A Trip Abroad

_"Go, little booke, God send thee good passage, And specially let this be thy prayere: Unto them all that will thee read or hear, Where thou art wrong, after their help to call, Thee to correct in any part or all."_

CHAUCER.

PREFACE.

In this volume the author has made an effort to describe his journey to Palestine and Egypt. It is his desire that the book may be interesting and instructive to its readers. The chapter on the geography of Palestine, if studied with a good map, will probably be helpful to many. The historic sketch of the land may serve as an outline of the important events in the history of that interesting country. It is desired that the last chapter may give American readers a better understanding of the work of churches of Christ in Great Britain.

This book is not a classic, but the author has tried to give a truthful account of a trip, which, to him, was full of interest and not without profit. No doubt some errors will be found, but even the critical reader may make some allowance when it is known that the writing, with the exception of a small part, was done in a period of eighty days. During this time, the writer was also engaged in evangelistic work, speaking every day without a single exception, and as often as four times on some of the days. That the careful reading of the following pages may be profitable, is the desire of THE AUTHOR.

BOWLING GREEN, KY., October 21, 1905.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.

Several books have been consulted in preparing this one. "Lands of the Bible," by J.W. McGarvey, has been very helpful. The same is true of Edmund Sherman Wallace's "Jerusalem the Holy." Much information has been obtained from the "Historical Geography of Bible Lands," by John B. Calkin. Other works consulted were: "Recent Discoveries on the Temple Hill," by James King; the "Bible Atlas," by Jesse L. Hurlbut; "Galilee in the Time of Christ," by Selah Merrill; "City of the Great King," by J.T. Barclay; "Palestine," by C.R. Conder; Smith's "Bible Dictionary"; "Century Dictionary and Cyclopaedia"; "Columbian Encyclopaedia," and "Encyclopaedia Britannica."

The chapter on Churches of Christ in Great Britain and Ireland was read before publication by Bro. Ivie Campbell, Jr., of Kirkcaldy, Scotland, who made some suggestions for its improvement. Bro. J.W. McGarvey, of Lexington, Ky., kindly read the chapters on the Geography and History of Palestine, and made some corrections. Selah Merrill, United States Consul at Jerusalem, has given some information embodied in the Historic Sketch of Palestine. Acknowledgement of the helpful services of my wife, and of Miss Delia Boyd, of Atpontley, Tenn., is hereby made.

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I. SCOTLAND AND ENGLAND

CHAPTER II. CROSSING EUROPE

CHAPTER III. ASIA MINOR AND SYRIA

CHAPTER IV. A FEW DAYS IN GALILEE

CHAPTER V. SIGHT-SEEING IN JERUSALEM

CHAPTER VI. SIDE TRIPS FROM JERUSALEM

CHAPTER VII. EGYPT, THE LAND OF TOMBS AND TEMPLES

CHAPTER VIII. GEOGRAPHY OF PALESTINE

CHAPTER IX. HISTORIC SKETCH OF PALESTINE

CHAPTER X. CHURCHES OF CHRIST IN GREAT BRITAIN

CHAPTER I.

SCOTLAND AND ENGLAND.

When I was a "boy on a farm," one of my school teachers had a small machine, which was sometimes used to print the names of students in their books. Somehow I came to want a "printing press," and after a while I purchased an outfit for fifteen cents, but it was a poor thing and failed to satisfy me. Accordingly, I disposed of it and spent a larger sum for a typewriter, which was little more than a toy. This, too, was unsatisfactory, and I sold it. At a later date, I bought a second-hand typewriter, which was turned in as part payment for the machine I am now using to write this book, and now, after all these successive steps, I find myself possessed of a real typewriter. I will also mention my youthful desire for a watch. I wanted a timepiece and thought I would like for it to be of small size. I thought of it when awake, and, sometimes, when asleep, dreamed that I actually had the little watch in my possession. Since those days of dreams and disappointments, I have had three watches, and they have all been of small size.