OSBORN'S PALESTINE, PAST AND PRESENT.*
MR. OSBORN is an American clergyman and Professor of Natural Science in Roanoke College, Salem. In addition to the acquire- ments essential to his pursuits, he is a topographist, and an artist not only skilled in the exercise of the pencil, but with the artist's eye for beauty. He is well read in history sacred and profane, with a special turn for Palestine. What is still better he has a tolerant mind and genial disposition. Thus qualified he made a tour through Europe by way of the Rhine, Switzerland, and Upper Italy to Trieste, where he embarked for Egypt. The account of his old world experiences, is, however, limited to a not very ex- tensive pilgrimage in Syria. Starting from Beyrut, he skirted the coast passing through Sidon and Tyre, and visited the Lake of Tiberias with its adjacent places of note en route to Jerusalem. At the Holy city he remained some time, engaged in surveying the region as well as examining the antiquities. He also made excursions to different places in its neighbourhood as Bethlehem, Jericho, Jordan, the Dead Sea, returning to Joppa where he em- barked for Malta.
It is a disadvantage to a writer to be tempted by an over rich and multifarious subject • and such is the characteristic of Pales- tine, beyond even Italy herself. In addition to ancient paganism, the three religions of the historical world—Judaism, Christianity, and Mahometanism, were there cradled. Navigation and the alpha- bet certainly originated in Syria; possibly commerce as distinguish- ed from mere barter ; and though the fine and useful arts seem to have sprung from Egypt, they were improved iii? incient Phoe- nicia. Scarcely a conqueror or a conquering race but has left some traces upon the land ; for though England and Teutonic Europe have not been so conspicuous in Syria as some other peo- ples, the Crusades and commerce have taken them thither. Tread almost where you will you meet some relic of the historic or pre- historic past ; or come natural feature memorable in Scripture or legend rises before you. In such an embarras des richesses, the judicious course is to select a theme and stick to it. Be primeval, Scriptural, Greek, Roman, mediaeval—including Byzantine, Cru- sading, and Saracen* or take the country as it now is ; but do not attempt all. A single subject will possess that great source of interest, purpose, and unity ; it will admit of complete treat- ment. If many things are attempted, the reader's attention will be distracted, and what is worse they cannot be otherwise than superficially done. There is another disadvantage in too many themes for English readers ; Palestine is a pretty well exhausted field ; and unless a man brings that fulness of knowledge which attention to a special subject imparts, he is extremely apt to tell us what is known already.
Professor Osborn has fallen into the error so difficult to avoid, and in seeking the niulta rather than the multum has somewhat injured the effect of his narrative as a whole. He no sooner lands than he writes a chapter on " Phoenicia—its early influences" ; when he comes to Sidon he runs over " its misfortunes " before describing " its present ruins" ; and at Tyre he recounts " its history and legends." His immediate object, strictly speaking, seems to have been a survey of the country he traversed for the purpose of laying down the scriptural places with accuracy, and of gleaning after Dr. Robinson and others in scriptural fields. But mere topography is best expressed in visible results, and mere description, where so many have been before, is apt to become somewhat literal.
These remarks only apply to a portion of the volume. There are sketches of the natives, where the traveller's genial qualities soften Moslem reserve, and keen observations on the qualities of
• Palestine, Past and Present. With Biblical Literary and Scientific Notices. By Res. Henry S. Osborn, A.M., Professor of Natural Science in Roanoke College, Salem, Va., &c. &c. Published by Trubner.
the soil, and its capacity of producing crops in proper hands, with proper systems of cultivation and irrigation. Neither does the Professor omit the comparison of the present with the past, to il- lustrate one by the other. Here are a few words of clerical taste and judgment on the wines of Palestine.
" The wine, said to be made in this region, I tasted. It was of the co- lour of cider and as strong as the lightest Rhine wines. Of a similar cha- racter were the Tiberias wines being somewhat stronger and redder. From the general strength of the wines of the country, I am inclined to think that intoxication m times past must have been the result of long drinking, if only such wines as these existed in those days ; for, while the alcoholic ingredient is evidently present, it is in such small quantities and so com- bined that an occasional use of the wino could not produce intoxication, and would not have a tendency to create that morbid thirst which always fol- lows, more or less, the use of the American wines. At present, as in the Scripture times, the wines vary in appearance, in strength and refinement. The wines of Helbon (Ezek. xxvii. 18,) were characteristically different from the wines of Lebanon, (Hoe. xvi. 7,) and these from others, (Ise. xxv. 6.) This difference may have been in strength, as well as in other peculiarities. But it is evident that the natural strength of the wines of ancient and Biblical times was not sufficiently great to suit the tastes of wine-bibbers of that day ; or they would not have had recourse to the mixtures which in the time of the Saviour: were common throughout the Roman Empire, and in use in the times of Solomon, (Prey. math. 30.) The habit of tarrying long at wine, and that drinking to excess referred to by the apostles, (E h. v. 18 ; 1 Peter iv. 3,) existed in St. Paul's time to such an extent that Tibenus, the Roman Emperor, according to Suetonius, spent whole days at his excesses, and in one instance spent a night and two days at the festal table without leaving it. • • • • It was to these excesses in drinking that the commands of the Scripture particularly referred, and not to the tempe- rate use of the wines of the country. Those advocates, therefore, of the temperance reform, who strive to sustain a great principle by attempting to prove that the wine which the Saviour made at Cana contained no alcolrl, contradict the clearest facts ; and, if they succeeded, they would only lose sight of the more exalted principle of this reform stated in Rom. xiv. 21, 1 Cor. viii. 13, which appeals not to any arguments founded on the supposi- tion of sin in the use, but to the most exalted patriotism on the one hand, and to the noblest sentiment of a self-sacrificing Christianity on the other."
This is a cheerful scene on the visit to Jordan and the Dead Sea with the Arabs of his escort. Perhaps all barbarians are as genial, if we would but try to get at their real human nature.
"Our little band and the sheik—who has continued by me so courteously today—sit around their camp-fire in the distance ; and my love of their songs and their tales, and a desire to reap the benefit of their speech, impel me to join them. I expect to make an extra draught upon their time and efforts tomorrow, and therefore think a little extra introduction to their attention advisable. Joining their circle, I soon found who were the quickest and who were the leaders of ' public sentiment,' and, returning to my friends, I obtained our whole stock of cigars, amounting &four. These were sufficient for the purpose ; and soon, though alone with my little Arab guard of twelve, I was made as much at home as any of them. Sitting on a bag on the left of the sheik, the curiosities were passed around to the four who seemed the most talkative. Then, inviting them to guess out their use, we had a scene of merriment.
"They are genuine Bedouins in appearance, and, though of a better class, possess much of the desert Bedouin in manners. They are dressed with the dark striped blanket, and the little cloth and cord around the head ; and though the sheik appears in clothing somewhat superior to the rest, yet he too has the same &ark and restless eye as the less cultivated sons of the de- sert wherever they are seen. They often exhibit a shrewdness and original- ity of thought that seems strange in such uncultivated barbarians. My familiarity with them, sitting after their fashion and listening to their songs and their sportive conversation, and my apparent confidence in them, pleases them much ; and they treat me as one of their number. One takes a cigar and attempts to light it at the small end, but, tightly twisted, it refuses : it is as impracticable a subject as a stick. He is now shown how to manage the thing. Several catch the idea before him, but at last he himself is en- lightened, and, after drawing hard at the tip end, a little faint smoke arises, and, with a quizzical look at the dim and miniature cloud, he sighs, ' The distance is short, howadji, but the way is hard.' All laugh, and another undertakes the experiment. The fire increases, and the smoke and the mer- riment warm all up to laughter. Everyone passes a joke as the little lighted roll goes from mouth to mouth. Taiyeeb taiyeeb Howadji, " it warmeth and pleaseth both the face and the nose ; ' and thus they smoke at two of the cigars, while the other two are retained unlighted. is These fellows are a keen and courteous people, notwithstanding the piratical character sometimes given them, and which, at times they seem to deserve."
E�thausted as Palestine has been by writers, there are certainly, as a ady intimated, special subjects that might yet be made in- teresting by a man who carried a draughtsman with him, or com- bined, like Mr. Osborn, artist and author in one. Illustrative travels in the-eteps of the Crusaders is one of these specialties. Occasional notices of their traces in a book of travels goes for little, but, brought together, the effect of the whole would be considerable. Here is a gigantic church, a relic of one of the military or lers, though the Templars get the credit of it.
"Before leaving Ramleh we visit the ruins of an ancient church said to have belonged to the Knights Templars. It is a short distance out of the village, and the ruins are the most remarkable for extent and magnificence of any church ruins we have yet seen. They cover, with the cloisters, several acres • and underground there are Stews of massive arches and co- lumns which are astonishing for their perfection and complete preservation. The cloisters above are supported by arches dnd square columns for several hundred feet in one direction, and with a little variation from the same manner in other directions. Near one side of this court-yard or cloister- yard, is a very symmetrical and beautifully-finished tower or campanile. Into this I entered and ascended one hundred and seventeen steps, the highest ten being those which belong to the smaller tower at the top, which is square." The surveying labours of the author more distinctly appear in the form of two capital maps and a very elaborate geographical appendix. It contains the name of every place and nation men- tioned in the Old and New Testaments, with references to all t,1p. fr. passages of scripture where they occur, including the moderii names of many, with the probable latitude and longitude of all. There is other geographical information of a like kind, and the book contains many graphic illustrations from sketches by the author.
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