PALESTINE 



4458 



PALESTINE 



of Palermo and at the mouth of the fertile val- 

 ley called the "Golden Shell." To the north 

 rises Mount Pellegrino, with a grotto chapel to 

 Saint Rosalia, a favorite place of pilgrimage; 

 the festival in honor of this saint is one of the 

 great annual events. Palermo has much of in- 

 terest and charm in its busy harbor and its 

 curious street scenes and types. The oldest 

 public buildings date from the Norman period, 

 the most noteworthy being the cathedral of 

 Saint Rosalia, begun in 1169. There are almost 

 three hundred churches and chapels. The Uni- 

 ty enrols 1,400 students. The city also 

 has a national museum, an art gallery, several 

 larre libraries, a royal palace, the archiepiscopal 

 palace, a customhouse and many theaters. It 

 is the residence of the military commandant of 

 the island and has an arsenal and shipbuilding 

 yards. Industry is little developed, but the 

 fisheries are extensive and give employment to 

 thousands of people. The chief exports include 

 oranges, lemons, dried fruits, sumach, oils, wine 

 and lemon juice. 



Palermo was probably founded by the Phoe- 

 nicians, and was the stronghold of Carthage in 

 Sicily. It was conquered, in turn, by the Ro- 

 mans, the Saracens and the Normans. The 

 German emperors and the French subsequently 

 held it. In 1820 and 1848 the city revolted 

 against the Bourbon kings of Naples and in 

 1860 was freed from them by Garibaldi. Popu- 

 lation in 1911,341,088. 



PALESTINE, pal' cs tin. When one thinks 

 of Palestine, or the HOLY LAND, as it is com- 

 monly called, it is nearly always in connection 

 with the life of Jesus, who spent his earthly 

 years entirely within its borders. That won- 

 derful life is the crowning glory and chief dis- 

 tinction of this small country. It has few natu- 

 ral advantaces for civilization, but has been 

 the melting pot of the deepest religious con- 

 victions of mankind. Many travelers describe 

 the Holy Land, but the accounts differ, for 

 men see it from many varying angles. All see 

 the barrenness, the unfulfilled possibility of 

 greatness; some see racial poverty and wretch- 

 edness, boldly and harshly outlined; others 

 are softened by the thought of the greatness 

 just missed by one of the nations of antiquity, 

 the Hebrews. 



In Old Testament times the country was 

 known as Canaan and Philislia, and was in- 

 habited by Canaanitcs and Philistines, Pales- 

 tine beins the Philistine name of the southern 

 part of Canaan. The modern Palestine lies 

 along the eastern Mediterranean coast from 



the Mountains of Lebanon in the north, and 

 extends east and south to the somewhat in- 

 definite western boundaries of the Arabian 

 Desert. The area is about 10,000 square m'lcs, 

 or about that of the state of New Hampshire. 



Centuries ago this whole section was covered 

 by the waters of the Mediterranean. In the 

 course of time a portion of the land, about 

 thirty-five miles wide in the north and 100 

 miles wide in the south, was raised above sea 

 level. On the opposite side, in the east, the 

 land tipped down toward the west, and in the 

 lowest part was the Jordan River, fed by the 

 springs in the Lebanon Mountains, and empty- 

 ing into the Dead Sea, at the south. This ex- 

 plains why this sea and the Sea of Galilee, 

 which is also in the course of the Jordan, are 

 below sea level. The Dead Sea has no outlet 

 and is very salt. The Sea of Galilee, on the 

 contrary, is fresh and contains many fish. 

 These two seas and the Jordan River are the 

 only important bodies of water in Palestine. 

 The surface of the country is broken by large 

 outcroppings of pinkish sandstone. 



West of the Jordan and extending north and 

 south runs a long chain of rugged hills, wooded 

 in places by oak, cedar, ash, sycamore and 

 oleander trees. There are many valleys, and 

 in the north, just below the Mountains of Leba- 

 non, which rise to a height of 9,000 feet in 

 Mount Hermon, lies the plain of Esdraelon. 

 From the summit of Mount Hermon, snow- 

 covered in winter, may be seen the whole of 

 this small country. In the south the moun- 

 tains called Judean Hills slope gently west- 

 ward toward the sea. In this section, which is 

 the most fertile part of Palestine, grains and 

 grapes, figs, olives and apricots are raised in 

 abundance. The descent on the eastern slopes 

 of the hills is very rapid, and much of this 

 rough country is, and has always been, a wilder- 

 ness. The only harbor on the coast is that 

 of Jaffa, and even there boats cannot land 

 except in favorable weather. A railroad now 

 runs from Jaffa southeast to Jerusalem. 



The inhabitants of Palestine, who number 

 about 700,000, are a very mixed people. The 

 greater number, since the Moslem conquest in 

 the seventh century A. D., have been Arabic; 

 there are a few Hebrews and a small number 

 of Europeans. The most primitive conditions 

 and customs prevail. In very few places are 

 the roads cood, and traveling is by foot, on 

 the backs of the donkey or camel, or possibly 

 by rude carriages. The primitive wells and 

 the springs throughout the country are all 



