Show G le T MOONS across asia Mi norThe bagdad rall rail way growing ancient cl cities ties of great anatolian plain will one day blossom with modern civilization by WILLIS T ELLIS tarsus asia minor the main highways of 0 history run across asia minor I 1 this has haa been tho the route for uncounted centuries of the armies ot of conquest and the peaceful caravans caravana of trade journeying from asia to europe or from europe to asia here are the footprints ot of cyrus and darius chad nezzar and alexander the great the caesars caesara Cae sars tho the crusaders the turks and the arabs and such distinguished individual travelers as tho the apostle paul lie ife who goes on foot or wheel today will find and himself traveling tho the identical route built by the romans and crossing old roman bridges As he be notes tho the sites of battles or camps he will be able to see in tho the configuration of tho the ground why they were ao 00 chosen the trip I 1 have just mado made Is A wonderful commentary upon the books we studied in school and upon the history of the early christian church idere are tho the ruins of many of tho the areat reat cities of classic literature the seven churches of asia to which the familiar passages in the apocalypse were addressed and the other 4 r 1 7 V I 1 na wagons ready for start across asia minor cities which gaye paul and life his companions a sample of mob ecob law or elso else as cods the ancient east still survives tho the country la Is still pretty much as it has been for millenniums tho the cities are now hidden bidden under tho the debris of ages and the thriving commerce of that older day has disappeared alona with alth the marching legions but the wayside wells are identical with those at which the thirsty soldiers sold lora used to drink tho the khana are arc built ot of mud and straw and are after tho the same typo type as wore were known to the travelers before christ indeed they cannot be vory very different from that primitive khan in bethlehem wherein was born the worlds conqueror the dust from passing caravans en grimes the traveler the soft bott tootoo ca camels 1 aels who now come swaying along with 1 th serpent necks aro are laden with cans of american kerosene the bullock carts with their primitive solid wooden wheels bear material tor for the con construction 11 truc tion of tho the bagdad railway A bent stick still servos for a plow agriculture la IS largely by hand and the threshing floors of scripture are a frequent sight picturesquely clad natives move slowly along on oil donkeys I 1 saw bno one young mother and child whose bearded husband and ganther had bad stopped at a brook tu give them drink who suggested strikingly striking tr tho the picture of the flight into egypt where the glory has departed the ancient productiveness of this anatolian plain when the hills were covered with trees and there was waa of water la Is apparent at a 0 glance glanca much of it resembles the west in parts of the united states and canada its ancient glory way may bo be restored at any time that an efficient government provides for anore afforest stratton ration and irrigation perhaps the cities ol of antiquity will riso rise again sardis where croesus made his name a synonym for riches Is now a hoap heap of ruins wherein an expedition tion lon froni from princeton university la Is digging ancient philadelphia la Is now called and ono one may see the campara alively new village through a ruined arch in the old wall an excellent mineral water which was known and used long before the tha christian ura ora will lu in the bew day that yay dawn tr this region become a commodo commodity ty tor for the whole 19 world I 1 the turkish way with railroads railroads are running two thirds of tho the wy across this great anatolian plain and the construction Is being pushed forward through the taurus mountains there la Is a train a day in each direction carrying both passengers and freight the cars are arc built on the european model ments the trains do not run at night and tho the night out from smyrna to Is spent bolens volens at a miserable native inn ina where the proprietor thinks it strange that guests guesta are not willing to crowd three into a room and even insist upon clean bedding the train starts at daybreak day break for turkish time Is a constantly cons tan tl y changing langing el quantity sunset Is 12 so BO that clocks and watches must change every day the natives generally take their time from tho the call to prayer in the minarets mina eventually the time tables will be printed a la a frank as they call things european Euro pein out here the train from smyrna connects with that from constantinople at a picturesque ancient city apolon kara Ill sear where there hero la Is a fortress that seems more impregnable and imposing than gibraltar there to Is an hours interval between trains undertaking to spend part dart of this time in the ba baars I 1 returned tenor ten or fifteen minutes ahead of the time scheduled for the departure of the train only to see BOO it pulling out across the plain I 1 was cheerfully informed that as there was very little freight that day the train had started ahead of time this meant twenty four hours in a city where the only english speaking person was the american pastor of 0 the american board church when tho the bagdad railway gets to running this city will bo be an important point and it popular objective tor for tourists it was here that the turkish gov eminent undertook to colonize the moslem Cre cregans cretans Cr einns tans it built houses for them and then straightway forgot them so that the colony subsequently pew by night f from egypt the next night Is ebent spen tat at ronia i the ancient Icon lum where the apostle paul was ao an shabbily treated arid and now notable as aa having the only decent hotel in the interior of asia minor meerschaum quarries a mission school and interesting archaeological excavations are the notable sights of koala again starting at daybreak dregla la Is reached about noon for practical purposes this la Is tho the present end of the bagdad railway it ls Is a small dusty malarial town without a hotel above the khan classification here wagons or horses are taken tor for the overland journey to tarsus travelers in arabas tho the process of securing arabas which are diminutive prairie schoon ers with entrances at the sides resembles a small email riot evereth everything t ng in tho the orient must bo be done with great noise and before terras terms are finally made with ono one driver it looks as it if blood would be shed tho journey across the plain takes three nights and parts of four days the government desires travelers tra volora to bo be accompanied by one ona or more soldiers as escort because the region la Is famous for outlawry A soldier has au an old fashion on mauser single shot rifle strung over life his shoulders and at certain points he carries this in his hand an american traveler puts puta more conal confidence in his own magazine pistol than N 4 Y 4 z k T V ge Z shoveling grain on the line of the bagdad railway in this florce looking attendant the latter does however give a d grea of prestige nud aud the right oi of way when passing caravans tho the charia along the way provide to nt furniture and no food other than an occasional chicken usually a ewo ettro can got a room to himself anil ana ho he carries his own cot cat lied bed and apply supply of insect powder the experience brings one quite close to native life and it if he desires tho the traveler may visit the elders of tho the village and talk tails politics aud and progress ba with them what the now new railroad nall road Itt means leans the bagdad railway 1 ah be aeu well into the taurus mountains early this year werk la Is actively in operation upon this section and also upon the stretch across the plain on the other bide aide ot odthe the moun mountains taina its completion to adana will perhaps bo be a matter of three years yeara this will ivill mean a wonderful opening up of trade modern machinery will be brought into the country new hotels and villages are already coming into existence irrigation Is bound to follow and tho the advent of western estern fashions will transform the life of 0 asia minor too the linking of constantinople with tb mor northern thern mediterranean region will bring hundreds ot of tourists and all ah they imply the scenery in the taurus mountains Is beautiful beyond description the mountains of scotland are not comparable with it and it ranks ranka with the best of the Roc lilea and switzerland some of tho the peaks are snow enow covered all the tha year round there aro are maj majestic estle gorges and precipices and vistas the natural beauties are enhanced by frequent remains of aitla ulyles in tho narrowest part of the civijian gates cates Is chi selled a s tablet recording the passage of marcus aurelius Aurel lua roman milestones dot tho the road although in some cases they have been altered to bear turkish numerals toe the famous gate cates proper have proved too difficult for the tha railway engineers gi so they go through an upper pass which they consider somewhat easier at best the engine engineering cring difficulties will bo be great once the mountains have been crossed the railway de bouches upon the great Cili clan plain beyond which sparkles the mediterranean nobody is 6 willing to prophesy how bow long it will t tako a k 0 th the 0 railroad rall road to cross from adana above the head ot of the mediterranean to aleppo and then down into mesopotamia when that day does coule come it will be a notable event in eastern politics as aa well as in commerce in the meantime there are those who say that the germans will never be permitted to complete it so BO long as aa the british empire lasts copyright by joseph B bowles bollea Bow lea |