110 The Wilson Bulletin — No. 96 



bear the ancestral earmarks — " for he driveth furiously." 

 Progress toward lands with higher civilization was marked 

 by a more humane treatment of the horse. At Assiut there 

 were not enough teams to transfer the passengers from boat 

 to train without the making of a second trip. We saw one 

 of the returning carriages lose a hind wheel, but the driver 

 lashed on his galloping horses utterly oblivious of any loss. 



A magnificent panoramic view of Jerusalem and its en- 

 virons is obtainable from the tower of the German church. 

 From that height the city is a fascinating sight, due in part 

 to its many dome-shaped roofs and the beautiful colorings of 

 the stone used in building. It is the common stone of the 

 region, appearing in garden walls as well as in the build- 

 ings ; and its warm, many-colored shadings makes' it one of ul 

 the most pleasing sights about Jerusalem. It gives a touch 

 of warmth to the otherwise cold, bleak, desolate landscape: 

 A cheerless expanse to which olive groves once may have 

 afforded some relief. Olive trees are not plentiful now ; we 

 were told that the owners had been forced to cut down their 

 trees because the Turkish tax on them exceeded the reve- 

 nue they could be made to yield. From the church tower 

 a birds-eye view of all we were to see later was obtained. 

 Places concerning which much has been written from the 

 days of Isaiah down to those of Robert Hichens. From this 

 vantage point a Sabbath-day's journey had ocular demon- 

 stration, for there stood the Mount of Olives something more 

 than a mile away as the crow flies. The temple area on 

 Mount Moriah was spread out like a map below us ; and the 

 encircling valleys of Biblical fame dropped down into the blue 

 middle-distance of the picture. It seems a pity to have had 

 this fine impression soon overlaid by others produced by con- 

 tact with the humbugs and the shamefully absurd preten- 

 sions made in a parade of sacred relics and ruins. 



The first rain encountered in several months began to fall 

 while we were aloft in the church tower. The storm con- 

 tinued for two days and probably kept some birds in hiding; 

 at the same time it did not enhance our enjoyment of the 



