MARK TWAIN

This is an interesting spot. Jesus rested here on his
journey from Jerusalem to Galilee while his disciples went
to the city to buy meat. 2000 years have not changed the
scenery and the customs of the inhabitants remain the
same—women with water-pots on their heads. This well,
these mountains, yonder city were looked upon by the
Saviour.

The old manuscript of the Samaritan in the synagogue
here done up in the form of a scroll, kept in an elegant
silver case and rolled in cloth of blue, purple and scarlet
interwoven with threads of gold. The transcriber's im-
print is wrought in one portion of the scroll into the text
in the form of an acrostic and reads, "Written by Abishua
son of Phineas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron."

Bethel

House of God—so called by Jacob—visited yearly by
Saul. Here Jeroboam set up his idol calf.

It is a long low ridge, covered with great piles of stone
—about 3 or 4 acres of ground are covered with ruins. A
few miserable huts—20 in all—constructed from frag-
ments of the ruins constitute the village.

In the valley, a little west, is a huge cistern, built of
massive stone—one side in good preservation, the other
much dilapidated by the ravages of time. Its bottom is
now a beautiful grass plot. Near by are 2 small fountains
of pure clear water from which this great tank was orig-
inally supplied.

Originally it was called Luz. Abraham, in his first jour-
ney through the land, built an altar and worshiped God.
On his return from Egypt he could not forget the rich
pastures and their refreshing springs of water. Rich in
cattle, in silver and gold, he returned to this altar and
again called on the name of the Lord. Here his flocks

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