WhenIwasaboyIsomehowgottheimpressionthattheriverJordanwasfourthousandmileslongandthirty—fivemileswide。Itisonlyninetymileslong，andsocrookedthatamandoesnotknowwhichsideofitheisonhalfthetime。Ingoingninetymilesitdoesnotgetovermorethanfiftymilesofground。ItisnotanywiderthanBroadwayinNewYork。ThereistheSeaofGalileeandthisDeadSea——neitherofthemtwentymileslongorthirteenwide。AndyetwhenIwasinSundaySchoolIthoughttheyweresixtythousandmilesindiameter。
Travelandexperiencemarthegrandestpicturesandrobusofthemostcherishedtraditionsofourboyhood。Well，letthemgo。IhavealreadyseentheEmpireofKingSolomondiminishtothesizeoftheStateofPennsylvania;
IsupposeIcanbearthereductionoftheseasandtheriver。
Welookedeverywhere，aswepassedalong，butneversawgrainorcrystalofLot\'swife。Itwasagreatdisappointment。Formanyandmanyayearwehadknownhersadstory，andtakenthatinterestinherwhichmisfortunealwaysinspires。Butshewasgone。HerpicturesqueformnolongerloomsabovethedesertoftheDeadSeatoremindthetouristofthedoomthatfelluponthelostcities。
Icannotdescribethehideousafternoon\'sridefromtheDeadSeatoMarsSaba。Itoppressesmeyet，tothinkofit。Thesunsopeltedusthatthetearsrandownourcheeksonceortwice。Theghastly，treeless，grassless，breathlesscanonssmotheredusasifwehadbeeninanoven。Thesunhadpositiveweighttoit，Ithink。Notamancouldsiterectunderit。Alldroopedlowinthesaddles。Johnpreachedinthis\"Wilderness！\"