WOODCOCK'S SCRIPTURE LANDS. *
WE are tired of saying that Damascus, Jerusalem, and the memorable places in Syria, including Jordan and the Dead Sea, have neither freshness nor attraction as mere travels. A distinct object in competent hands, or very remarkable literary power, a genius that could endow a stroll through London streets or a trip to Margate with vitality, may impart interest to Palestine ; but without one or the other of these character's: tics the Holy Land is no more than Paris or up the Rhine. Perhaps it i
is even less. The distance and the concomitants of Jerusalem and .ts territory may create an impression upon the traveller's mind, inducing to vent his excitement in print, which he would not be liable to in regular tourist-land near home. Mr. Woodcock is aware of this, but cannot resist temptation. "I have no pretensions," he says, " to make for my book, no excuse to offer for presenting it to the public. It was needful for me to travel; to take notes of the journey in the land of Scripture was a matter of course; and having taken them, I wish to have them published, knowing that by so doing I shall confer a sincere pleasure on a numerous circle of friends, and hopeful that I may cause them, and all who shall read, to reflect more on the condition of the land of patriarchs, prophets, and apostles, recognize their obligation to lend a helping hand to God's ancient peoPlei and pray for the peace of Jerusalem.'" If these hopes do not form 3 purpose in themselves, they give a distinct object of travel, when added to a knowledge of the topography and the history which it illustrates, a zealous enthusiasm excited by the genius loci, but a sound Protestant feeling as regards the tendency of the human mind to substitute for- • Scripture Lands; being a Visit to the Scenes of the Bible. By the Reverend W.I. Woodcock, St. Agnes, N assau, New Providence. Published by Longman soil Co.
malisms and material things for the worship in spirit and in truth ; with a reasonable scepticism as to the veritable site of remarkable spots, and the other " white lies" of a superstitious tradition. Mr. Woodcock, moreover, is an amateur artist ; and this accomplishment probably gives him an eye for the characteristics of landscape, the beauties of form, the peculiarities of costume, and picturesque grouping. He has also a solid style, with some approach to richness in description.
Scripture Lands is not a book that was wanted, because substantially It tells us nothing that we did not know before. It has, however, some interest from the Scriptural colouring that the traveller throws over land- scapes, customs, and places; the religions feeling or criticism which he brings to bear on precise localities, and his powers of description. The book is like an additional portrait of a man or view of a scene ; not adding much to our ideas, but possessing some value from the indivi- dual character imparted by the artist's mind.
Mr. Woodcock travelled in company with the Reverend M. Mar- goliouth, who has given great attention to the subject of the Jews. This companionship, with the author's profession and pursuits, threw him a good deal among the Hebrews of Palestine ; and his account of their per- sons, houses, appearance, and opinions, form a feature of the book. The following brief sketch of them is one of many. o Hebron is one of the four holy cities of the Jews, and, as the abode and sepulchre of the Patriarchs, has great claims on their religious affections. Ac- cordingly, we found them here in considerable numbers, and chiefly of the strict- est sect of their religion, the' Chasidim,' to whose strange conduct during their services I have already alluded. The Jewish quarter is situated in the middle of the chief division of Hebron, and is approached from the main street by a single door-way, which leads into a labyrinth of narrow tortuous passages, about which the children of Abraham have their lowly dwellings. They are said to number rather more than a hundred families; that is, about forty of the Sephardim and from sixty to seventy of the Chasidim. I saw several women among them of ex- traordinary beauty ; the most delicate complexion and classic features being set off by and contrasted with large lustrous black eyes, and agreeing well with the graceful semicircular turban, which, with the loose folds of the dress and lofty carriage, gave each Jewess the dignity, grandeur, and modest aspect of an Esther. On Saturday the 13th, being the Jewish Sabbath, we all attended the services of the two synagogues. First we went to that of the Sephardim, where the service began about seven o'clock in the morning, and waited till after the
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reading of the Law. There was nothing disorderly n the behaviour of these men, and their Oriental dress and talith made them a very fine and interesting group. And when, at one period in their service, they all rose and sang in solemn unison the song of triumph over the drowned Egyptians in the Red Sea, the stern aspect, ancient dress, and flashing eyes of these children of Israel, votaries of the old Mosaic dispensation in its literal rigour, and the sensation that, after so many ages of wanderings, glories, captivities, and persecutions, the sons of Abra- ham, Isaac, and Jacob, yet came and dwelt on past exultation, and hoped for fu- ture empire, here in the ve7 house and sepulchre of their fathers,—all this brought to my mind the great reality of Bible history, and seemed to display a link of that mysterious chain which binds the present to the past; the lower steps of a dreamy ladder, the top whereof reacheth to heaven. We went on to the Polish syna- gogue; where we found the fantastical Chasidim going through their mad antics, shouting, screaming, clapping their hands, knocking, and squeaking in the most frantic manner. I have already described the conduct of the service which we saw this morning; so I pass on to the interview which we had with the chief Rabbi or Cacham. He was an old man of not very striking features, but with a long grey beard, which he took occasion frequently to stroke. His wife ushered us into his apartment, where he was seated on a divan, and where we were soon motioned to seat ourselves near him; she then stood below the upper division of the apartment, and after serving us with sweetmeats, listened in modest attention to the conversation."
As is indicated in the above passage, Mr. Woodcock is quite a con- noisseur in female beauty, and no occasion passes without his introduc- ing the fair ones of Sion into his pictures. This is a sketch of the women of Nazareth.
"Oar tents were pitched on a pleasant plot of grass, shaded by a few olive- trees, and hedged off on two sides by tall fences of prickly pear; and we were en- tertained by the interesting spectacle of the women and children of Nazareth coming along the road in front of us to fill their stone pitchers with water at a fountain called 'the well of the Virgin.' The name is appropriate and just, as it is the chief if not the only public well of the place; and in all likelihood the mother of our Lord often drew water at it; and our blessed Master himself, daring his mysterious boyhood, oft quenched his thirst at its cooling spring. As I felt this, an additional charm was given to a scene lovely in itself; for truly those graceful women of Nazareth, with their gay and tasteful dress, the hanging sleeve rich jacket, folding trousers, and long head-dress descending with their hair down their back, when added to the stately even gait needful to keep the pitcher upright on the head, composed the most lovely groups I had seen in Pales- tine. The exquisite symmetry and beauty of the upraised arm nf many of these dark-eyed damsels, (the fingers just steadying the balanced water-jar with a touch,) and of the little firm-set foot, often without a slipper, were not confined to one or two, but seemed extended to them all; and in these features they were fit models for a sculptor."
The following incident from a village in the vicinity of Acre will give an idea of the manner in which Mr. Woodcock illustrates Scripture from Scripture lands.
"I saw at this place a great many scenes of that shepherd life which is so often alluded to in Scripture, and which is so beautifully and constantly presented to a traveller in the East. They are well known to all; yet I cannot pass illustra- tions so striking entirely in silence. It was evening at Zib, and the bleating of the flocks attracted my attention. As I looked up the roadway, a cloud of dust announced the coming multitude. They were sheep and goats unseparated, and were preceded by their shepherd carrying a lamb tn his arras, who often turned round and called the leaders by their names, and they, hearing and knowing his Voice, quickened their pace at his words. He led them into the rude circular fold, made of thorns, almost in front of our tents; which they entered by means of the one only door,* at which the shepherd stood counting them as they went in. Without was the dog keeping guard, and at the door of the fold lay the Shepherd himself: none could enter into the door but by him. In the morning they were gone early, even before we rose, which was about five o'clock; and on inquiry of our muleu3ers, who had been talking with the shepherd, they told me (through my dragoman) that he kept his flock at night in this sheepfold forfear of robbers and Jackalls,f for they were his own sheep,1 and he was gone out to find pasture§ with them by the side of a still stream II about an hour's distance. Row, although I had met with all these most interesting traits of Eastern shep- herd life before, yet here they were all so wonderfully united, that I prefer to pre- sent them entire as I now actually received them, rather than mar their effect by disuniting them."
* 1.1 7. 9. Ibid. mil.
t John, X. 8. 12. John, Ix. Pal. zatll. 2.
The volume is illustrated by a few coloured engravings from Mr. Woodford's pencil, which well embody the colour and character of the costumes, the persons of the people, and the features of the landscape : there might have been more of them.
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