ANCIENT LANDS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20649, 27 December 1941, Page 4

ANCIENT LANDS

MEDITERRANEAN SHORE UP-TO-DATE AGRARIANS KINDLY COUNTRY JEWS “One certainly does some moving round in the army, and since last 1 saw you I have had experience of some of the ancient countries of the Mediterranean. Except for Cairo, 1 have visited most of the villages and towns along the coast from the Libyan border to a- point a bit north of Tripoli, up here in Syria,” states Gunner K. Gellert, a member of the Australian Imperial Forces, in a letter to his father, Mr. A. F. Gellert, Wairata. “Some of the most desolate wastes and some of the most fertile country in the world is comprised in the lands around the shores of the Mediterranean,” he continues. “Palestine surprises one, for the land is far richer than one had supposed. There are wastes of sandhills in places in the south, but back towards Jerusalem, though the country is hilly and mountainous, the soil among the rocks is rich and is made the most of. As the Arab still uses the harvesting methods of a couple of thousand years ago, the contours of the ground do not matter much. Back-to-Jerusalem “Along the coast in the south the land is undulating, and is particularly adapted for grain growing. There are many citrus orchards, and with plenty of underground water irrigation takes care of the crops. In the north there are broad, fertile valleys among the hills, and it is here that the Jews have made their chief settlements. “I had several opportunities for travelling, inland from Haifa to the all-Arab village of Nazareth. This is one of the most fertile valleys, and nowhere could one see more advanced methods of farming in all its different branches. From what I can gather, the Jews first began their back-to-Jerusalem movement about 1910, and obtained special concessions from the then ruling power—Turkey—including the right to drain round one of the large lakes. However, it was not until after the last war that the move, ment gained strength. “Each individual is allowed to own about six acres, and the people live together in small villages, many of the older settlements being most picturesque. In these parts it rains for only three months of the year, and irrigation plays an important part. Vegetables and fruits of every description appear to flourish, and are well looked after. Progressive and Contented “The Jews have farming implements of the latest type, all American made, and they run modern dairies and factories. The larger villages have their community halls and advanced schools, and some run to fleets of motor lorries and buses. Most of the youths wear shorts and the girls very short shorts—a custom brought from Germany, I believe.

“There are no fences in the country except round some of the orchards, and on the international boundaries, and the flocks and herds have to be minded as in the days of Abraham. I saw a herd of black polled cattle equal to anything in our country, and also herds of well-bred dairy cattle. One sdbs also good flocks of sheep, the latter not unlike the Romney in build, but having wide, flat, fatty tails. Many are black-brown or spotted, and the wool is coarse. They are not bad eating, especially when one realises that there has not been any green feed for close on nine months.

Feud Temporarily Buried

“Very few of the Jews I contracted in the country areas spoke English, and those who did had only a smattering. I was not able to find out whether their community settlements are successful from their point of view; but the Jew turned farmer certainly appears to be industrious and contented.

“These Jews were most hospitable and generous, quite unlike those in the shops of the towns. One had free use of their washing and bathing facilities, and they gave away much fruit, vegetables, and milk. “Their feud with the indigenous Arab is supposed to be buried for the time being, but one morning, just after daylight, I was entering one of their compounds for a shower, and saw an armed guard going off duty after a night of vigilance. Apparently, no chances are being taken, and as everyone knows or expects, the feud is only silent'for the time being.

Cedar Reserve in Syria

“I have just discovered the cedars of Lebanon. There remains a beautiful little patch of a few acres up in the mountains, a two-liours’ run from Tripoli. There is a little old stone church in the middle, and these trees have been preserved down through the years. A few would be 10 to 12ft. in diameter at the butt, and branch out almost immediately. Others again are beautiful milling sticks. All the mountains were at one time covered with these beautiful trees, and now no others remain. The land is ( bare and desolate. However, this has been partly compensated for by olive groves, planted in recent years.

“The country of Syria is very mountainous on the whole, and wherever possible the slopes have been terraced by stone walls, infinite labour which took hundreds and possibly thousands of years. The whole country gives one that feeling of ancient things, which makes one long for the freshness and untouched nature of one’s own land.”