from the studio and walked along the shore 
 of the sea about a mile to the hot springs. There 
 are several hot springs flowing out of the side 
 of the hill a short distance from the shore, and a 
 considerable amount of water flows from them 
 into the sea. The water is so hot that one can 
 not hold his hand in it. The temperature is one 
 hundred forty-three degrees. One of the pastimes 
 of the native boys is to drop a pebble or button 
 into the shallow stream of hot water and reach in 
 173
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 to grasp it with their fingers, and some of us tried 
 the same sport. 
 
 There are two or three bath-houses managed 
 by natives. The water from these hot springs is 
 used. The natives claim that the water is of great 
 medicinal value, being especially- effective in 
 curing rheumatism and diseases of the skin. The 
 water has a sulfureous smell and a salt and bitter 
 taste. It leaves a greenish deposit upon the stones 
 over which it flows. It contains sulfur and chlorid 
 of magnesium. The bath-houses did not appear 
 very inviting and none of our party patronized 
 them. 
 
 The natives along the shore use the water of 
 the Sea of Galilee for drinking purposes, and it 
 seems wholesome and palatable, except near the 
 hot springs. We found a suitable place for bath- 
 ing in the lake not far from the city and enjoyed 
 a swim in the beautiful blue waters of Galilee 
 before returning to Tiberias. 
 
 There are ruins of ancient buildings scattered 
 along the shore and on the slope of the hills be- 
 tween the hot springs and Tiberias. There are 
 also Jewish and Mohammedan burying-grounds. 
 I greatly enjoyed the excursion along the shore 
 of this sacred water. 
 
 174
 
 AT THE SEA OF GALILEE 
 
 The usual Oriental street-scenes appear in Ti- 
 berias. In the grain-market were heaps of wheat 
 and barley on blankets in the streets. The pro- 
 prietors were in charge with their measures. The 
 customers filled the measures themselves, shook 
 down the grain and heaped it up until no more 
 would stay on. The narrow streets had fruits and 
 other produce exposed for sale in front of the 
 shops. In one place shopkeepers were making 
 ice-cream in the street and they were anxious to 
 sell it to us as we passed by, but we did not think 
 we could relish it after seeing the surrounding 
 filth and the untidiness of the makers. 
 
 One evening while at Tiberias I was looking 
 out over the city from the balcony of the 
 hotel and saw a sight that was impressive to me, 
 but exceedingly common in Palestine. A shep- 
 herd, or goatherd rather, came into the city, fol- 
 lowed by a large flock of goats which he had been 
 caring for in the fields during the day. He came 
 to a corner where another man was standing. The 
 man was waiting for the flock and as it came up, 
 he said something to the goats and a part of the 
 flock followed him as he started down the street. 
 The goatherd went a little further and another 
 man led away a part of his flock. This process 
 175
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 was repeated until the goatherd's own goats 
 alone Avere left to follow him to their fold. The 
 goats knew their respective owners and followed 
 them. I could not help thinking of the frequent 
 references to shepherd life made by our Lord, and 
 the spiritual application which He made of the 
 relation of the shepherd to the sheep. I was close 
 to the place where Jesus said to Peter, "Feed my 
 lambs," and, "Feed my sheep." 
 
 The region about the Sea of Galilee is said to 
 be very healthful, except after the first rains in the 
 fall, when there is likely to be some fever. This 
 could probably be prevented by giving proper at- 
 tention to the water used for drinking purposes. 
 The proprietor of the hotel where we stayed came 
 to Tiberias an invalid and regained his health. 
 There has been something done toward making 
 the place a health resort. 
 
 Our company arranged for a moonlight ride 
 on the Sea of Galilee for the second night of our 
 stay at Tiberias. Boatmen and boats were en- 
 gaged, and after dinner the party went to enjoy 
 this great privilege. The waters were calm and 
 the moonlight upon the lake made the occasion 
 one of great interest. The song, "O Galilee, sweet 
 Galilee," was sung with feeling and with a deep 
 176
 
 AT THE SEA OF GALILEE 
 
 sense of its appropriateness. The conductor of 
 our party gave a talk, describing the works of 
 Jesus on the sea and in the surrounding regions. 
 This eventful day closed and the party returned 
 to the hotel to rest and to think of ''Galilee, sweet 
 Galilee." 
 
 177
 
 XXVI 
 FROM GALILEE TO CARMEL 
 
 June 13 was the day appointed to leave the Sea 
 of Galilee. In the morning we were notified to 
 have our baggage packed early in the forenoon and 
 be ready for lunch at half past eleven, as we must 
 leave the hotel about noon. 
 
 The baggage for twenty-six tourists, our con- 
 ductor and two guides was considerable. It was 
 carried to the boat-landing on the backs of men. 
 Each carrier had a long, heavy strap, which he 
 buckled around six or eight large suitcases and 
 carried the bundle on his back. Some of the fragile 
 articles in the suitcases were broken and the 
 cases themselves were not improved in shape by 
 such handling. 
 
 A steamer makes the trip from Tiberias to 
 Semakh to connect with trains on the Hejaz rail- 
 way. The construction of this railroad was com- 
 menced in 1901 by order of the sultan, that Mo- 
 hammedans might the more readily make their 
 178
 
 
 
 
 SEA OF flAI-TI.EE 
 
 A BEDOUIN S lENT
 
 FKOM GALILEE TO CARMEL 
 
 annual pilgrimages to Mecca. The northern ter- 
 tninus of the road is Damascus. Through private 
 contributions and public taxation the road was 
 built as far as Medina, in Arabia, a distance of 
 eight hundred twenty-three miles, and was in 
 operation in 1908. Since the young Turks came 
 into power, the enterprise has been allowed to rest. 
 A branch road extends from Der'a, a point east of 
 the Sea of Galilee, to Haifa on the Mediterranean. 
 There is one train daily each way between Damas- 
 cus and Haifa. 
 
 We went on board the steamer at Tiberias at 
 about one o'clock in the afternoon, and had a most 
 enjoyable ride to the foot of the lake. The water 
 was very calm. Some of the way it seemed like 
 glass. We had a fine view of the hills on either 
 side of the lake. We passed near the outlet of the 
 Sea of Galilee, the Jordan, which is a small stream 
 flowing out of the southwest part of this body of 
 water. We landed at Seraakh to the east of the 
 river. The town is small and it is important prin- 
 cipally as the railroad station for Tiberias and the 
 Galilee region. From this point I could see the 
 entire length of the Sea of Galilee. Away to the 
 north Mount Hermon was in sight with its top 
 covered with snow. It shone beautifully white in 
 
 17»
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 the clear sunlight. It was very hot about the sta- 
 tion \N here I was, and the contrast between that 
 place and snow-capped Hermon, which I saw in 
 the distance, was striking indeed. 
 
 At three o'clock the train came. The carriages 
 were not large, as the road is narrow gage, three 
 and a half feet. The accommodations were as good 
 as one could expect in that country, and the trip 
 to Haifa was full of interest. We rode down the 
 Jordan valley for six miles on the east side of the 
 river, through regions which in Christ's time were 
 Gaulonitis and Perea. The Jordan is but a small 
 stream until it receives the Yarmuk Elver from 
 the east. The railroad crosses the latter stream 
 by a bridge one hundred sixty-four feet long. This 
 bridge is near the i)oint where the Yarmuk flows 
 into the Jordan. A mile farther south the road 
 crosses the Jordan on a bridge nearly two hundred 
 feet in length. This is the lowest point on the line, 
 being eight hundred fifteen feet below the level of 
 the Mediterranean. 
 
 We continued in the Jordan valley for ten 
 miles from Semakh. Much of this region is pro- 
 ductive. We saw many Bedouin camps as we 
 passed along. Their tents of goatskins are pic- 
 turesque, but not especially attractive. They are 
 180
 
 FEOM GALILEE TO CAKMEL 
 
 pitched in the open plain. It would be impossible 
 to find trees in whose shade they might be placed. 
 The Bedouins spend most of their time outside 
 their tents. 
 
 Leaving the Jordan valle^', we entered the rich 
 plain of Esdraelon. The railroad was laid in the 
 Jordan valley and this plain to avoid the hills 
 which lie in the direct line between Semakh and 
 Haifa, making the route ten or twelve miles 
 longer than the air-line distance between the two 
 places. Shortly after leaving the Jordan valley, 
 we came to Beisan, the ancient Beth-shean, in the 
 tribe of ilanasseh. One can scarcely help thinking 
 that the sacredness of these historic places is vio- 
 lated by the encroachment of railroads with their 
 noisy, roaring trains. 
 
 We passed near Aphek, Jezreel, Shunem, Nain 
 and Endor and were in full view of Mount Gilboa 
 and Mount Tabor. We had been near all these 
 places on our journey from Jerusalem to Naz- 
 areth. 
 
 El-Fuleh is a station thirty-two miles from 
 Semakh. It will be important from the fact that 
 a railroad is under construction to connect this 
 place with Jerusalem. Thus many of the impor- 
 tant places in Palestine can soon be reached by 
 181
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 railroad trains. Many tourists, however, wiU pre- 
 fer to travel in more primitive style. 
 
 From this place we were in full view of Mount 
 Carmel, and soon were riding along its base. The 
 railroad extends along the northeast side of Mount 
 Carmel through the valley of the Kishon Eiver. 
 This stream is rather sluggish in a large part of 
 its course, and becomes a fair-sized river where it 
 empties into the Mediterranean. 
 
 On this trip we saw the most fertile parts of 
 Palestine. We saw immense flocks of sheep and 
 goats and great herds of cattle. Much wheat is 
 produced in this region. We arrived at Haifa in 
 about three hours after leaving Semakh. In that 
 time we had crossed more than half of Palestine 
 from east to west on a slow train and had come 
 several miles out of a direct course. We rode 
 on the train fifty-four miles. 
 
 182
 
 XXVII 
 HAIFA AND MOUNT CARMEL 
 
 On our arrival at Haifa we were taken in car- 
 riages from the railroad station, which is in the 
 southeast part of the city, through the town to 
 the Hotel Carmel, which is pleasantly situated 
 close to the Mediterranean Sea. We were near 
 a pier that was constructed expressly for the use 
 of the German emperor in landing here a few 
 years ago. Several of us went down to the sea 
 soon after reaching the hotel and again later in 
 the evening. 
 
 Haifa, or Caiffa, is a city of twenty thousand 
 inhabitants. It is not mentioned in the Bible and 
 probably there was no town of importance there 
 during that period. It is identified with the city 
 Sycaminum of the Greek and the Roman periods. 
 Across the Bay of Acre, near which Haifa is built, 
 is the city of Acre where the ancient Accho 
 (Judges 1;31) stood. This was not a city of 
 Israel, but belonged to Phenicia. 
 
 1S8
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 More than half of the inhabitants are Moslems. 
 There are five thousand Jews, one thousand five 
 hundred Orthodox Greeks, six hundred Roman 
 Catholics and a few Protestants. The English 
 church maintains a hospital and schools. There 
 is a German colony close to the city, and the thrift 
 and the comfortable homes are in marked contrast 
 to the purely native conditions that largely pre- 
 vail about the city. 
 
 At nine o'clock in the morning after reaching 
 Haifa we went in carriages to the northwestern 
 summit of Mount Carmel. We rode through the 
 German colony where abundant crops of grain 
 were being harvested. A. well constructed road 
 leads up the mountain, winding about its sides to 
 secure an easy grade. The road is enclosed by 
 stone walls on either side. I noticed here what I 
 saw in other places also. To make the walls more 
 effective in keeping out intruders, pieces of broken 
 glass were placed in the mortar or cement upon 
 the top of the walls. These sharp and jagged 
 points would make the scaling of the walls a diflS- 
 cult and uncomfortable experiment. There were 
 trees, shrubbery and flowers along the driveway. 
 The road leads around the promontory and 
 reaches the summit from the northwest. We were 
 
 184
 
 HAIFA AND MOUNT CARMEL 
 
 taken to the Monastery of Elijah, so called from 
 the tradition that the grotto over which it was 
 built was the dwelling-place of Elijah. The high 
 altar of the chapel stands on the Cave of Elijah. 
 On a side altar is an old wood-carving representing 
 the prophet. 
 
 We were conducted up to the roof of the 
 monastery where we had a splendid view of the 
 sea, the mountain and the surrounding country. 
 Before leaving the place the guide led our party 
 into a reception room for tourists, where we had 
 an opportunity to examine souvenirs and purchase 
 pictures of the place. The monks distil an aro- 
 matic medicine, called Eau de Melisse, or Water 
 of Balm-mint, which they recommend highly for 
 many bodily ills and industriously try to sell to 
 visitors. They also distil a liquor and are eager 
 to make sales to tourists. I had no occasion to 
 use the medicine, and had no disposition to pur- 
 chase the distilled liquor which they manufac- 
 tured. We passed through the gardens about the 
 monastery, which were very carefully cultivated by 
 the monks. 
 
 Mount Carmel is a ridge about twelve miles 
 long extending at the northwest as a promontory 
 into the Mediterranean and toward the southeast 
 185
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 along the border of the plain of Esdraelon. At 
 the Monastery of Elijah the ridge rises to a height 
 of 558 feet, but at the highest point near Esfiga, 
 about ten miles from the northwest extremity, the 
 height is 1810 feet. This mountain was considered 
 one of the most beautiful features of Israel. 
 Isaiah spoke of "the excellency of Carmel," and 
 Solomon used it as an emblem of beauty and love- 
 liness (Isa. 35:2; S. of S. 7:5). Many parts of 
 Palestine are blessed with heavy dews to compen- 
 sate in some measure for the lack of rain during 
 the long dry season, but Mount Carmel is dis- 
 tinguished for its very abundant dews. This is 
 about the only portion of the land that retains its 
 verdure during the entire year, and the dews con- 
 tribute to this result. 
 
 On the southeastern extremity of Mount Car- 
 mel is a small chapel built on the traditional site 
 of the test to prove that the God of Israel was the 
 true God. The spot is called El-Muhraka, the 
 place of burning. It was probably here that Elijah 
 prayed, and in answer to his prayer, fire fell from 
 heaven and consumed the sacrifice, the wood, the 
 altar and the water in the trenches. At a short 
 distance from this is shown the traditional place 
 where the priests of Baal were slain. From this 
 ISO
 
 .AIOrXT CAUMKI. KHOM IH K SKA 
 
 MOUNT CAIiMKI. 1 liO.M Till: .SOITU
 
 HAIFA AND MOUNT CARMEL 
 
 summit of Mount Carmel the Mediterranean Sea 
 is plainly seen to the west, and to the east one 
 sees Jezreel, whither Ahab fled after the test, and 
 the mountains, Gilboa and Little Hermon, lying 
 beyond the plain of Esdraelon. 
 
 One afternoon our company started out in car- 
 riages to visit Athlit, a place on the coast twelve 
 miles south of Haifa. We rode along the sea- 
 shore at the foot of the promontory. After we had 
 gone a mile or two, we were shown caves in which 
 it is supposed Obadiah hid a hundred of the Lord's 
 prophets during the reign of Ahab. It seems quite 
 probable that this was the place. We rode near the 
 sea the entire distance. The plain between the 
 sea and Mount Carmel is generally well cultivated 
 and productive. I saw many large fields of melons 
 and other vegetables. In these fields were small 
 shelters made by setting four stakes or posts in 
 the ground as supports, and putting a covering of 
 branches over the top. These shelters, or lodges, 
 were occupied by those who seemed to be guarding 
 the crops. By these I was reminded of the words 
 of the prophet who speaks of a ''lodge in a garden 
 of cucumbers" (Isa. 1:8). 
 
 At Athlit we saw extensive ruins of immense 
 buildings of the Crusader period. The fortifica-
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 tions were erected in 1218. They were built upon 
 a point of land and were enclosed on three sides 
 by the waters of the Mediterranean. There was 
 an inner wall and a moat outside of this, which 
 could be filled with water from the sea. There was 
 an outer wall \\'hich was also protected by a moat. 
 This stronghold was called Castellum Perigrino- 
 rum, or Castle of the Pilgrims. It was taken by 
 the Moslems in 1291. We went over the ruins and 
 could easily imagine the solidity of the stronghold 
 of which they are the remains. We found the 
 lower chambers of some of the ruins occupied by 
 wretched-looking inhabitants, who were making 
 their homes there. 
 
 In the early evening after our return from Ath- 
 lit several of our company enjoyed a delightful 
 swim at the bathing-beach near the hotel in Haifa. 
 
 We were in Haifa on Sunday. I had seen the 
 sign, ''Evangelical Mission," upon a building in 
 the city on Saturday and decided to make inquiry 
 there for a service on Sunday. In company with 
 my friend. Professor Luckey, I went to the place 
 where we found an aged man, a converted Jew, in 
 charge. He was converted in a revival in Ireland 
 in 1859, and had been laboring among his people 
 for many years. The mission with which he was 
 188
 
 HAIFA AND MOUNT CAEMEL 
 
 connected was carrying on medical work and 
 school work among the natives. Our entire party 
 attended the service of the Church of England, 
 where a brother of one of our guides preached. 
 
 1S9
 
 XXVIII 
 FROM CANAAN TO EGYPT 
 
 The journey of our party from Canaan to Egypt 
 was very different from that of Jacob and his fam- 
 ily three thousand six hundred years ago. The} 
 made their toilsome journey by land on foot, on 
 beasts of burden and in wagons. We made our 
 journey by water with all the conveniences of mod- 
 ern travel, yet we could not help thinking of 
 Jacob's removal to Egypt. 
 
 We left the hotel at Haifa in carriages at six 
 o'clock in the evening to go to the seashore. As 
 there is no harbor here for large boats, we were 
 taken in rowboats out to where the steamer Tew- 
 fikieh dropped anchor. We had very comfortable 
 accommodations and good service on this boat. 
 We were to sail on this steamer to Port Said. It 
 had been arranged by our company to have a study 
 of the Sunday-school lesson and a sermon in the 
 evening on board the Tewfikieh, but we did not 
 get through with dinner until nearly nine o'clock 
 
 160
 
 FKOM CAXAAN TO EGYPT 
 
 and there seemed to be no suitable time or place 
 for the sernce. 
 
 I was glad to be turning homeward. I had en- 
 joyed every hour of sight-seeing and rest in the 
 Holy Land, and mv mind was filled with the scenes 
 and memories that came to me, but I was ready to 
 bid farewell for a time to Oriental life. 
 
 One of our company, Mr. Kistler, met with an 
 accident after dinner which might have proved 
 serious, but providentially his injury was slight. 
 In some way, while standing on the promenade 
 deck, he lost his footing and fell down the stairs 
 to the deck below. He was picked up unconscious 
 and taken to his room where he was attended by 
 the boat's physician. Late in the evening he re- 
 gained consciousness, and as he steadily improved, 
 his fellow travelers were much relieved. 
 
 Early the next morning we were aroused by a 
 considerable commotion on board, and the noise 
 and confusion increased until after the steamer 
 dropped anchor. We were off Jaffa, and the boat- 
 men were there in large numbers, transporting pas- 
 sengers with their baggage from the city to the 
 steamer, and to transport others to shore. T\Tien 
 we knew that we were off Jaffa, we understood 
 what all the noise meant, for we had learned 
 
 181
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 during the past few weeks something of Oriental 
 customs. The Oriental does indeed make much 
 ado about even ordinary matters. The water was 
 rather rough and some of the passengers were sea- 
 sick. 
 
 We lay at anchor off Jaffa until six o'clock in 
 the ev^iing. A crowd of people came on board so 
 that the boat was well filled. Among them were 
 several English-speaking persons, and it seemed 
 good to us to hear our own language spoken by 
 others besides our own party. Just before leaving 
 Jaffa mail was brought on board and I was happy 
 to receive a letter from my daughter at home. 
 There was a cargo of cattle on board and some of 
 them were wretchedly poor. One died and was 
 hauled up out of the hold, let down into the sea 
 and towed to Jaffa. 
 
 At half past seven the next morning we reached 
 Port Said. We were up early, for we expected to 
 land much earlier than we did. It took a long 
 time to comply with the legal requirements for 
 going ashore. We were held on board for an hour 
 or two waiting for the required medical examina- 
 tion. While we were waiting, we had an opportu- 
 nity to watch the process of unloading the cattle 
 from our steamer. Two large barges were brought 
 192
 
 LXLOAIJIXG CATXr.E FROM STEAMER 
 
 PLOWING IN EGYPT
 
 FROM CANAAN TO EGYPT 
 
 alongside the boat and made fast. A sling was let 
 down into the hold where the cattle were and men 
 there placed it about the body of an animal. When 
 it was secured in position, the signal was given 
 and the hoisting machine drew it up and swung 
 it over the barge where it was let down and re- 
 leased. The boatmen were busy unloading other 
 portions of the cargo, and the scene about the boat 
 was a lively one. 
 
 At last we were assembled in the dining-room 
 to pass the medical examination. This was ap- 
 parently a very formal and empty affair. As one's 
 name was called, he passed by the doctor, who 
 took hold of his wrist and held it for about a 
 second and called for the next on the list. The 
 doctor probably used his eyes to help in detecting 
 any diseased person. The cost to each tourist 
 for this examination was the equivalent of thirty- 
 two cents. Our steamer did not draw up to the 
 dock and we were taken off in rowboats. There 
 were fourteen in the boat in which I was taken 
 ashore, besides the boatmen, and the load was so 
 heavy that the stern was brought down almost to 
 the water; but the sea was smooth and we landed 
 without any mishap. We experienced but little 
 diflSculty in passing customs. Two only of our 
 193
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 party were called upon to open their suitcases. 
 One of these seemed picked out at each custom- 
 house through which we passed to have his bag- 
 gage examined. There must have been something 
 about the man or his suitcase that gave the in- 
 spector reason to think he might have tobacco or 
 spirits among his effects, but the doctor was en- 
 tirely innocent of any such conduct. The officers 
 are very careful in their search for these articles. 
 
 The party walked to the Continental Hotel 
 where we were to have lunch, it being but a few 
 blocks from the custom-house. The lunch was served 
 with much style. At the hotel we were entertained 
 with excellent music, rendered by a fine company 
 of musicians, and when they had finished their 
 performance, they solicited contributions from us. 
 An acrobat came in front of the hotel and per- 
 formed very skilfully. He did not do this wholly 
 for his own amusement, for he came around and 
 asked with much persistence for money. Sellers 
 of curios and souvenirs thronged about us. They 
 seemed to recognize tourists at sight and a long 
 way off. They have a way of not understanding 
 the traveler when he says no to their persistent 
 efforts to sell him goods. 
 
 Port Said is a busy city with many fine build- 
 
 194
 
 FROM CANAAN TO EGYPT 
 
 ings. It stands at the northern terminus of the 
 Suez Canal, and naturally has a population made 
 up of very many different nationalities. It has 
 been said that this is the most wicked city on 
 earth, for the worst elements of all nations have 
 congregated here. In our short stay in the place 
 we had no reason to conclude that Port Said was 
 excessively wicked. We were in Egypt and were 
 desirous of visiting the scenes of the servitude of 
 ancient Israel, hence our sta^^ at Port Said was 
 short and we were off for Cairo. 
 
 195
 
 XXIX 
 
 THE LAND OF THE NILE 
 
 Our interest in Egypt is great largely because 
 of its close connection at many points with scrip- 
 ture history. Abraham was for a time in Egypt. 
 Isaac was forbidden to go into that country. Jo- 
 seph was sold into Egyptian slavery and became 
 the means of the preservation of the Egyptians 
 from death by starvation and also saved his father, 
 Jacob, and his family from death. Egypt was the 
 scene of the enslavement of the children of Israel, 
 and Egypt became a name for oppression and also 
 for worldliness, or enmity to God. The flight of 
 Joseph and Mary with the child Jesus to Egypt 
 gives us an added interest in that land. 
 
 Before taking our journey from Port Said to 
 Cairo we desire to study for a little while the land 
 of the Pharaohs. Egypt is a country of large area 
 if we take into consideration the entire region 
 which is under Egyptian control. Koughly speak- 
 ing, we may say that Egypt is five hundred miles 
 196
 
 THE LAND OF THE NILE 
 
 in extent from east to west and as far from north 
 to south, but the territory for a distance of two 
 thousand miles south of the Mediterranean Sea 
 is held by the Egyptians. 
 
 The country is usually considered as being di- 
 vided into two parts, Lower Egj'pt and Upper 
 Egypt. Lower Egypt is the northern division and 
 includes the delta of the Nile. It also includes the 
 Suez Canal and the Sinai peninsula, and contains 
 the cities, Alexandria, Port Said, Damietta and 
 Cairo. Upper Egypt includes the territory to the 
 south of Cairo. If we take into consideration the 
 Egyptian Sudan, we would place the total area of 
 Egypt at 1,350,000 square miles. The population 
 of Lower and Upper Egypt is about ten million. 
 
 With this vast extent of territory Egypt has 
 but a comparatively small area of land capable of 
 being cultivated. There may be ten thousand 
 square miles of tillable land. The greater part of 
 this is in the delta of the Nile. South of Cairo the 
 valley of the Nile is narrow in most places, but the 
 Fayum district has a large area of especially pro- 
 ductive land. 
 
 From very ancient times the Nile valley has 
 been made to yield large harvests. It is produc- 
 tive because of the river which furnishes both the 
 
 197
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 water and the soil. It is no mistake to call Egypt 
 *'The Land of the Nile." This river, which con- 
 stantly provides water for purposes of irrigation, 
 makes annual additions to the fertility of the soil. 
 Every overflow leaves a deposit that enriches the 
 soil and makes large harvests possible. 
 
 The water in the Nile begins to rise about the 
 middle of June and continues until October. High 
 water reaches a mark at Cairo of twenty-five or 
 twenty-six feet above the low-water mark. If the 
 flood does not reach a height of twenty feet above 
 low water, the usual large harvests are not ex- 
 pected. While we were in Cairo we visited the 
 Nilometer. This is a carefully constructed device 
 for measuring the exact height of the water of the 
 Nile, and the readings are given out from day to 
 day for the information of the inhabitants. They 
 are watched with interest, for the prosperity of 
 the country depends on the rise of the water of 
 the river. The low-water level is reached toward 
 the end of May. 
 
 Almost innumerable canals and ditches are 
 made in the Nile delta by which the flood of the 
 river is distributed throughout the region for pur- 
 poses of irrigation. Many parts of the valley are 
 covered with water in flood time. Channels are 
 198
 
 THE LAND OF THE NILE 
 
 made leading from the river, and from these water 
 is raised to a level sufficiently high to flow over 
 the fields as it is needed for the crops. Thus 
 throughout the year moisture is furnished for the 
 growing crops. 
 
 Enormous dams have been made along the 
 course of the Nile to regulate the flow of water, 
 so that there may be a constant supply. The dam 
 at Assuan was completed in 1902, and it creates a 
 reservoir one hundred forty-four miles long and 
 one and a quarter miles wide. These reservoirs 
 add enormously to the productiveness of several 
 millions of acres. 
 
 In districts where the water overflows the land 
 in flood time two or three crops are raised during 
 the year on the same ground. It was the middle 
 of June when I went through a portion of Egypt 
 and I saw great stretches of land upon which were 
 abundant crops of cotton and wheat. It is inter- 
 esting to see the mode of pumping the water em- 
 ployed in that country. This work is largely done 
 by oxen. Keservoirs are constructed and so con- 
 nected by channels with the Nile that water flows 
 into them. A large wheel is made and is placed 
 vertically so that its rim dips into the reservoir. 
 A sweep is so connected with this wheel that when 
 199
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 it is drawn around by the oxen, it makes the wheel 
 revolve. Water-pots are fastened to the rim of the 
 wheel in such a way that, as they pass into the 
 water, they are filled, and at a certain point of 
 the revolution of the wheel they are emptied into 
 a trough, from which the water can be turned into 
 the irrigation system. Toward evening one can 
 see many of these water-raising wheels in motion. 
 
 The journey of our party from Port Said to 
 Cairo was full of interest. We went by an express 
 train and at a rapid rate of speed. For many miles 
 our course lay along the Suez Canal. The canal 
 was in sight a part of the time. In some places we 
 looked out upon a bank of sand above the top of 
 which the masts of boats could be seen. 
 
 For some distance the country was a sandy 
 waste, except where water could be secured' for 
 irrigation. When we had gone about fifty miles, 
 we entered what was known in Bible times as the 
 land of Goshen. This is a beautiful and productive 
 region in sharp contrast to the desolate waste 
 through which we had just passed. Water is avail- 
 able there from the east branch of the Nile's mouth 
 for irrigation purposes, and the land of Goshen 
 is a veritable garden. I had read about the fertil- 
 ity of the Nile valley, but I was not fully prepared 
 200
 
 THE LAND OF THE NILE 
 
 to see such fruitfulness as was shown by the rich 
 growth of vegetation. 
 
 From that point on to Cairo we saw a succes- 
 sion of fields of cotton, wheat and other crops. It 
 seemed entirely reasonable that this region should 
 have been called by Pharaoh the best of the land 
 of Egypt. We were in the country where the chil- 
 dren of Israel were settled and prospered and 
 where later they were enslaved and endured bitter 
 oppression. 
 
 201
 
 XXX 
 
 A MOSLEM STKONGHOLD 
 
 We arrived at Cairo after a journey of one hun- 
 dred fifty miles from Port Said. The carriage 
 drive from the station to our hotel had the effect 
 of opening my eyes to the importance of Cairo. 
 I had not expected to see such substantial and 
 beautiful modern buildings as make up a large 
 part of the citj. Many of them are such as may be 
 found in a progressive European city. 
 
 Many of the streets are wide, well paved and 
 clean. There is evidence of well-organized govern- 
 ment and prosperity, and the city in large part has 
 modern improvements; yet there is the old Cairo, 
 in which the streets are narrow and crooked, and 
 the buildings, shops and general appearance are 
 entirely Oriental. 
 
 Cairo has a population of 800,000. It is lo- 
 cated on the east bank of the Nile nine miles south 
 of the place where the river divides into two 
 branches to form the delta. The inhabitants are 
 202
 
 CAIRO FROM CITADEL 
 
 CAIRO WATER CARRIER
 
 A MOSLEM STRONGHOLD 
 
 mostly uative Egyptians, but there are tweuty 
 thousand foreigners, of whom many are Euro- 
 peans. Cairo is the seat of government of Egypt. 
 The country is under the protection of England 
 and the higher offices are filled by Englishmen. 
 The city is becoming a winter resort for Euro- 
 peans. 
 
 The inhabitants are mainly Moslems. There 
 are more than one hundred fifty mosques in Cairo. 
 As we looked from the Citadel over the city, we 
 could see minarets and prayer towers in every di- 
 rection. As Mecca is the religious center of Mo- 
 hammedanism and Constantinople is the political 
 center, so Cairo is the educational center. 
 
 We visited three of the many mosques. The one 
 upon the Citadel was the most gorgeous. It is 
 built after the plan of the Mosque of Sophia in 
 Constantinople. It is constructed largely of ala- 
 baster and is highly artistic and rich. Attendants 
 were in the mosque who were eager to sell us 
 articles made of alabaster as souvenirs. Before 
 entering these mosques we were under the neces- 
 sity of putting on the slippers which are provided 
 for the purpose, lest we should profane the sacred 
 places. 
 
 I was desirous uf visiting the LTniversity of 
 203
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 Cairo of which I had heard much. I had read of 
 the great numbers in attendance and of the many 
 who went out from there into various parts of the 
 world to make converts to Mohammedanism. 
 
 This great institution is a mosque or connected 
 with a mosque and is called El-Azhar. Before we 
 could enter we had to cover our shoes with the 
 customary slippers. There is an extensive portico 
 about the principal building and here I saw many 
 students at their work. I was not prepared to see 
 the system of education that is in use here. Of 
 course there are no girls or women in this institu- 
 tion, for Islam has only a subordinate place for 
 women. The students are males from six years of 
 age up to men of mature years. We were told that 
 there were in all thirteen thousand students in at- 
 tendance at some time during the year and that 
 six thousand live in the school. They come from 
 various countries and therefore apartments are al- 
 lotted to dififerent nationalities, so that students 
 of the same nation or country may be together. 
 
 We saw nothing that would correspond closely 
 to our recitation or lecture rooms in our Western 
 schools. In the porticos and in the large rooms 
 which we entered we saw the students sitting on 
 the pavement, holding leaves of a book in their 
 204
 
 A MOSLEM STRONGHOLD 
 
 hands and swaying back and forth as they memo- 
 rized their lessons. It is supposed that the sway- 
 ing and rythmical motion of the body is an aid to 
 committing their lessons to memory and helps to 
 keep the students awake. Their one subject for 
 study is the Koran. This they commit to memory 
 and have it explained to them. It requires twelve 
 years of study of this book to render a student 
 capable of going forth as a Moslem priest. 
 
 I saw here and there a group of students aoout 
 an instructor who was explaining to them the 
 meaning of passages of the Koran and unfolding 
 the doctrines of Mohammedanism. Many of the 
 boys and men had little heaps of food upon their 
 mats, so that they could eat when they were 
 hungry. I saw several of the students lying asleep 
 upon their mats. 
 
 There are betw^een two and three hundred in- 
 structors in this great school. They receive no 
 salary and support themselves from their own re- 
 sources or by outside labor. 
 
 I visited the library of this great center of Mo- 
 hammedan learning. There were many volumes of 
 dififerent sizes, shapes and bindings. Some were 
 plain and others were elaborate and elegant. The 
 library was in keeping with the instruction 
 205
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 given. It was a collection of copies of the Koran 
 and commentaries on that book. There were no 
 books aside from these. The great Moslems copy 
 the Koran and leave their work there. We saw 
 some very large and richly and beautifully il- 
 luminated texts of the Koran. In one case was a 
 copy made by a devout follower of Mohammed, 
 who had written the whole of the Koran upon 
 twelve pages not larger than seven by ten inches. 
 It was written in Arabic and the characters were 
 exceedingly small. The man became blind as a 
 consequence of making this copy. 
 
 In Cairo, this stronghold of Islam, there are 
 influences at work which are proving effectual in 
 breaking down to some extent, the hold of Moham- 
 medanism. Dr. Zwemer spoke at the World's Sun- 
 day-school convention in Zurich, Switzerland, in 
 July, 1913, the following memorable words : 
 
 ''The Moslem problem is being solved before our 
 eyes : 'That the proudest man in the world should 
 accept that which he abhors from the man whom 
 he despises.' Come to Cairo and I will show you 
 them doing it. At the American mission all last 
 winter a hall holding six or seven hundred peo- 
 ple was jammed to the doors, with the police hold- 
 ing back a crowd outside. In one seat there was a 
 206
 
 A MOSLEM STKOXGHOLD 
 
 Moslem from the University of Cairo, the proudest 
 man in the capital of Islam. In the pulpit stood 
 a converted Moslem, in his hand the Book of books, 
 and on his lips the message of life. Not one night 
 only, but for scores of nights for a number of years 
 that room has been filled with the proudest men in 
 the world, listening to the message they once de- 
 spised, from the lips of one whom they would 
 naturally abhor." 
 
 While in Cairo I visited a Protestant mission 
 school where hundreds of boys and girls from Mo- 
 hammedan, Greek, Eoman and Coptic families 
 were being trained in Western learning and were 
 taught true Christianity. The work done by evan- 
 gelical Christian missions is far-reaching in its 
 effects and has its bearing upon the social, domes- 
 tic and religious life of Egypt. I visited also the 
 American College in the city. This institution is 
 for girls, and Mohammedanism ignores the needs 
 of girls and does not educate them. The school is 
 filled with bright, attentive girls, mostly from Mos- 
 lem families. A Christian homelikeness pervades 
 the place, and the contrast between this institu- 
 tion and the great Moslem university is striking. 
 Girls are being trained to go out and build up 
 real homes in that land. 
 
 207
 
 GLIMPSES OP PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 An efifort is being made to establish a great 
 Protestant Christian university in Cairo that shall 
 compete with the Moslem institution and counter- 
 act its influence, and no more worthy cause can 
 command the attention of the Christian world. 
 
 208
 
 XXXI 
 THE CHILD IN EGYPT 
 
 Egypt has an attraction for us because it 
 touches upon the life of our Lord. Jesus was born 
 at a time when there was opposition to His mis- 
 sion; and indeed there has been no time in the 
 world's history since man's fall that His ministry 
 <rould have been universally welcomed, but in the 
 fulness of time He came. 
 
 It was a wonderful train of providences that 
 led to the residence of Joseph and Mary and Jesus 
 in Egypt. The wise men from the East had in 
 some mysterious manner been convinced of the fact 
 that the Messiah had come to earth as a child. 
 Their desire to find Him and adore Him was so 
 great as to lead them to undertake the long jour- 
 ney to Jerusalem. They were encouraged in their 
 purpose by the miraculous appearance of the star 
 to guide them. Their inquiry of Herod at Jeru- 
 salem for the new-born King excited the fears of 
 that ruler and led him to take immediate steps to 
 209
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 destroy the infant Christ, whom he looked upon as 
 a rival. 
 
 We have the story of the flight into Egypt to 
 escape the destruction that Herod had decreed, 
 and Egypt became a safe refuge for the favored 
 and threatened family. As Joseph had been 
 warned in a dream to flee with his dear ones into 
 Egypt, so after Herod's death an angel appeared 
 to him with the command to return with Mary 
 and Jesus into the land of Israel, for there was no 
 one to seek the life of the Child. 
 
 In this flight into Egypt and the residence 
 there, together with the return to Israel, these 
 W'ords of the Lord, spoken by the prophet Hosea, 
 ^ere fulfilled : "When Israel was a child, then I 
 loved him, and called my son out of Egypt" (Ho- 
 sea 11:1; Matt. 2:15). 
 
 One afternoon while in Cairo our party went 
 Through the old portion of the city and visited a 
 Coptic church, parts of which had probably been 
 standing a thousand years. This was an inter- 
 esting place to us because of the tradition which 
 the Coptic Christians hold, that the church is 
 built over the spot where Joseph, Mary and Jesus 
 lived during their stay in Egypt. Since Palestine 
 has so many places esteemed sacred because of 
 210
 
 THE CHILD IN EGYPT 
 
 Christ's presence there, it is not strange that in 
 Egypt there are also places esteemed sacred on the 
 same grounds. This old church stands as a testi- 
 mony to the fact that Jesus spent some time in 
 Egypt, whether it marks the exact place of His 
 residence or not. 
 
 The Coptic Christians constitute a numerous 
 body in Egypt. There are now about 750,000 of 
 them. They are descendants of the ancient Egyp- 
 tians and are a bright and intelligent people. 
 After they were conquered by the Mohammedans 
 in the seventh century their own language fell into 
 disuse and they adopted the Arabic, the language 
 of their conquerors. 
 
 In their religious forms and doctrines they do 
 not differ greatly from the Roman Catholics. Their 
 highest official is the Patriarch of Alexandria, 
 who, however, lives in Cairo, and they have twelve 
 bishops. This sect was formed after the Christian 
 Council of Chalcedon in 451, which accepted the 
 doctrine that Christ has a divine nature and 
 a human nature also. The Coptic Christians hold 
 that He has but one nature. The Coptics have an 
 interest in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in 
 Jerusalem. 
 
 Extravagant claims are made in Egypt, as well 
 
 211
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 as in Palestine, respecting the places where Jesus 
 was. A small party of us rode one morning from 
 Cairo in a carriage in a northeasterly direction to 
 the site of the ancient Heliopolis. On the way we 
 came to a place which is claimed to be of great 
 historic interest. It is controlled by the Roman 
 Catholics. It is called the Virgin's Well. In this 
 enclosure is a sycamore tree, which, it is said, is a 
 shoot from a tree that was here in Christ's time. 
 The attendants showed us a part of an old tree 
 which they said was the remains of the tree under 
 which Joseph, Mary and Jesus lodged for several 
 days during their sojourn in Egypt. There is a 
 spring close by where tradition declares that Mary 
 washed the garments of the child Jesus. This 
 shows how ready many persons are to accept as 
 true what some one suggests as a possibility. 
 
 Our ride to Heliopolis, or city of the sun, was 
 over a fine road, through a rich and beautiful coun- 
 try. The morning air was cool and the excursion 
 was a delightful one. Our objective point was the 
 Obelisk of Heliopolis. This stands in a field in 
 which crops were growing when I was there. It 
 is a solid granite shaft sixty feet high and six feet 
 square at the base and four feet square at the 
 place near the top where it slants sharply to its 
 212
 
 ORELTSK AT ITELTOrOLTS
 
 THE CHILD IN EGYPT 
 
 apex. It must weigh two hundred tons. No one 
 knows by what mechanical devices it was brought 
 to the place nor how it was raised to its present 
 position. It has stood there for thousands of 
 years. Some one has facetiously remarked that 
 Joseph, the son of Jacob, courted the daughter of 
 the priest of On in the shadow of this obelisk. 
 Many Egyptian obelisks have been taken from their 
 original places, transported to cities of the West 
 and set up and viewed as objects of great interest. 
 
 On our return trip to Cairo we rode through 
 the new Heliopolis. This is remarkable for its 
 magnificent hotels and its elegant mansions. It 
 is a favorite winter resort for w^ealthy Europeans. 
 
 I mention one other tradition in connection 
 with Cairo and the Nile. Our company crossed 
 a branch of the river in a ferry-boat to the Island 
 of Khoda. We were told that it was close to 
 where we stood on the shore of the island that the 
 infant Moses was hidden in the river among the 
 rushes. There was no exact place pointed out to 
 us, and we should have accepted with much hesi- 
 tancy any statement touching that point. 
 
 We were satisfied to be in the country which 
 is of great interest to Bible readers from the fact 
 that Joseph, Moses and Jesus were there. 
 
 213
 
 XXXII 
 A TRIP TO THE PYRAMIDS 
 
 We had caught a glimpse of the pyramids of 
 Gizeh as we approached Cairo on the train from 
 Port Said, and now we were to visit them. Our 
 company of twenty-six with competent guides 
 boarded an electric tram and rode southward 
 after crossing the Nile. The distance to Gizeh 
 is about ten miles. We were close to the river 
 all the way and saw the growing crops, the homes 
 and manner of work of the people, and the beasts 
 of burden in use in Egypt, the camel, the donkey, 
 the ox and the cow. The cattle of Egypt are large 
 and slightly resemble the buffalo in appearance. 
 
 The pyramids are half a mile from the station 
 and camels and donkeys were provided to convey 
 us thither, and nearly every member of the com- 
 pany took advantage of the opportunity to ride 
 upon the back of a camel. There is much sand 
 about the pyramids and the road to them is not 
 especially easy to travel. 
 
 214
 
 9 
 
 TOUKlSr ON CAWKL 
 
 «i^!|L. *• -' 
 
 ;-.*i/^ 
 
 THE NILE
 
 A TRIP TO THE PYRAMIDS 
 
 There are three pyramids in this group, the 
 largest of which is the Great Pyramid, or the 
 Pyramid of Cheops. I had read and studied 
 about these remains of the ancient Egyptian civi- 
 lization and was prepared to look upon a huge 
 structure, but the sight filled my highest expecta- 
 tions. 
 
 In the valley of the Mle more than seventy 
 pyramids and ruins of pyramids have been found. 
 These stand as monuments to the memory of the 
 kings who built them, and represent almost untold 
 labor and expense. A king of Egypt was largely 
 engaged during his lifetime in preparing his monu- 
 ment and final resting-place. These pyramids are 
 marvels of engineering skill when we consider the 
 rudeness of the times in which the work was done. 
 The Great Pyramid covers an area of thirteen 
 acres and was built to a height of four hundred 
 eighty feet, containing ninety million cubic feet 
 of solid masonry. For a foundation an excavation 
 was made several feet into the solid rock. The 
 sepulchral chamber was constructed and enclosed 
 by immense blocks of granite. A passageway was 
 left less than four feet square connecting with this 
 chamber from the outside, and through this 
 the remains of the monarch were to be taken to 
 215
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 their final resting-place, after which the passage 
 was to be sealed. If the pyramid was not com- 
 pleted at the king's death, the work ceased and 
 was to be forever unfinished. 
 
 It is difl&cult to grasp the magnitude of the 
 Great Pyramid. If built with perpendicular sides 
 upon a forty-acre farm, the solid mass would 
 reach a height of fifty feet. If built upon a site 
 covering three and a half acres, it would reach a 
 height about fifty feet greater than the Washing- 
 ton monument. It is said that one hundred thou- 
 sand men were employed for twenty years in its 
 construction. 
 
 The granite blocks used in the pyramid are 
 about three feet in length on each edge. Each suc- 
 ceeding course is laid in from the edge of the lower 
 one, so that a ledge is left, thus forming steps 
 three feet high from the base to the summit. The 
 opening into the sepulchral chamber is on the west 
 side and about twenty feet above the present level 
 of the ground around it. 
 
 Several of our party climbed to the summit of 
 this marvelous structure. This was no easy task 
 for those who were not in training for such an 
 undertaking. There were many Arab guides 
 about the pyramids to assist any who wished to 
 210
 
 A TRIP TO THE PYRAMIDS 
 
 make the ascent. It is customary for each climber 
 to have two guides to assist him. Each step is 
 three feet high and the ledge is not very wide, so 
 the help of strong men is desirable. The tourist 
 has one on each side. They climb to the ledge 
 above and pull the climber up after them. The 
 view from the top of the pyramid is fine and worth 
 the effort necessary to enjoy it. 
 
 The descent is about as tiresome as the ascent. 
 The climber is likely to feel the effects of the effort 
 for a few days. These Arab guides are strong and 
 quick in their movements. One of them surprised 
 our party by running down from the summit of 
 the Great Pyramid and up to the top of a smaller 
 pyramid a short distance away in less than eight 
 minutes. 
 
 A few rods from the Great Pyramid stands one 
 of those mysterious Egyptian objects, the Sphinx. 
 It has the face of a human being and the body of 
 a lion. Its significance has never been satisfac- 
 torily explained. Near this are the ruins of an 
 ancient building which is known as the Temple of 
 the Sphinx. The drifting sand had buried it, but 
 excavations have been made so that one can form 
 some idea of what it formerly was. It is built 
 of huge blocks of granite and alabaster. Some of 
 217
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 the pieces of grauite were sixteen feet long, ten feet 
 wide and a foot or more in thickness, and some of 
 the alabaster blocks were nearly as large. These 
 blocks were not all regular in shape. Some had 
 oblique angles, but the joints were so accurately- 
 made that one could not put a thin knife-blade in 
 the joints. It is said that the granite was brought 
 from Assuan, five hundred eighty-five miles away 
 and the alabaster was brought a distance of one 
 hundred miles. It is quite certain that this ma- 
 terial was brought down the Nile on rafts or boats, 
 but we do not know the methods used in transport- 
 ing these immense blocks from the river to the 
 structure in which they were placed. 
 
 I took views of the Sphinx and of the pyramids. 
 It was necessary for me to go a long distance 
 from the (jreat Pyramid before I could bring its 
 image within the limits of the camera. 
 
 The donkey boys, camel drivers and guides here 
 are the most persistent of all the persons we 
 have yet found in demanding tips. They are not 
 satisfied, no matter how much one gives them. The 
 donkey boys name their donkeys after noted 
 Americans, so that they may gain the favor of 
 American tourists, and they talk almost constant- 
 ly about the tips they wish to receive. 
 218
 
 A TEIP TO THE PYRAMIDS 
 
 Excavations are being made near the pyramids 
 of Gizeh and in other parts of Egypt, and im- 
 portant relics are being found. In the Cairo Mu- 
 seum of Egyptian Antiquities are many pieces of 
 ancient sculpture. There are many mummies. 
 We were shown those of Seti I and Rameses II. 
 The case containing the alleged mummy of Me- 
 nephtah, the Pharaoh of the oppression of Israel, 
 was shown to us. The body was found some years 
 ago, not in a tomb of the kings, but in another, 
 and gave evidence of having been hastily buried. 
 It is supposed that this body was recovered from 
 the Red Sea after the Israelites had crossed over, 
 and was hastily prepared for burial. Not much 
 remains of it. In this Museum were many mum- 
 mies of crocodiles, cats and other objects held 
 sacred by the ancient Egyptians. 
 
 Egypt stands for a very ancient civilization, as 
 is shown by the pyramids, obelisks, statues, 
 temples and tablets that have been studied by 
 generations of scholars. Many of these ancient 
 records have been deciphered, and bear strong 
 testimony to the truthfulness of the scriptures. 
 
 219
 
 XXXIII 
 LASTING IMPKESSIONS 
 
 In concluding my journey through Palestine 
 and Egypt I am frank to say that I have experi- 
 enced no sort of disappointment in what I have 
 seen. Many tourists through Bible lands have 
 expressed themselves as being much disappointed, 
 having expected to see conditions very different 
 from what they really were. 
 
 We are liable to form our ideas of what we 
 have not seen from the objects with which we are 
 familiar. We may allow the Bible accounts of 
 incidents, customs and places to be colored by 
 what we see around us. Our Western ideas of 
 living and business can not be applied to the 
 Orient. We expect to see the native in his own 
 land, living in his own way, and we should be dis- 
 appointed if we should see Western customs as- 
 sumed by the Oriental. 
 
 At every stage of my journey I was glad to 
 note the correspondence between my idea of con- 
 220
 
 LASTING IMPEESSIONS 
 
 ditions there and the reality, and my confidence in 
 God's word was not shaken in the least degree, 
 but, on the contrary, was made stronger. The 
 Bible narratives are to me more vivid than before 
 my visit to the lands of which they speak. The 
 more fully one is acquainted with the Bible, the 
 more satisfaction will he have in journeying 
 through Palestine. The inconveniences of travel 
 now are slight, and the time and money necessarj 
 to such a trip are profitably expended by the 
 earnest and devout student of the Bible. 
 
 It is necessary to bear in mind constantly the 
 distinction between the permanent and the tran- 
 sient in Bible lands. Does the tourist see the 
 same sights that Abraham, David or John saw? 
 Yes and no. He looks out upon the hills, the 
 mountains, the valleys that each of these men 
 saw, but he does not see the same buildings and 
 the same trees that they saw. He sees the site of 
 ancient Jericho, but he sees only the Jericho of 
 the present day. 
 
 The great physical features of ancient Pales- 
 tine are the same to-day as when the prophets 
 wrote. When one looks for the mountains that 
 "are round about Jerusalem," he has no difficulty 
 in finding them. Travelers go "down from Jeru- 
 
 221
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 salem to Jericho" now as they did when the man 
 fell among thieves. The Mount of Olives stands 
 across the valley of Kidron as it did when Jesus 
 was accustomed to resort to that sacred place. 
 Bethlehem occupies the same sightly location that 
 it did when Christ was born. We find the Sea of 
 Galilee cradled among the hills that looked down 
 upon it when Jesus calmed its boisterous waves. 
 
 The trees of ancient times are gone, as also are 
 the buildings. Customs, too, have changed to 
 some extent. Yet the land, blessed by the Man of 
 Calvary and by those who prophesied of Him and 
 by those who bore witness of Him, remains. 
 
 The Palestine of Moses' time was a goodly 
 land. As we look at it to-day, we wonder how it 
 could have sustained the great numbers of inhabi- 
 tants that lived there in the height of Israel's 
 prosperity. We look in vain for the numerous 
 large villages and cities that existed in ancient 
 times. There are villages and cities, and many of 
 them, but they are few in comparison with those 
 of Bible times. 
 
 It would appear that a curse is upon the land 
 
 because of the sins of God's ancient people. The 
 
 productiveness must be less than formerly. There 
 
 is little encouragement by the existing govern- 
 
 222
 
 LASTING IMPKESSIONS 
 
 rneut to improve agricultural conditions, and 
 progress will be slow until there is a change of 
 administration. 
 
 During the summer season the heat of the 
 noonday sun is intense, and after one has ex- 
 perienced it, he can well appreciate the frequent 
 references in the Bible to the advantages of pro- 
 tection from the heat. He can also understand 
 how much of spiritual blessing is typified by an 
 abundant supply of water. 
 
 He who has journeyed among the hills and val- 
 leys of Palestine can understand the frequent 
 references to them in the scriptures. He can see 
 events in their natural settings. He does not try 
 to make the events described fit the region of 
 country where he lives. 
 
 I heard many traditions. I had no inclination 
 to give credence to them, unless there appeared to 
 be a good foundation in fact. Many were utterly 
 unbelievable, yet there was something to be learned 
 from tJiem all. The fact that these traditions 
 were accepted and believed shows the credulity 
 and superstition that are prevalent. It shows also 
 that the human race is inclined toward religion. 
 Where the true light of the gospel does not shine 
 or is not received, there is, nevertheless, a dis- 
 223
 
 GLIMPSES OF PALESTINE AND EGYPT 
 
 position to accept some sort of religious faith. 
 This faith in traditions and this tendency to adore 
 traditionally sacred places give evidence of a need 
 for the gospel of Christ. 
 
 With the people of Palestine there is a ten- 
 dency to revere places and objects that are really 
 not sacred; but with us there is a tendency to 
 neglect and treat slightingly the most sacred ob- 
 jects. I would not speak lightly of the reverence 
 that many in that land have for shrines and his- 
 toric places, for there is no doubt that they are 
 sincere in their devotion. They are no better in- 
 structed. 
 
 The Bible has a strong hold upon Christian 
 and Jew in Palestine. By this statement I mean 
 that the Jew regards the Old Testament with 
 reverence and considers it as God's word. The 
 Christian accepts the Old Testament and the New 
 as true and authoritative. Scattered all over the 
 country are places that are, in the minds of the 
 people, connected with Bible events. This does 
 not prove that the people generally know much 
 about the Bible, but they have a knowledge of 
 many of the important events therein described. 
 
 Palestine with all its ruggedness, with all its 
 present barrenness, with all the spiritual and in- 
 224
 
 LASTING IMPKESSIONS 
 
 tellectual poverty of its inhabitants and with all 
 the oppression of its administration, is still the 
 Holy Land, and will so remain to the end of time. 
 
 225
 
 INDEX 
 
 Absalom's tomb, 84. 
 Adam, traditional tomb of, 
 
 74. 
 Akra, 63. 
 Aksa, mosque, 68. 
 Alexandria, 38. 
 Algiers, 23. 
 American College. Cairo, 
 
 207. 
 Anti-Lebanon, 50. 
 Aphek, 181. 
 Apostles' spring, 100. 
 Arnon, canyon of. 50. 
 Assuan, Egypt, 199. 
 Athens, Acropolis, 34, 35. 
 
 Customs, 35. 
 
 Mars Hill, 33. 34. 
 Athlit, 187. 
 Azores, 19. 
 Baggage carried, 178. 
 Bedouins' camp, 50, 180. 
 Beeroth, 138. 
 Beersheba, mission work, 
 
 135. 
 Begging. ^\Jgiers, 25. 
 
 Bethany, 112. 
 
 Bethlehem, 97. 
 
 Jerusalem, 79. 
 Bethany, visit to. 110-112. 
 Bethel, 138. 
 Bethesda, pool of. 115. 
 Bethlehem, 92-97. 
 Bethsaida, site of. 172. 
 Beth-shean, 181. 
 Bezetha, 63. 
 Boaz. field of, 96. 
 
 Cairo, 202. 
 
 Cairo, university of, 202- 
 
 206. 
 Calvary, 61, 75, 86. 
 Cana, 163. 
 
 Capernaum, 169, 171. 
 Carmel, Mount, 49, 184-187. 
 Castle of the Pilgrims, 188. 
 Charybdis, 28. 
 Cherith, 101. 
 Chinnereth, 168. 
 Coptic Christians, 211. 
 Corinth, view of, 31. 
 Crete, view of, 38. 
 Dead Sea. 107, 108. 
 Dome of the Rock, 66. 
 Donkey I'ide, 82. 
 Dothan, 151. 
 Dress, Greece, 31. 
 
 Alexandria, 39. 
 Dry season, Palestine, 45, 
 
 54. 
 Ebal, Mount, 139. 
 Egypt, extent, 197. 
 
 Irrigation, 199. 
 
 Productive, 199. 
 El-Fuleh, 181. 
 El-Bireh, 138. 
 Elijah, monastery ot, 185. 
 
 Resting-place of, 93. 
 El-Lubban, 139. 
 Emmaus, 138. 
 Endor, 154. 
 Engannira, 152. 
 Esdraelon, 153, 154, 181. 
 Etna, Mount, 29, 
 
 227
 
 INDEX 
 
 Evil Counsel, hiU of, 84. 
 Fezes, worn by men, 67. 
 Flooded berth, 18. 
 Fountain of the Virgin, 114. 
 Funeral, Jewish, 85. 
 Galilee, Sea of, 165-169. 
 Garden Tomb, 75. 
 Gath-Hepher, 163. 
 Gennesaret, 168. 
 Gerizim, Mount, 139. 
 German Lutheran Church, 
 
 61. 
 Gethsemane, 88. 
 Gibraltar, 21, 22. 
 Gihon, pool of, 114. 
 Gilboa, Mount, 154, 160, 181. 
 Gilgal, 104. 
 
 Gizeh, pyramids of, 214. 
 Gleaning, 55. 
 Golden Gate, 123. 
 Gordon's Calvary, 75, 86. 
 Greeks, patriotic, 32. 
 Haifa, Caiffa, 183. 
 Harvesting, 30, 54. 
 Hebron, mission work at, 
 
 134. 
 Hejaz railway, 178, 179. 
 Heliopolis, obelisk, 212, 213. 
 Hermon, Mount, 50, 170. 
 Hezekiah's pool, 114, 115. 
 Hinnom, 62. 
 Holy Fire, 122. 
 Holy Sepulcher, 70, 122. 
 Holy Thursday, 132. 
 Horns of Hattin, 164, 169. 
 Hot springs, 173, 174. 
 Jabbok, 50. 
 Jacob's Well, 139. 
 JafiFa, 41-44. 
 Jaffa Gate, 56, S3. 
 Jebus, 63. 
 
 Jehoshaphat, valley of, 84. 
 Jenin, 152. 
 Jericho, 98-103. 
 Jerusalem, 57-62. 
 
 Jews' Wailing Place, 76-80, 
 
 132. 
 Jezreel, 154. 
 Jordan, visit to, 105-107. 
 Jordan Valley, 49-51. 
 Joseph's Tomb, 140. 
 Kidron Valley, 59. 
 Kishon River, 182. 
 Lazarus, tomb of. 111. 
 Lebanon, 47. 
 Lebonah, 139. 
 Little Hermon, 160. 
 Longinus, chapel of, 121. 
 Lord's Prayer, church of, 
 
 122. 
 Man overboard, 26. 
 Mars Hill, 33, 34. 
 Mary's fountain, 158. 
 Medical examination, 193. 
 Messina, 28. 
 
 Missionary Alliance, 134. 
 Mizpeh, 138. 
 Moab, 47, 91. 
 Mohammedans at prayer, 40. 
 
 Heads covered, 67. 
 
 Women's veils, 68. 
 Moriah, 63. 
 
 Mount of Olives, 87-91. 
 Nablus, 141, 142. 
 Nain, 154. 
 Naples, 27. 
 
 Nativity, church of, 95. 
 Nazareth, 155-161. 
 Nebo, Mount, 105. 
 Nilometer, 198. 
 Omar, mosque, 66. 
 Ophthalmic hospital, 133. 
 Palestine, physical features, 
 48-50. 
 
 Size, 47. 
 Parnassus, 30. 
 Patras, 29. 
 Patriarch's pool, 114. 
 Perea, 180. 
 Piraeus, 37. 
 
 228
 
 INDEX 
 
 Pisgah, 105. 
 
 Port Said, 40, 19G. 
 
 Prayer, Mohammedan at, 40. 
 
 Pyramids of Egypt. 214-218 
 
 Puteoli, 27. 
 
 Rachel's Tomb, 94. 
 
 Railways, Greece, o(». 
 
 Palestine, 52. 
 Ramah, 138. 
 Ramallah, 138. 
 Sabbath-keeping in .Jernsa- 
 
 lem, 129. 
 Safed, 164. 
 Salamis, gulf of, 33. 
 Samaria, hill of, 147-150. 
 Samaritan Inn, 101. 
 Samaritans, 142-145. 
 Samson, home of, 56. 
 Scopus, 87, 91. 
 Scylla, 28. 
 Semakh, 178. 
 Sharon, 53. 
 Shechem, 140-145. 
 Shepherd scene, 175. 
 Shops in Jerusalem. 124, 
 
 128. 
 Shunem, 154. 
 Sicily, 28. 
 
 Siloam, pool of, 114. 
 Slings 100. 
 
 Solomon's pools, 116. 
 
 Quarries, 85. 
 
 Stables, 69. 
 Sphinx, 217. 
 
 Steamship, Kaiser Franz 
 Josef I, 15, 16. 
 
 Osmanieh, 37. 
 
 Prince Abbas, 39. 
 
 Tewfikieh, 190. 
 Stephen's, St., Gate, 87. 
 Suez Canal, 195, 200. 
 Tabor, Mount, 154. 
 Temple Area, 64, 65. 
 Temptation, hill of, 104. 
 Thrashing-floors, 30, .55. 
 Tiberias, 165, 175. 
 Titus, 87. 
 
 Trotter, Miss, Algiers mis- 
 sion, 23. 
 Turban, significance of, 131. 
 Tyropeon Valley, 60. 
 Veils, women's, 68. 
 Veronica, St., house of, 122. 
 Via Dolorosa, 132. 
 Wailing Place, Jews", 76, 
 
 132. 
 Yarmuk River, 180. 
 Zion, 63. 
 Zwemer, quoted, 206, 207. 
 
 229
 
 
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