When Solomon decided to build a house for the Lord he sent word to “Hiram, king of Tyre,” to send to him cunning workmen and also “cedar trees, fir trees, and algum trees out of Lebanon.” The king was pleased to do as Solomon bade him, and as soon as it was possible sent a workman who was qualified to work in anything they saw proper to put him to. The timber was sent “in floats by sea to Joppa,” and from there it was carried up to the city of Jerusalem, where the temple was to be built. You will see by the instances which I have been giving that Jaffa must be an interesting place to visit, especially for those who love the Bible and its teachings. But our minds were turned toward the city of Jerusalem, and as soon as arrangements were made we started thitherward. There were no signs of a railroad between the two cities then; so we had the privilege of choosing for ourselves whether we should take the trip in a carriage or on horseback. Our party preferred the carriage, thinking it to be the easier way of traveling over a rough, stony country. Now the vehicle the guide called a carriage proved to be a very, very uncomfortable thing to ride in. At home it would have been called a covered spring wagon, and a very poor one at that. Sometimes we wondered whether it really had springs at all. But the guide called it a carriage, and we followed his example and called it a carriage too. Jerusalem is between thirty and forty miles from Jaffa, and that meant an all day ride for us; and with the hope of reaching our destination that night we started. The morning was beautiful and the air fresh and bracing, so the change from sea to land travel was thoroughly enjoyed. Here and there along the road were cypress and sycamore trees, and occasionally an orange grove was passed. The sweet odor of the orange blossoms filled the air, and the perfume came to us while passing along. The beautiful yellow fruit could be seen hanging on the trees, and though it was too far away for us to touch, yet it was not too far to be admired. There were many beautiful flowers growing along the highway, which seemed to be bowing a welcome to us. Our desire to pluck them was very great, but we rode on, finding it impossible to stop to gratify the desire, as the further we rode the more flowers we saw.