YTv
"W
Wa'
.'tJf
nw
!.Vv
i'
:
"A .
I.
suits of his fifteen yoars study of the ruins,
insists that the great court, was really, a pan
theon and contained all of tho gods at that tfmo
worshiped by tho conquerors and by tho native
population. Tho temple of Jupiter must have
been a most impressive building. It stood twenty-six
feet above tho courts' and therefore about
fifty feet above the natural level of the ground
around. It measured three hundred and ten feet "
-in length and one hundred and sixty in breadth.
Its outer wall supported fifty-four columns in
Corinthian style, each column being seventy feet
in height, seven feet in diameter and composed
of 'threo pieces. Six of these columns are still
standing, having survived three earthquakes and
one mountain torrent. The six columns with
the capitals and cornice give some idea of tho
magnificence of the temple before its decay. The
stone used is taken from a lime-Stone quarry near
tho city, and the carving is excellent. Enormous
masses of stone lie scattered over the ground
parts of pillars, pieces of cornice, and sections
of the pediment. How these huge blocks were
ever lifted into place is still a matter of conjec
ture. No mortar was used, and yet in some places
the joints are so nicely fitted and the stone so
accurately cut that a knife blade can not be in
serted after a lapse of nearly twenty centuries.
Stupendous as is the plan of this wonderful
temple and elaborate as is its ornamentation,
the most remarkable feature is the size of the
stones employed. The guide first shows a num
ber of blocks about thirty-three feet long four
teen feet high and ten feet thick. After one's
wonder has had sufficient time to express itself
three blocks are. pointed out which measure
sixty-four feet in length, fourteen feet in height
and twelve feet in thickness. The estimated
weight of one of these stones is nearly one thou
sand tons, and it is calculated that it would re
quire ten thousand horse power to lift it. At the
quarry a companion block, seventy-two feet long
and about fifteen feet in height and thickness is
to be seen chiseled from the stone about it, but
mw rely seParated from the stratum beneath
it. This was probably intended for the sustain
ing wall around the temple. Whether it remained
at, the quarry because the work was interrupted
or, because the builders despaired of being able
to move it is a secret which the living are not
thlVvVK ter thG declIn ofgpaganSm
the, Christians built a church in the great court
using the stones and pillars for the walls Then
came the Mohammedans and turned the courts
waVoHlfe Turk"" " "52
A little way distant from the great temple is
a smaller temple dedicated to Bacchus which
would of itself be sufficient to distinguish a city
but for its more famous rival. This temple is
about two hundred jand twenty-five feet lonjr by
sone hundred and ten feet wide, and a row of fifty
columns, of which fourteen are fluted surronnX
better state of preservation timn . A mucn
iesl
m sssr? vi?tea Baaib
he obtained pemilf edby the ruina
away the debr? iSS tUtT r e 8ultan to clG
oblivions tn him fiitra:Vehng world under
to inspect tlie ndationTan? ? ft P?SSlble
In this connection it mv L ,th,e ,Found Plan.
William seems to tn? be, added that EPeror
part of Asia He vtelte? ?eP ,,nterest in this
corner stone of tho cL10?1 to la th
Damascus a beautlftil h, S Chur?h; he sent to
tomb of the gatfcS 1wroath to n the
and he has eucour.S n, enera1' Saladin,
tlements of consIdSrablePerTare German '
tor tromlrs3eePmsV?oLt,rlrPer?1, has sl'
were built, tow lmn. lPr00?ted' for roa(,s
things done In honor hi? visit "w TW otho'
all sorts of rnmors t , , , W? IiaTe llear1
but the only oSnlr thJ? e ta,l80rs ""e?lons,
Gorman influence VllL Trt Wi " ,at
creasing. part. of Asia, is in-'
famormn???15 'rri an,, most
tho archaeologist ThS-t n'y ? Iace tlmt aii
of ancient cl?ier'wh7cha1.,,a1,'1 1V,""lre"s of slt
cavato, BpeeSS?0 5,tft"K
1 '
The Commoner.
have been found on both sides of the Jordan, as
well as along the Mediterranean coast. The
tombs also havo yielded up their treasures and
the museums of the world have been supplied with
tear bottles, perfumery jars, vases, bowls, scarabs,
ancient coins, etc.
The Phoenicians are credited with having in
vented the malting of glass in the days when
Tyre and Sidon were their chief cities. It is
said that the art owes its discovery to the use
of saltpeter in the place of stones by some sailors
who landed at the "mouth of the river Belos, near
Akka. Finding no stones upon which to put
their kettles, they used blocks of saltpeter and
were surprised to find that the fire had fused
the sand and the saltpeter into a transparent sub
stance. The industry was inaugurated at Tyre
and Sidon, and for some time the Phoenicians
supplied the world with glass. The bottles and
vases found from time to time in the tombs of
Syria and Egypt are more beautiful than when
they left the hand of the manufacturer; the outer
surface has decayed, and beneath are revealed
all the colors of the rainbow. It was the custom
to fill the tear bottles with tears of the mourners
and to bury them with the dead.
The scarab, which is found so often in the
ancient tombs in Syria and in Egypt, is the old
fashioned tumble-bug or dung beetle with which
every boy, or at least every country or village
boy, is familiar. I little thought, when I used
to see the tumble-bug rolling his little globe of
manure along the dusty "road, that he was con
sidered a sacred insect several thousand years
ago or that he was ever used as a symbol of the
Creator; and yet his likeness adorns temples and
tombs and his image, cut in stone and bearing
the seal of rulers, has been -found by the thou
sands. Often the heart of a dead person was re
moved and a scarab inserted in its place. The
scarab, rolling its ball, typified to the ancient an
unseen power guiding the sun while the bursting
of the young bug from its egg in the ball symbol
ized the resurrection- to what classical uses this
commonplace little insect was put!
Among those who have been instrumental in
bringing the hidden treasures of Syria to the
attention of the world, Mr. Azeez Khayat, a native
of Tyre, but aaow an American citzen, deserves
special mention. Many American museums are
indebted to him for their collections.
Speaking of Tyre and Sidon reminds me that
in the study of Syria and Palestine, I ran across
an early instance of monopoly. Josephus accuses
John of Gischala of monopolizing the oil busi
ness on the Mediterranean coast. It was early
In the Christian era that the aforesaid John, ac
cording to Jqseptius, convinced the Jews who
dwelt in Syria that they were obliged to use oil
made by others, and the historian adds: "So
he (John) bought four amphorae with such Syr
ia money as was of the value of four Attic
drachmae and sold every half amphor at the same
price; and as Galilee was very fruitful in oil
and was peculiarly so at this time, by sending
away great quantities and having the sole privi
lege so to do, he gathered an immense sum of
money together."
This is interesting and instructive. It shows
first, that monopoly is an ancient evil and, second'
that the monopolist 'in his inclination to take
advantage of the consumer by raising the price
was much the same then as now but I have been
afraid, ever since I rea'd of John of Gischala, that
some American named John might try to imitate
him and establish a monopoly in our country
possibly in oil.
But on to Damascus and we reached it all
too soon, for the ride across the Anti-Lebanon
range is also picturesque. The route down the
east side of the mountain follows the valley of
the Abana, a splendid stream, worthy of the com
pliment paid it by Naaman. It leaps from the
mountain side a full grown river and plunges
down into the plain only to bo lost in the sands
but not until it has brought verdure to many
square miles that would otherwise be barren It
is easy to understand why Damascus is among
the oldest, if not actully the oldest, of all the
cities still standing. It occupies the one green
spot in all that section and is the outpost of
the Mediterranean coast. The Arabian desert
stretches to the east and southeast for hundreds
of miles, and the caravans from Persia and
Arabia pass through Damascus on their way to
Egypt even now as they did when Babylon and
Ninevah were young; it was also on the road be
tween the great East and Tyre and Sidon
Damascus is an Oriental city and is still
Innocent of the ways .of the western world Its
bazaars give one a glimpse of life as it was be
fore Europe and America were known to history
The government is erecting public buildines an'
cording to modern plans, but the covered street
VOLUME C, NUMBER 28
lined with little booths, the homes of the nconle
the dress, the customs and the habits are tho
same that they were when Saul of Tarsus wand
ered down the street "called Straight" in search
of the One who was to restore his sight. (This
street though straight as compared with the oth
er streets, is hardly deserving of the name which
it still bears.)
As in Cairo, the different trades have differ
ent sections. The dealers in sugar occupy one
quarter; the silversmiths, the candy manufactur
ers, the blacksmiths, the carpenters each class
has its cluster of shops. The Arabian horse be
ing the pride of the Bedouin, we were not sur
prised to find much attention paid to the manu
facture of saddles, saddle bags, bridles and trap
pings, only they were for the most part made
of wool and cotton rather than of leather
Bright colors, tassels, fringes, shells and ostrich
feathers are employed in the ornamentation of
the horse, the donkey and' the camel.
The candies of Damascus are very good and
very cheap, and nuts of all kinds are to be found
in abundance, an excellent variety of walnut be
ing grown within the city limits. Naturally this
city is a market for Persian rugs and- large stocks
are kept on hand. While the people make every
thing which enters into the daily life of the conn
try, they are especially skilled in brass, damas
cene ware and the inlaying of wood with mother-of-pearl.
Damascus is not especially noted for places
of historical interest. The tourist is shown tho
house of Ananias and the window through which
Paul was let down from the wall, but it is doubt
ful whether the identity of these places has been
really established. A house, known as the house
of Naaman the Leper, is now very appropriately
used for a lepers' home. There is no uncertainty
about the river Abana, and another river near
Damascus is luiown as Pharpar. An ancient wall
surrounds the city, and one of the largest mosques
in the world occupies ground first dedicated to
. a heathen temple and afterward to the church of
St. John the Baptist, erected by Arcadius, the son
of Theodosius.
The big-tailed . sheep described .by Herodotus
is .to be found on the streets of Damascus, It is
..a peculiar breed, an,d the tail, which is consid
ered a great delicacy, is often, so heavy as to
seem a, burden to the sheep. It 'is -broad, covered
with wool, and sometimes ends in a' curl. We
also saw here the long-eared goats, as curious
looking in their way as the sheep.
And what shall we say of the Damascus dog?
He is to be found everywhere and has no owner.
We counted eighteen in one group and two hun
dred and thirty-eight in one forenoon's ride. They
live on charity and fight, whenever an opportu
nity offers. It seems to be against the law of the
sultan to kill dogs, as one learns to his regret
after he has heard them barking at all hours of
the night. It is superfluous to add that the flea
is as common as the dog, and as indifferent also
to the peace of the stranger.
A new railroad which is building from Da
mascus to the south will soon make-it possible
to go to Galilee in a few hours, but now it is
more convenient to return to Beyrout and go to
Haifa l)y boat. This we did, and having a couple
of days at Beyrout we learned something of the
religious worlc done there.
In the division of territory the Presbyterians
of America were, in 1870, assigned the country
around Beyrout. The district is divided into tho
Beyrout, Lebanon, Sidon and Tripoli stations, and
at all of these stations schools as well as churches
are being established. So successful has the work
been that the native communities now contribute
half a dollar for every dollar sent from America.
There is also an American press at Beyrout twhich
publishes the Bible in Arabic, some eighty thou
sand copies being issued last year in addition to
religious tracts of various kinds. One of the
leaders in the missionary movement, Rev. H. H.
Jessup, has completed his fiftieth year of ser
vice among the Syrians.
The Syrian Protestant college is also located
m Beyrout and occupies a beautiful site over
looking the sea and in sight of the highest peak
of the Lebanons. While Christian in manage
ment, this college is not denominational but is
under the control of an American board repre
senting a number of churches. Between six and
seven hundred young men are in attendance, and
its graduates are scattered throughout the world.
Within its halls are to be found Protestants, Cath
olics (both Greek and Roman), Armenians, Jews
and Mohammedans, and its influences in these
parts can scarcely be overestimated.
. The present president of the college, Dr.
Howard S. Bliss; is the worthy son of the col
lege's first president, Dr. Daniel Bliss, whose re
ligious and educational work in this territory cov
W3w
EW?fcftWift i,j,a8a&
44i