The Newnan weekly news. (Newnan, Ga.) 189?-1906, February 22, 1905, Image 2

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Land of Promise. (TO AND FROM.)' Fly Rev. C. O’N. Maktinuale. ARTICLE XXVII. TURKKV [Continued] (13). Palestine: By K'nersa (An cient Gergesa) and Mejdel (Mag- dala), or the Lake of Galilee, to Tabariych (Ancient 1 iberias). Not far from the spring'Ain et-Tin our boatH came iu oloee to shore for us. They are aitont 20 feet long by « wide and 3 deep, and not being able to bring flx>m up to tlie very shore on account of their largeness, the sailors making bas ket* of their 1 lands convey each )>oh- wongor across the intervening space from shore to lioat, a strangely charming ex perience to some, to others quite objec tionable. In Christ’s time tho Sea of Galilee was covered with large and small ves sels of all sorts; shipbuilding being an important industry at the city of Tnri- ohaonfnow Korak) near the lower end of tin I'.ea, u point at which Josephus onoc gathered and munned 230 ships to attack a strong fleet at Tiberius. Now only a comparatively small number of large boats are to be found on thiH sen, begirt with a “continuous licit of ruins, the drift of her ancient towns.” In an important article on the ancient shipping of the Sea of Galilee, Dr. Selab Merrill notably observes: "Josephus words, in describing dillerent vessels on the Sea ol Galilee, are: Naas, ship; Pinion, vessel; Hknplm, a boat smaller than a vessel; Sohedia, a light bout, some times a raft; AIiiih, tisliing boat. Nans is used but onoe in the New Testa ment, and that in connection with Paul’s shipwreck. Skapha is used, but only of t.lio boat which belonged to the Ploioii. Pinion is the word which the Evangelists invariably use of the Sea ot Galilee,except in a few instances where, to indicate a vessel of smaller size, they use iih diminutive, Ploiarion. Ill Jilt). 29:211 Ploiarion is rendered ‘boat,’ but elsewhere, asiuMk. li:W, ‘little ship.' The Authorized Version always renders Ploiou by ‘slop.’ lu this they are more consistent tliau tho Revisers have been, who in every oase in the gospels (forty seven times) render it by ‘boat,’ while in the Acts and elsewhere they render it. by 'ship.' They can present no rea son from grammar, etymology, or text ual criticism, to justify them in render ing Ploion liy ’ship’ when the passage refers to Oae*aroa-on-tho-8ea and by ‘Iniat’ when the passage refers to Tiber ias or Ga|iernaum. Much iwssages as Matt. 14:20, 'Peter went down out of the Ploiou,’ and Mk. 0:61, 'Christ went up into the Ploiou,' would seem to be sufllcient evidence that, somotliitig else was meant than what English-speaking people ordinarily mean by tho term •bout.’ ” When wo had set out from Tell Hum and all the way to Kt Tnblgha the sea about our boats looked grassy green, while afar it appeared a deep bine, tho mison being timt near the whore the sea serves as a reflecting tuirror. As we left 'Ain et-Tiu and got well out into the sea tiie deep blue became more patent. We started out in a perfeotj^alm with sails furled, but ore agreat while imssed a stroug breeze sproug up, tlie sailors working with might and main tuid shifting sail as invasion demanded: at times the force of the wind would make the boat careen and run nearly even with the sea's surface. This is charac teristic, it may be calm in its repose one mouieut and tlie next be in a howling tempest, being one of tlie most treacher ous waters in the world. This is occa sioned by the many deep clefts or gor ges coming down to its banks and serv ing as conducting fuunels for the^cold air oil the mountains to rush down sud denly upon the sea with a boisterous- ness for which little preparation can be made. Ilcuoe it is that the seamen here hug the snores as closely as possible to avoid disaster. Neither persuusiou nor tlieatciiuig will induce tlium to go far out ou tlie bosom of tiie sea. It was at sueli a boisterous season that Christ, being awaked with the ory “Oarest.Thou that wo Perish?. 1 ! tvrogp .and rebuked the winds and the sea with His ineffable— “Peace, be still!” and At another time oame walking upon the soft, by uight to his affrighted disciples saying, “It is I, be not oliaid!” It was on this sea that Peter ventured to meet the Master, and, beginning to sink, cried oat, “Lord, save, or I perish I” His faith then not euly wouldn’t have moved a mountain but couldn’t move o’er the moving sea. Truly, when anybody loses sight of the Lord Jesus, their own sinful gravity must inevitably make them siuk lower and lowt-r in the tea of trouble! Hero we sang again and again ’till the echoes resounded: ^ “When penrly moonbeams silently Are falling on the silver sen, ’Tis then in dreams, O Lord, with Thee, 1 walk upon bine Galilee. | Upon tby waves, blue Galilee, 1 1 see a bark toss restlessly, And hear that voice npon the si a, That calms thy waves, oh, Galilee. Lord, when onr hearts are bowed with woe, May faith blot out our every ill, And closer may we come to Thee And hear Thy voice say, ‘Peace be still.’ RrkrMN : Oil, Galilee, blue Galilee! Thy waves bring back His voice tome; Like golden chimes on silver sea, Oh. Galilee, blue Galilee!" "8mall a* the lake is, and plaoid in general as a molteu mirror,” says Dr. W. M. Thomson, "I have repeatedly seen it quiver and leap and boil like a caldron, when driven by fiorco winds from the eastern mountains, and tlie waves ran high—high onough to fill or cover the ships, as Matthew has it." “The effect of half the lake In porfect rest, while the other half was in wild confusion," says 8ir diaries Wilsou in describing a sudden storm viewed by him from the ruins of Gamala on the i list ns it swept quickly over n part of the sea and lifted its calm waters into a bright foaming sheet, "was extremely grand; it would have fared badly with any light craft caught in mid- lake by the storm; and we could not help thinking of that memorable occa sion on which the storm is so graphical ly described ns 'coining down’ on the lake," Named "the Lake" or “Hea" of "dioniiereth" from its harp shape of “Geniiesnreth” after the plain of that name; of “Galileo” from the circuit or region round about; of “Tiberias” af ter the liuiM'riul city on its shores, this inland sea Is 082 feet below the Medi terranean, twelve and a quarter miles iu extreme length, and three-quarter miles at its greatest width—from Mejdel (Magdala) to Klierea(Oorgewu), and one hundred and fifty six feet at its max imum depth, mountains varying from 11100 to 3000 feet iu height bountifully curving about it and closing it in every where save where tlie River Jordan comes in and goes out. The 8ea of Galilee is bat an exceptional enlarge ment of the Jordnu valley. And as Dr. R. L. Stewart accurately states its note worthy features: "Ou tho eastern side the mountains rise abruptly from tho plain which borders the lake, to the level of the Hashau plateau; and tho general impression is that of a bare rugged wall of rook, oloft here and there by deeply-gashed torreut beds. Iu these are occasional patches of green, but tho prevailing colors are the red and brown of the vast, masses of bare basaltio rook. On tiie western side the range is broken into rounded hills aud grass-oovered slopes, whtoh in some places terminate abruptly os they upproaoh the margin of tlie sea. Between tlie base of the ou- olosing hills and the coast line there is nn almost continuous belt of green low land, varying in width from a ribbon- like Btrip to a generous expanse of one or two miles. Over the rim of the mouutaiu-wall northward the prospect is closed by the towering heights of Hermon, From every outlook south of Magdala the cloudy coronal and snowy mantle of this mujestic mountain may be seen; aud at some points ** 8681118 80 near that it can hardly be distinguished from tlie contour of the mountain mass whioh overshadows tlie margin of tlie lake. Tlie Jordan descends from Lake Huloh to tiie Galilean basin, a distance of eleven miles, throuh a narrow gorge in a succession of rapids or cascades. For the greater part of this distance tiie descent is more than ninety feet to the mile. From the gateway of the hills the river emerges, a foaming, swirling torreut, crosses the belt of the coast plain, some two miles in breadth, aud eutenng the sea passes through it, as does the Rhine through the Sea of Con stance. For ;a considerable distauoe its course may be traced by its turbid wa fers, but at length it is lost to sight and hushed to rest iu the bosom of the lake; aud, ere it passes out ou its downward plunge to the Dead Sea, it is clear as the waves which rippie along the beach of tho Genuesaret plain.” Dr. Selah Morril, after weeks of study on the shores of this silent sea, gives this testimony as to ite remarkably varied natural features: "At every two or three miles of travel a new picture presents itself so that, were an artist to go around the Sea of Galilee aud make a collection of views, illustrating its shores, plains, streams, springs, hills, castles, and grander mountains which look down upon it from a distance, the result would be a wonderful surprise. certainly to thou-1 ho are not familiar with this legion, as showing the variety and beauty of scenes of nature that were constantly before the eyes of onr Lord.” Dr. Manning,in “Holy Fields,” justly declares that in the midst of these sur roundings there is nought “to distract onr thoughts from that Divine Presence which here abode in humau form One great memory lingers undisturbed amongst these hills and valleys. The bnstle of modern life and the squalid misery and degradation of the eastern peasantry would equally clash with the sacred, tender associations of the spot where ‘most of His mighty works were done,’ mostof His 'gracious words’ were spoken. The stage is empty, and there is nothing to prevent our peopling it with hallowed memories of Him who 'spake an never man spake,' who was Himself ‘The Way, and The Troth, and The Life.’ " This is the 8ea on whioh we sail;and as we row southward from Khan Min- yell’s spring, we soon pass Mejdel (tho anoient Magdala) ou our right, with its two-soore huts, solitary palm-tree, and buried ruins, Mejdel or Migdol means "watch-tower,” but these are all that remain to mark the place whero onoe lived Mary called “the Magdalene,” so ’wonderfully reclaimed by aud devoted to the Saviour, and the first person to whom whoa risen He showed Himself. (See Matt. 15:30, and Jno. 30:10-18.) Mejdel is perhaps also one with Migdal- K1 of the tribe of Naphtali (Josh. 19:38). Just about opposite Mejdel, to tho other side of the Sea, are tho ruins of a town termed Gersaor Khoren, identified hy scholars as Gergesa. It once gave the name to a small surrounding district (Matt. 8:39), this being included in a larger district whose capital 8 miles off was called Gadera, and hence it with truth oould be spoken of as "in tlie coun try of tlie Oadarenes which is over against Galilee” (Lk. 8:26). Near this place the fierce demoniacs were healed and the herd of swine perished. Hero we have a striking illustration of the confirmation of the Book hy tin* Land, ns told by that master of personal knowledge of Holy Land, Dr Thomson, and easily confirmable by a visit: "In Oersn we have a position which fulfills the requirements of tho narratives, and with a name so near that in Matthew as to be iu itself a strong oorroboratiou of the identification. The site is within a fow rods of the shore, and a moan- tain rises directly above it, in which are ancient tombs; out ot some one of them the mail possessed of the devils may havo issued to meet Jesus. Tho lake is so near the bast; of the mountain that a herd of swine feeding above it, seized with a sudden panic, would rush madly down the declivity, those behind tumb ling over uud thrusting forward those before, and, as there is no space to re cover on the narrow plain between the' base of the monutain and the lake, they would crowd headlong into the water and perish. Farther south the plain becomes so broad that the herd might havo stopped and reeoilod from the lake, whose domain they would not willingly invade.” This fact is also noticed, that wild hogs abound iu this place, as wild aud fierce as though they woro still “possessed." Up the lake to Gersa and thence to the east runs the railroad to Damascus ; while three miles south of Gersa ou the same side of the lake on the precipitous heights overlook ing the Wady Fik are the ruins of that onoe almost impregnable stronghold, Gumala (so named from its likeness to a camel), noted for its desperate resist ance of the Romans. This brings ns abont abreast of the ouly towu of auy modern oonsequenoe ou the lake, Tabariyeh, as it is now called, or Tiberias, a little less than half way from its southern extremity. How glad we are to see a town of size again, though tiie only one in a region where once were not less than nine oities of over 16,000 each, besides a teeming population along these shores. Tiberias isnow a city of abont 6.000 (of whioh 4,000 are Jews, 300 Christians, and the balance Moslems). It has loug borne the repute of being the filthiest city iu tho Holy Land, and, according to the Arabs,the home of "the Kiug of Fleas.,’ To the writer there seemed bnt little difference between this and, other cities in the Land, they all need sanitation so badly. It is one of the four sacred cities of the Jews in Palestine, and here the Ashkenaeim; Jews greatly • outnumber the Sephardim. The Free Ohuroh .of Scotland has a remarkably prosperous work going on among the Jews, witli^ medical, educational^and evangelistic branches. These Jews (among whom are many immigrants from Polish Rus sia) are supported largely by European alms, and it is not an uncommon thing to see them even in summer with their heavy high hate and far capes. There are a number of synagogues, Latin and Orthodox Greek ohorchesand monaster ies, the modern buildings of the Scotch Free Ohuroh, the modernized "Hotel Tiberias," and a few other worthy bnildings, besides whioli tlie rest are low-roofed, squatty, dirty, illy-ventilat-; ed hovels of mud and stone. Around all is a wall, entered by a gate on euch side of the quadrangle, made strong by massive towers at eaoli angle and at middle of every side; the walls still standing are from 6 to 10 feet thick and about 20 high. Earthquake shocks have thrown down the castly iu the^north- west corner, and badly shattered or pros trated many parts of thej walls. Of an cient remaius little is visible now save tlie foundations of old walls, and broken columns, aud a well-preserved piece of old mosaic pavement remaining at the foot of the hill on which Herod's pal ace ouoe stood. On the site of Rakkath (Joah. 19:36) according to the Talmud, Herod Anti- pas reared aud dedicated to'the reign ing Roman Emperor the city of Tiber ias, a name which has also been given to to the lake (See Jno. .6:1; 21:1). k It soon beoanpe the capital of the Galilean province. Before this Herod, the sou of Herod the Great, aud Totraroh of Gali lee and Perea, Jesus was tried in Jeru salem (Lk. 28:7). In this important city was the palace in whioh Herod lived with Herodias(his brother Phil ip's wife) nndisturbedjutil his sin was openly denounced by Johu the Baptizer; from lieuoe went out the order for John's arrest and imprisonment; and here was held that notorious birthday feast at which tho daughter of Herodias danced and on her mother's crnel mo tion asked the head of John to be given her ou a waiter. (Mk. 6:14-39.) Tiberias was fortified by Josephus during the Jewish wars, bnt submitted voluntarily to Vespasian, and, escaping disasters at Roman bauds, became the seat of the Jewish Sanhedrim (by trans fer from Sepphoris) after tlie fall ol Jerusalem, aud for centuries was a seat of Hebrew learning. Here the oral traditions of tlie elders were reduced to a written body in the form of the Misli- na under Kubbi Judith Hnkkadosh; and the Palestinian Geinara (the so-called Jerusalem Talmud) under Rabbi Jooha- nan were compiled also; the school ol the Talmud developing against Chris tianity as it gained ground. Here ulso flourished and lie buried the famous Jewish philosopher Mairuonidesi^the Rabbi Akiba, who took such a promi nent part in tne revolt of Bar-Cocliba; aud the celebrated Talmudist Rabbi Meir. Here was beguu tiie work of tiie Massorotic critics giving ns the “West ern" or “Tiberian" pointing of the He brew ..Bible, now generally accepted. Here too St. Jerome learned Hebrew from a Tiberian rabbi and gained suffi cient skill to translate, the Old Testa ment into the Latin or Vulgute. Here Christians loug held possession, until Muliammadan misrule gained asceud- euoy. It was the Saraceu Saladiu’s at tack on Tiberias tlat occasioned the disastrous battle of Hattiu, which sealed the fate of the Crusaders. Here we arrive on a beautiful Satur day, aud on these shores encamp until the Monday following. [To be continued.] Afraid of Strong Medicines. Mauy people suffer for years from rheuniatio pains, and prefer to do bo rather than take tlie strong medicines usually given for rheumatism, not know ing that quick relief from pain may be had by simply applying Chamberlain’s Paiu. Balm aud without taking any medicine internally. For sale by Holt & Cates, Druggists, Newnan, Ga. Our former fellow-townsman and old Senoia boy, Mr. J. A. Mc Crary, but now cashier of the ■First National Bank at Barnes- ville, is also engaging in the fruit business very extensively, having recently set out about 30,000 peach trees a few miles from that place. —Senoia Enterprise-Gazette. Tourist Gar Line Discontinued. The Atlanta aud Sftn Francisco Tour ist Car Line, leaving on Monday via the West Point Roote lias been withdrawn. This does not change the through tourist cars leaving by this line on Tues days, Thursdays and Saturdays, on the same fast schedule via the Louisville & Nashville and Sunset Route. The Washington aud South-Western limited trains leaving Atlanta at 4:30 p. m. via the West Point Route, end handling these cars, has mode a great record with its Dining-Car Service, Palace Sleeping- Cars and tlie remarkable schedule of only four days to the Pacific Coast. Too many quarrels are picked before they are ripe. Wakeful? Sleeplessness Is a Sign of Nerve Trou ble and Should Be LooKed To. There are three different manifesta tions of sleeplessness. First, hardly to sleep a wink all night, second, td lie awake a long time beforo falling asleep: third, to fall asleep soon, waking up after several hours and then And It hard to sleep again. They mean that somewhere In tho nerve fibres, somewhere in the brain cells, somewhere in the blood vessels tliat carry blood to the brain* something Is radically wrong, and must be righted, or the end may be worse than death. To right it. take Dr. Miles’ Nervine. Some other symptoms of nerve trou ble are: Dlsslness, Headache, Back ache. Worry. Fretfulness, Irritability, 1 Melancholy. Lack of Ambition. They Indicate diseases which may lead to Epilepsy. Fits, St Vitus’ Dance, Nervous Prostration, Paralysis, Insanlty.i - Nothlhg will give such quick and last ing relief os Dr. Miles' Nervine. “My husband had been sink for week:!, could not sit up to have his bed made. With all tlie medical help wo could get lie continued to grow worse. Ho could neither sleep or eat. Our baby girl was sent away, and alt callers barred, be cause he could not stand a bit of talk ing. I read of a ease of nervous pros tration cured by Dr. Miles’ Rostoratlve. Nervine. We began giving It to him, and In a few days he was able to bo dressed. From that time he steadily Improved. Nervine saved > his life.”— MRS. A. Q. IIASKIN, Freeville, N. Y. IiDW Write to us for Free Trial * JMbJa Pac.knge of Dr. Mlloa’ Antl- Paln Pills, tho New Scientific Remedy for Pain. Also Symptom Blank. Ouc Specialist will diagnose your case, tell you what Is wrong, and how to right It, Free. DR. MILES MEDICAL CO., LABORATORIES, ELKHART, LND. You can never make a woman believe that cutting bread up into nice, pretty shapes won’t make sandwiches out of things that aren’t. Poisons in Food. Perhaps yon don’t realize tliat many pain poisons originate in your food, but some duy yon may facia twinge of dys pepsia tliat will convince you. Dr. King's New Life Pills arc guaranteed to care all sickness due to poisons of undi gested food—or money back. 26o at J. T. Reese’s and Dr. Paul Peniston’s. Try hem. If you wantan interesting farm paper, try The American Farmer, a monthly farm journal costing 50^ per year. A year’s subscrip tion to this journal iB given free with a year's subscription to the News. Both papers for $1.00. tf Colds It should be borne in mind that every cold weakens the lungs, low ers the vitality and prepares the system for the more serious dis eases, among which are the two greatest destroyers of human life, pneumonia and consumption. Chamberlain’s Cough Remedy has won its great popularity by its prompt cures of this most common ailment. It aids expectoration, re- A lieves the lungs and opens the I secretions, effecting a speedy and I permanent cure. It counteracts I any tendency toward pneumonia. I Price 35c, Large Size The News has the best clubbing offers with all the leading news papers and magazines. tf. The News’ clubbing offers with leading newspapers and . maga zines will interest ydu. Ask for particulars about them. tf. The News and Semi-Weekly Journal $1.75. City soil is said to be sup.rior to country soil for wild oats.- Wh;n a doctor gives a tich pa tient up, it’s up to the undertaker. The individual who keeps his mouth shut seldom lives to regret it. Some girls are so modest they can’t help blushing when they hear a man had his leg cut off in a railway accident. V