Palestine Tourists

Today I was doing some research for the corridors exhibit (trying to find quotes to go along with different topics), and I remembered this awesome quote from Eliza R. Snow when I was writing a paper at BYU. A book called Correspondence of Palestine Tourists contains the letters of Eliza R. Snow, Lorenzo Snow, George Albert Smith, and others, who began a journey to Israel in 1872. Eliza R. Snow has a perfect quote for our exhibit. In writing about traveling from Salt Lake City to Chicago by train (over pretty much the same terrain she'd traveled by foot and wagon 30 years before), she said: "In crossing the plains, I frequently drew the contrast between the present and the past, and could hardly realize the present to be a living reality. To travel with ease, devoid of fatigue, in three days, a distance which a few years ago required more than three months of weariness and privations to accomplish, is certainly a very great change."

In reading more of her letters, I found some funny quotes. Eliza R. Snow was truly a wonderful writer. After seeing Niagara Falls, which she loved, she made the remark, "I leave it, after drawing the conclusion that Mark Twain was induced to speak indifferently respecting this celebrated curiosity, lest he should be suspected of doing or thinking for once like somebody else." Ha ha. Eliza was referring to a time when Mark Twain wrote that he thought Niagara Falls was overrated. I don't know for sure, but I would imagine that Eliza R. Snow may have met Mark Twain, or at least seen him when he came to Utah in 1861. He didn't have very nice things to say about the Mormons (but he did say some funny things), so it makes sense that Eliza would be a little critical of his indifference to the falls.

Then, about crossing the ocean, she Eliza wrote, "I have experienced a slight touch of that disquieting malady called sea-sickness, just enough to make my appetite inexpensive for two or three days, and to cause a little cleansing of the stomach for my future benefit." It was fun to read those things.

This morning all of us when to breakfast at a restaurant called What's Cookin'? It's a cute little place located on the square in downtown Charleston, and they have really good food. I had blueberry pancakes with eggs and hashbrowns--it was totally awesome. Now I'm going to write research papers before going to babysit the Stowell kids tonight. I don't have a lot of energy for babysitting, but they're good kids, so I think it will be fine.