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A Week On the 'Rolling Wabe
"| SHIP and its passengers constitute a
little world —a very interesting lit He
world. The conventionalities of land
break away more and more every day.
The first day out one speaks to his ac
quaintances and gently bows to let
strangers pass; the next has enlarged
the circle by his table companions and
J their friends. Constantly there is
A
‘‘something turning up” to draw us closer together
and the next thing we know, we are one big, jolly
family, eating, reading, singing, courting, playing
games, telling stories and loafing by the hour.
What a place to rest is the sea! Our good ship is
an English vessel, and an orchestra frequently
plays, “God save the King.” Sometimes we sing
it —the first verse —and then on the next come out
full and strong on “My Country, ’tis of Thee.”
Many do not know that we borrowed our tune for
“America” from the English. One day, when
feeling a little homesick, I requested “Dixie.” Up
went napkins and up came my fellow passengers
from the South. It never fails.
Our party is especially congenial, because it is
bound for a common port on" a common mission,
and the fellowship is only such as Christians have.
Once out of Boston, we put up a bold front, and
hurled at the sea Paul’s proud boast: “None of
these things move me.” We did not know the
sea, for ere long we were ready to follow Paul
still further, and say, “Neither count I my life
dear unto myself.”
Sunday dawned clear with a bright sky and a
beautiful sea. By ten o’clock —the hour for preach
ing—a heavy fog had settled down on the sea,
when it was remembered that we had been out
twenty-four hours, and that no collection had yet
been taken. It was suggested that perhaps an offer
ing would “clear the atmosphere.” It was made
and soon the fog horn ceased to blow, and we went
on our way rejoicing. Dr. Tyler, of Denver,
preached. Here, as in all our services, we use
the Rome Manual, specially prepared for the
cruise, and containing the immortal old hymns of
the church. At 3 P. M., we had Sunday school,
led by that prince of superintendents, Mr. N. B.
Broughton, of North Carolina. The vesper service
was conducted by a Georgia boy, now doing val
iant service in another state —J. C. Massee, of
Raleigh.
We have prayer meeting every day at ten, and a
lecture each evening on some point of interest we
hope to visit in our cruise.
How shall I tell of the remaining days of the
week? Each has seemed to vie with the one pre
ceding. The freshness and sweetness of the morn
ing, the glory of the sunset, the beauty of the
moonlight, the great schools of porpoises, an oc
casional whale, the passing vessels, all conspire
to make the voyage a most interesting one.
The bugler is an attractive little fellow. He has
such fetching ways. Three times a day the clear
notes of his bugle ring out from the front dining
saloon, and then down each long passage-way, and
there has never yet been a protest.
Thursday the passengers all joined in a prom
enade, and as we passed between two lines of
young ladies, each delegate was given a beautiful
pin or button —the badge of the “World’s Fifth
Sunday School Convention, Rome, 1907.”
Friday morning we looked out upon a scene of
such rare beauty that it made us think of fairy
land. There was land. It was a green and beau
tiful landscape, such as must at once be the de
spair and the inspiration of the painter. In the
foreground was a white and salmon-colored town —
Ponta Delgada—for we are looking on St. Mich
ael’s Island, the largest of the Azores, and back
of it rising terrace on terrace were gardens, gardens,
everywhere.
We landed, not to be disillusioned as is sometimes
the ease in the East. The town which claims a pop
ulation of 20,000, was a regular Sapolio town. True
the streets were narrow and crooked, but they
were clean. Such a wealth of flowers! All our
old friends, such as the rose, the poppy, Hie geran-
Sy A. “8. Caldlvell, “Delegate to the World’s Sunday School Contention, Rome, Italy.
The Golden Age for June 6, 1907.
ium and lilies, were there in greatest profusion,
and many new acquaintairces whose jnames we
cannot recall.
“Our motto is not “when in Rome do as Romans
do,” but do as Christians ought to do. So while
ashore we went to the Protestant mission, held a
service, made an offering and felt better. We found
the natives unusually polite and very intelligent
in many instances. They were very obliging and
we found no such rogues as we had been warned
against in the towns of Southern Europe.
Gibraltar.
Just as the sun rose on the morning of May 7,
our good ship passed through the Straits of Gibral
tar into the blue waters of the Mediterranean,
and
“In the dimmest northeast distance,
Dawned Gibraltar, grand and gray.”
and we looked, for the first time, on the world’s
most impregnable fortification which is at once
a fortress, a colony and a prison.
Later we dropped anchor just off the great rock,
which has become the world’s synonym for dura
bility and strength, and I was able to check off
two more boyhood dreams, Gibraltar and the Med
iterranean. I was also able to correct several er
roneous opinions with reference to the former.
For instance, I had always thought of the great
rock as bleak and barren. Parts of it are, but
in many places it is covered with luxuriant vines
and shrubbery as though nature were trying to
tame its belligerency. There is a profusion of
flowers and American beauty roses can be had at
your own price. The vegetation is semi-tropical.
I had thought Gibraltar was washed on the one side
by the Atlantic and on the other by the Mediter
ranean; that it was the most southerly point of the
Spanish peninsula, and the nearest point to Africa.
It is none of these. On the contrary, it is on
a little peninsula wholly within the Mediterranean,
and the rock of Gibraltar is reached only after
you have passed entirely through the straits. This
peninsula is a little over two miles long and about
three-quarters of a mile wide. Its greatest length
is from north to south. The circuit is about seven
miles. The straits are twenty-four miles wide at
the opening, and ten miles at the narrowest point,
and sixteen miles from Point Europa, the most
southern point of the Gibraltar peninsula.
The straits are thirty-six miles in length. The
rock, which we so often see in pictures, and which
somewhat resembles a crouching lion, faces, not
seaward, but northward and toward Spain, and the
wild waves which are made to break upon its base,
really never touch it. Immediately north of rhe
fortifications is a sandy strip of land known as
neutral ground, since, by treaty stipulations, nei
ther of the powers may fortify it.
The city of Gibraltar, with a population of about
28,000, including the garrison, stretches along the
western shore of the peninsula and consists, for
the most part, of a single street, which is called
Waterport. Back of the town and above it are the
stone and steel of the fortifications. The rock
looks like limestone, and resembles very much that
which one sees at Lookout Mountain. Its rocky
base is surrounded by batteries, and its summit
bristling with cannons. The rock is honey-combed
with tunnels, from whose port holes her gunners,
while themselves absolutely protected, could pour
forth a fire so deadly as to resist the combined
navies of the world. The eastern coast is a sheer
cliff, rising out of the sea to a height of from
400 to 1,100 feet. The “highest point” is occu
pied by the naval observatory, and is 1,390 feet
high.
Any effort to describe the fortifications in detail
would be futile since England has away of not
being over anxious to enlighten a possible enemy.
As a consequence, visitors are not allowed on the
top of the rock, and are shown through only th?
Union Gallery, which pierces the rock at an eleva
tion of about 500 feet, and is manned with guns
at least a hundred years old. This, even, may be
inspected only under a military guide, and no
kodaks allowed.
It is known, however, that a garrison of from
five to seven thousand men, is kept there, and that
supplies sufficient to withstand at least a ten years’
siege are constantly stored there. It is also known
that England has spent no less than two hundred
and fifty million dollars on the defences. Even
now thousands of Spanish laborers are at work
on them.
Gibraltar is a crown colony, not very different
from our military reservations at Chickamauga and
other points.
The governor is appointed by the king. Ameri
cans are admitted without question. The people
are as motley a crowd as one could wish to sea.
Soldiers are everywhere. The red coat of the
British uniform is not out of harmony with the
lively colors of the very cosmopolitan population
found on the streets. Barbary Moors, with their
white turbans, Arabs with hooded garments, bare
legs and yellow slippers, long-bearded Jews in ga
bardines, Turks in baggy trousers, tallow-faced
boys, wrinkled old women with baskets, puny lit
tle donkeys, Spaniards, Portuguese, Africans, Mal
tese, Levantines and numerous others combine to
make a scene not easily forgotten, and makes an
interesting study in fifteenth and twentieth cen
tury life side by side. Columbus would feel at home
among them. At the same time the street Arab
failing to interest you in his wares, will hand you
“skidoo” as glibly as in New York or Atlanta.
t? *
The Beggar's Plight.
Carnegie gives diplodocuses away. —The Sun.
1 met a multimillionaire
As on his way he sped,
And in an access of despair
I begged a loaf of bread.
“I have no bread just now in store,”
He quickly answered me.
“But here”—and then he handed o’er
A university.
It was a lovely alms
And gave me quite a thrill,
But when it comes to hunger’s qualms
It hardly filled the bill.
I wandered on another block
And met another wight
Who owns, they say, enough of stock
To hide the moon from sight.
“O, give me meat and drink,” I cried.
“For Charity’s sweet sake.”
“I’m not a hotel,” he replied,
“But here’s a nice, fresh lake.”
It. was a very pleasant pool,
, The water fine and clear,
But I am just the sort of fool
Who’d have more use for beer.
The night came on. I wandered yet,
My hunger unappeased.
My stomach was prepared to bet
My weasand had been wheezed.
I told my tale of misery
To one who owns the keys
Os Midas’ chest —he handed me
Two diplodocuses.
A diplodoeus is a bird
Some people think a treat,
But I have all my life preferred
A simpler kind of meat.
And hence it is I advertise
My university;
The little lake 1 highly prize—
’Tis dainty as can be
My diplodocuses complete,
Head, vertebrae and tail,
Ribs, shins and funny bones and feet—
They’re all of them for sale.
The price and terms are C. O. D.
I’ll gladly give the bunch
To any one who’ll send to me
One box of solid lunch.
The New York Sun.