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Show loaaytjtMrannv DyTm'V TM NiJj GhlY & PALESTINE: PIGMY LAND WITH A GIANT HISTORY The historic Holy Lund where moved tho Nnzurene whose birth will he com-momoratcd com-momoratcd around tho world this week, Is characterized as "a tiny llttlo llt-tlo country," by Viscount James Bryce, In a communication to tho Nntlonul Geography society: "Though the traveler's hand books prepare him to Und Palestine smnll, It surprises him by being smnllcr' tlmn he expected. Taking It as tho region between tho Mediterranean on tho west nnd tho Jordan and Dcn'd sen on tho east, from the spurs of Lebanpn and Ilermou on the north to tho desert at Ueershehn on tho south, It la only 110 miles long and CO to CO brond that Is to say, It Is smaller thnn New Jersey. "Of this region large parts did not renlly belong to nnclent Israel. Their hold on tho southern nnd northern districts dis-tricts was but slight, whllo In tho southwest, a wide and rich plain nlong Uio Mediterranean wns occupied by tho warlike Philistines, who were sometimes more thnn a match for the Hebrew armies. Israel had, In fact, llttlo more than the hill country, which lay between tho Jordan on the east and the mnrltlmo plain on the west King David, In tho days of his power, looked down from tho hill cities of Benjamin, Just north of JcniBulem, upon up-on Phlllstlno enemies, only 25 miles off, on tho ono side, and looked across tho Jordan to Moablte enemies, about as far off, on tho other. "Nearly all tho events In tho history of Israel that are recorded In tho Old Testament hnppened within n territory no bigger thun tho stato of Connecticut, Connecti-cut, whose nrea Is 4,800 square miles; and Into hardly any other country has there been crowded from tho days of Abraham till our own, so much history that Is to say, so many events that have been recorded and deserve to bo recorded In the nnnnls of mankind. J "Nor Is It only that Palestine Is J-enlly a small .country. Tho traveler -constantly feels .ns- ho moves nbout that It Is a small country From tho heights, tt few, miles north of Jerusalem, Jeru-salem, 'Hc"sees, looking 'northward, n fnr-off summit 'carrying snow for eight months Jin the year. It Is Hcrmon, lienrly 10,000 feet high Hcrmon. "whose fountains feed tho rivers of Damnscus. "But Herraon Is outside the territory terri-tory of Israel altogether, standing In tho land of tho Syrians; so, too, It Is of Lebanon. We are apt to think of thnt mountain ma'ss as within the country, because It also Is frequently mentioned In the Psalms and the Prophets; but the two ranges of Lebanon Leb-anon also rise beyond the1' frontiers 'of Israel, lying between the Syrians of Damascus and tho Phoenicians of tho West. "Pcrbnps It Is because the maps from which children used to lenrn Bible geography, were on a largo scale, that most of us have failed to rcnllzo how narrow were the limits within, which took place, all thow great do-IngH do-IngH that fill tho books of Samuel nnd Kings. Just In tlio sniuu way the classical scholar who visits Greecp Is surprised to find that so small n territory ter-ritory sulllced for so many striking Incidents In-cidents und for tho enreers of so many fnmous men." |