Submitted by  Dorothy McCann Phillips April 10, 2009, dodie70@earthlink.net

The following is from the papers of Samuel McCann, and is an interesting story, about his voyage to India.

Written in the very early 1900's.

On The Way To India

By S. N. McCann

A Walk Through The Holy City

About noon, Nov. 26, we first entered the city of David. We entered through the gate, we passed the Turkish guards, who are kept continually at the gates. We noticed a little well or cistern in the side of the gate, cut in the stone, but it is dry. We afterwards, noticed them at different places along the highway, but they are generally dry. They are provided to give water to the poor along the way. It is doubtless to these dry wells that Peter refers to in his metaphor of the fleshy, presumptuous, self-willed professors of Christianity , when he said, "These are wells without water". 2 Pet. 2: 17.

These waterless wells are still found wherever men love self better than they love God. Our guides pointed out the upper end of the arch of an old gate that has been walled shut. We do not know how long since this gate was in use, but presume that the people who thronged the old gateway might have heard Paul's threats the day he rode off for his Damascus persecution. We can hardly realize that we are now standing within the walls of Jerusalem, the city of war, siege, and intrigue, the city that has been destroyed, and rebuilt almost a score of times, the city that so many long to see, the city that is emblematical of the heavenly city yet to be.

We turn to our left and go upon the wall, or rather upon the top of a house that stands upon the wall between the Damascus and Herod gates. From here we get a good view of the old city. Looking to the south we look over Mt. Zion; a little to our left is Mt. Moriah, Mt. Bezetha lies at our feet and to our right is Mt. Acre. From this point we get a good view of the Mosque of Omar, the Church of the Sepulchre, the tomb of David, and numerous other public buildings, such as Mosques, Churches, and Jewish synagogues. We look north and just in front of us is Gordon's Tomb, and Jeremiah's Grotto. Many believe that this is the place of the skull, and that we are now looking upon Calvary. The new part of the city spreads out before us, growing every day in extent, density and beauty.

We walked through Christian Street and David Street, passing through different bazaar streets just to observe the costumes and customs. The streets are full of filth, donkeys and dirty-looking people. The merchant sits in his store, and, as a rule waits upon all his customers without rising to this feet.

We saw measuring grain, grinding, baking, working clay, oil presses, and much else curious and instructive. The man who buys the grain does the measuring, and you may be sure that he takes Bible measure. It is the custom to do this. He fills his measure; then he shakes it down, and not only shakes it but literally pushes it down with his hands, then heaps the grain on it until it is running over, then gouges a hole in the top wit his fingers and fills it up to running over again. Luke 6:38

We also saw in this same land, men measuring grain, by filling the measure and then taking a straight-edge and stroking it across the measure. Thus the old may soon give place to the new.

We saw two women grinding at the mill, as mentioned in Matt. 21: 41. Two women were sitting down upon the ground and with their hands were feeding and turning the mill-stone. During the same walk we saw a very good modern flour-mill, lighted up with electric lights. The new puts the old in a very awkward contrast on every side, in this city of God.

We took the liberty to walk into a number of bakeries. The people all go to a baker to get their bread baked. They knead the dough at their homes, and bring it to the baker in trays or chargers placed upon their heads. They usually wait while the bread is being baked. The baker uses for fuel thorns and cow-chips. I is no uncommon thing to see a donkey standing beside the baker. The baker sprinkles flour on a part of the floor, and rolls the dough before putting it into the oven. We saw bare-footed people from the filthy streets walk over the place where the baker rolls his dough, without disturbing his work in the least.

We saw the potter at his wheel moulding his clay to the vessel of his liking. So God will mould us to his liking if only we will be clay in his hands. If the clay would rise up and begin to rebel against the potter, the result would be unfavorable to the beauty and the usefulness of the vessel moulded, so when man rebels against God, the result is unfavorable to the helpless man, who is as clay in the potter's hands.

The oil-press that we saw was not the ancient oil-press, but a modern one, for grinding and crushing the oil out of a small seed, which oil is used instead of butter and lard, for culinary purposes. I believe we would have fewer dyspeptics if we could substitute the oil of this country for our lard.

In our walks we passed through the Mohammedan, Christian, Armenian, and Jewish quarters of the city. The filth of the city seems to culminate in the Jewish quarter. The wonder to us is that people exist in such filthy surroundings. The stench is bad enough where we must endure it only for the passing moment, but how much worse to live in it.?

It is Friday evening, and we stand west of the temple enclosure, at the Jew's wailing place. We stand and hear their sad wails and their mournful chants and prayers, looking at them as they go through their gesticulations for over an hour.

We pity them and wish they could be helped to see the Strong Deliverer in whom we trust. We saw the nails driven by them in the crevices of the rock, and also the many places worn smooth by their kisses.

How zealous, how earnest these people are! Can we, who walk to the light, see such misguided zeal and be zealous?

On The Way To India

By S. N. McCann

A Remarkable Fulfillment of Prophecy

Many prophecies have been fulfilled, but may are yet to be fulfilled, while some are in process of fulfillment. The fulfilled prophesies are often very clear, while the future ones are more or less speculative. Theories are often advanced which time proves false, even with respect to prophecies that seem literally to be in the process of fulfillment. The remarkable prophecy, contained in Jeremiah 31: 38, 40, in respect to the building up of Jerusalem, seems to be in process of fulfillment to the very letter.

We tried to study this prophesy, while walking over the ground, as marked out by the prophet, and it surely looks as if Jeremiah foresaw the work that is going on now in Jerusalem.

The old site of the tower of Hananeel is now occupied by the Grand New Hotel. A gate was opened in the Northwest corner of the present wall in 1889. This part has been built up and the line of buildings goes straight outward to a little hill, and then encompasses Goath, and now there are many improvements going on in the Valley of Tombs, which surely has been a valley of dead bodies. The great ash heap is being removed and building is going on in this vicinity.

At the present rate of building and improvement, a few years more will find a busy, active city, encircled by the line of Jeremiah's prophesy.

When we were at Solomon's Pools, workmen were engaged in the upper pool, repairing the wall and cleaning out the mud, preparatory to conveying the water to the gardens and to Jerusalem, as of old. We could not be sure as to the purpose of this improvement, but we are sure that quite a number of workmen are engaged in repairing and cleaning the upper pool. These improvements seem to point to fulfillment of prophesy. They at least point to a time of greater prosperity in Jerusalem in the near future. Zechariah seems to include these improvements in the south with the improvements in the north, mentioned by Jeremiah, designating the tower of Hananeel and the King's winepresses. Zech. 14:10.

Zechariah also mentions Benjamin's Gate, which, if located in the northeastern part of the wall, would correspond with Jeremiah's prophesy. Whether these things are the fulfillment of prophesy or not, one thing is sure and that is this, that great improvements are going on in the vicinity of Jerusalem. There is some talk of the Jews buying up this country, preparatory to emigrating here.

This is, likely, little more than talk. Things would soon take a great change if such could be the case. The future surely has some better things in store for the terraced and rich valleys of this once prosperous, but now barren and almost forsaken land.

When we see this sacred land under the rule of the Turk, when we see Mt. Zion plowed and cultivated as part of it is now, we think of the prophets who foretold these things. Bliss's excavations, south of the present wall, show clearly the traces of an old wall, thus throwing some acres of the old Mt. Zion outside the city wall.

Some of this land is under cultivation, and other parts are used as a cemetery. Thus Mt. Zion is plowed as a field even unto this day. Micah 3: 12; 4: 2. it may soon come to pass that "many nations shall go and say, "Come ye, and let us go up to the house of the God of Jacob. And he will teach us his ways and we will walk in his paths; for out of Zion shall go forth the law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.