extends from the mountains of Lebanon to the Gulf of Akabah,
and is forty-six miles long and about ten miles wide. The River
Jordan and smaller streams empty their waters into it, and it has no
visible outlet. The water of the Dead Sea contains a large quantity
of mineral substances, consisting of chlorides of sodium, calcium
and magnesium, which give it a bitter taste, and render it smooth
and oily.]

[Illustration: NAZARETH, PALESTINE.--This village, situated in
Galilee about sixty-five miles from Jerusalem, is the place where
Jesus grew up from infancy. From its highest elevation the most
beautiful views of the Holy Land can be taken. The place must have
been very small in the time of Christ, as the village is not named in
the Old Testament. The population in those times was mainly Jewish,
but it now has Greek, Latin and Moslem quarters and a Protestant
mission. During the Middle Ages many Christians visited Nazareth,
but when the Turks seized Palestine in 1517, they were again driven
out.]

[Illustration: JACOB'S WELL, PALESTINE.--Jews, Christians and Muslims
agree that this is the "Well of Jacob" of Scripture. (Gen. XXXIII.,
19.) It is situated on the high road from Jerusalem to Galilee,
according perfectly with the narrative of St. John IV., 5-30. In
summer, it is often dry. It is seven and one-half feet in diameter
and lined with masonry. If, as is probable, this well was the scene
of Christ's conversation with the Samaritan woman, the tradition
had already attached to it, that this was Jacob's Well, and around
it was the field which he purchased, and where Joseph was afterwards
buried. (Joshua XXIV., 32.)]

[Illustration: BEYROUTH, SYRIA.--The above city, located on the
Mediterranean, is one of great antiquity. The city proper is an
irregular square, open towards the sea, and surrounded on the land
side by a substantial tower-flanked wall. The streets are wider
than is usual in Syrian towns, and are paved with large stones.
The houses, for the most part, are lofty and spacious. During the
hot season the wealthier inhabitants move inland. The surrounding
hills consist of reddish sand, interspersed with rock, and are
covered with a light soil.]

[Illustration: GREAT MOSQUE, DAMASCUS, SYRIA.--It is possible that
during the first century of the Christian era, a heathen temple
stood on the site of the present mosque. The building was converted
into a Christian church, and contained a casket in which the head
o