InthisnoblesuccessionshouldbementionedanAmericantheologian，Dr。EdwardRobinson，professoratNewYork。
　　Beginningabout1826，hedevotedhimselfforthirtyyearstothethoroughstudyofthegeographyofPalestine，andhefoundaworthycoadjutorinanotherAmericandivine，Dr。EliSmith。
　　Neitherofthesemendepartedopenlyfromtheoldtraditions：
　　thatwouldhavecostaheart-breakingprice——thelossofallfurtheropportunitytocarryontheirresearches。Robinsondidnoteventhinkitbesttocallattentiontothemythicalcharacterofmuchonwhichhispredecessorshadinsisted；hesimplybroughtin，moreandmore，thedry，clearatmosphereoftheloveoftruthfortruth’ssake，and，inthis，mythsandlegendssteadilydisappeared。BydoingthisherenderedafargreaterservicetorealChristianitythananyothertheologianhadeverdoneinthisfield。
　　VerycharacteristicishisdealingwiththemythofLot’swife。
　　ThoughmorethanonceatUsdum，——thoughgivingvaluableinformationregardingthesea，shore，andmountainsthere，hecarefullyavoidsallmentionofthesaltpillarandofthelegendwhicharosefromit。Inthishesetanexamplefollowedbymostofthemorethoughtfulreligioustravellerssincehistime。
　　VerysignificantisittoseetheNewTestamentinjunction。”RememberLot’swife。”soutterlyforgotten。Theselaterinvestigatorsseemnevertohaveheardofit；andthisconstantforgetfulnessshowsthechangewhichhadtakenplaceintheenlightenedthinkingoftheworld。
　　Butintheyear1848cameanepisodeverystrikinginitscharacterandeffect。
　　Atthattime，thewarbetweentheUnitedStatesandMexicohavingclosed，LieutenantLynch，oftheUnitedStatesNavy，foundhimselfintheportofVeraCruz，commandinganoldhulk，theSupply。Lookingaboutforsomethingtodo，itoccurredtohimtowritetotheSecretaryoftheNavyaskingpermissiontoexploretheDeadSea。Underordinarycircumstancestheproposalwoulddoubtlesshavebeenstrangledwithredtape；but，fortunately，theSecretaryatthattimewasMr。JohnY。Mason，ofVirginia。Mr。Masonwasfamousforhisgoodnature。BothatWashingtonandatParis，wherehewasafterwardminister，thispredominanttraithasleftamultitudeofamusingtraditions；itwasofhimthatSenatorBentonsaid，“Tobesupremelyhappyhemusthavehispaunchfullofoystersandhishandsfullofcards。”
　　TheSecretarygrantedpermission，butevidentlygavethematternotanotherthought。Asaresult，cameanexpeditionthemostcomicalandoneofthemostrichinresultstobefoundinAmericanannals。Neverwasanythingsohappy-go-lucky。
　　LieutenantLynchstartedwithhishulk，withhardlyaninstrumentsavethoseordinarilyfoundonshipboard，andwithabodyofmenprobablythemostunfitforanythinglikescientificinvestigationeversentonsuchanerrand；fortunately，hepickedupayounginstructorinmathematics，Mr。Anderson，andaddedtohisapparatustwostrongironboats。
　　Arriving，afteratediousvoyage，onthecoastofAsiaMinor，hesettowork。Hehadnoadequatepreparationingeneralhistory，archaeology，orthephysicalsciences；buthehadhisAmericanpatriotism，energy，pluck，pride，anddevotiontoduty，andthesequalitiesstoodhimingoodstead。Withgreatlabourhegottheironboatsacrossthecountry。Thenthetugofwarbegan。
　　Firstofallinvestigators，heforcedhiswaythroughthewholelengthoftheriverJordanandfromendtoendoftheDeadSea。
　　Therewereconstantdifficulties——geographical，climatic，andpersonal；butLynchcutthroughthemall。Hewasbraveorshrewd，astherewasneed。Andersonprovedanadmirablehelper，andtogethertheymadesurveysofdistances，altitudes，depths，andsundrysimpleinvestigationsinageological，mineralogical，andchemicalway。Muchwaspoorlydone，muchwasleftundone，butthegeneralresultwasmosthonourablebothtoLynchandAnderson；andSecretaryMasonfoundthathiseasy-goingpatronageoftheenterprisewasthebestactofhisofficiallife。
　　Theresultsofthisexpeditiononpublicopinionweremostcurious。Lynchwasnoscholarinanysense；hehadtravelledlittle，andthoughtlessontherealquestionsunderlyingthewholeinvestigation；astothedifferenceindepthofthetwopartsofthelake，hejumped——withasailor’sdisregardoflogic——totheconclusionthatitsomehowprovedthemythicalaccountoftheoverwhelmingofthecities，andheindulgedinreflectionsofasortprobablysuggestedbyhisrecollectionsofAmericanSunday-schools。
　　EspeciallynoteworthyishistreatmentofthelegendofLot’swife。Hefoundthepillarofsalt。Ithappenedtobeatthatperiodacircularcolumnoffriablesaltrock，aboutfortyfeethigh；yet，whileheacceptseveryotheroldmyth，hetreatsthebeliefthatthiswasoncethewifeofLotas“asuperstition。”
　　Onelittlecircumstanceaddedenormouslytotheinfluenceofthisbook，for，asafrontispiece，heinsertedapictureofthesaltcolumn。Itwasdelineatedinratherapoeticmanner：lightstreameduponit，heavycloudshungaboveit，and，asabackground，wererangedbuttressesofsaltrockfurrowedandchannelledoutbythewinterrains：thissaltstatuepicturewasspreadfarandwide，andinthousandsofcountrypulpitsandSunday-schoolsitwasshownasatributeofsciencetoScripture。
　　NorwasthisinfluenceconfinedtoAmericanSunday-schoolchildren：LynchhadinnocentlysetatrapintowhichseveralEuropeantheologiansstumbled。OneofthesewasDr。LorenzGratz，Vicar-GeneralofAugsburg，atheologicalprofessor。InthesecondeditionofhisTheatreoftheHolyScriptures，publishedin1858，hehailsLynch’sdiscoveryofthesaltpillarwithjoy，forgetshisallusiontotheoldtheoryregardingitasasuperstition，anddoesnotstoptolearnthatthiswasoneofasuccessionofstatueswashedoutyearlybytherains，butacceptsitastheoriginaLLot’swife。
　　TheFrenchchurchmensufferedmost。AbouttwoyearsafterLynch，DeSaulcyvisitedtheDeadSeatoexploreitthoroughly，evidentlyintheinterestofsacredscience——andofhisownpromotion。OfthemodestthoroughnessofRobinsonthereisnotraceinhiswritings。Hepromptlydiscoveredtheoverwhelmedcities，whichnoonebeforeorsincehaseverfound，pouredcontemptonotherinvestigators，andthrewoverhiswholeworkanairofpiety。But，unfortunately，havingaFrenchman’sdreadofridicule，heattemptedtogivearationalisticexplanationofwhathecalls“theenormousneedlesofsaltwashedoutbythewinterrain。”andtheirconnectionwiththeLot’swifemyth，anddeclaredhisfirmbeliefthatshe，“beingdelayedbycuriosityorterror，wascrushedbyarockwhichrolleddownfromthemountain，andwhenLotandhischildrenturnedabouttheysawattheplacewhereshehadbeenonlytherockofsaltwhichcoveredherbody。”
　　Butthiswouldnotdoatall，andaneminentecclesiasticprivatelyandpubliclyexpostulatedwithDeSaulcy——verynaturallydeclaringthat“itwasnotLotwhowrotethebookofGenesis。”
　　TheresultwasthatanothereditionofDeSaulcy’sworkwaspublishedbyaChurchBookSociety，withtheoffendingpassageomitted；butapassagewasretainedreallyfarmoresuggestiveofheterodoxy，andthiswasanArablegendaccountingfortheoriginofcertainrocksneartheDeadSeacuriouslyresemblingsaltformations。Thisineffectranasfollows：
　　“Abraham，thefriendofGod，havingcomehereonedaywithhismuletobuysalt，thesalt-workersimpudentlytoldhimthattheyhadnosalttosell，whereuponthepatriarchsaid：`Yourwordsare，true。youhavenosalttosell，’andinstantlythesaltofthiswholeregionwastransformedintostone，orratherintoasaltwhichhaslostitssavour。”
　　Nothingcouldbemoresurethanthisstorytothrowlightintothementalandmoralprocessbywhichthesaltpillarmythwasoriginallycreated。
　　Intheyears1864and1865cameanexpeditiononamuchmoreimposingscale：thatoftheDucdeLuynes。HisknowledgeofarchaeologyandhiswealthwerefreelydevotedtoworkingtheminewhichLynchhadopened，and，takingwithhimanironvesselandseveralsavants，hedevotedhimselfespeciallytofindingthecitiesoftheDeadSea，andtogivinglessvagueaccountsofthemthanthoseofDeSaulcy。Buthewasdisappointed，andhonestenoughtoconfesshisdisappointment。Sovanishedoneofthemostcherishedpartsofthelegend。
　　Butworseremainedbehind。Intheorthodoxduke’scompanywasanacutegeologist，MonsieurLartet，whoinduetimemadeanelaboratereport，whichletafloodoflightintothewholeregion。
　　TheAbbeRichardhadbeenrejoicingtheorthodoxheartofFrancebyexhibitingsomeprehistoricflintimplementsasthekniveswhichJoshuahadmadeforcircumcision。ByatruthfulstatementMonsieurLartetsetallFrancelaughingattheAbbe，andthenturnedtothegeologyoftheDeadSeabasin。Whileheconcededthatmanmayhaveseensomevolcaniccrisisthere，andmayhavepreservedavividremembranceofthevapourthenrising，hiswholeargumentshowedirresistiblythatallthephenomenaoftheregionareduetonaturalcauses，andthat，sofarfromasuddenrisingofthelakeabovethevalleywithinhistorictimes，ithasbeenforagessteadilysubsiding。
　　SinceBalaamwascalledbyBalaktocursehisenemies，and“blessedthemaltogether。”therehasneverbeenamoreunexpectedtributetotruth。
　　EventhesaltpillaratUsdum，asdepictedinLynch’sbook，aidedtounderminethemythamongthinkingmen；forthebackgroundofthepictureshowedotherpillarsofsaltinprocessofformation；
　　andtheultimateresultofalltheseexpeditionswastospreadanatmosphereinwhichmythandlegendbecamemoreandmoreattenuated。
　　Tosumupthemainpointsinthisworkofthenineteenthcentury：
　　Seetzen，Robinson，andothershadfoundthatahumanbeingcouldtraversethelakewithoutbeingkilledbyhellishsmoke；thatthewatersgaveforthnoodours；thatthefruitsoftheregionwerenotcreatedfullofcinderstomatchthedesolationoftheDeadSea，butweregrowthsnotuncommoninAsiaMinorandelsewhere；infact，thatallthephenomenawereduetonaturalcauses。
　　RitterandothershadshownthatallnotedfeaturesoftheDeadSeaandthesurroundingcountryweretobefoundinvariousotherlakesandregions，towhichnosupernaturalcausewasascribedamongenlightenedmen。Lynch，VandeVelde，Osborne，andothershadrevealedthefactthatthe“pillarofsalt“wasfrequentlyformedanewbytherains；andLartetandothergeologistshadgivenafinalblowtothemythsbymakingitclearfromthemarkingsontheneighbouringrocksthat，insteadofasuddenupheavaloftheseaabovethevalleyofSiddim，therehadbeenagradualsubsidenceforages。[442]
　　[442]ForSeetzen，seehisReisen，editedbyKruse，Berlin，1854-
　　’59；forthe“DeadSeaFruits。”vol。ii，pp。231etseq。；fortheappearanceofthesea，etc。，p。243，andelsewhere；fortheArabexplanatorytransformationlegends，vol。iii，pp。7，14，17。Astosimilarityofthe“pillarsofsalt“tocolumnswashedoutbyrainselsewhere，seeKruse’scommentaryinvol。iv，p。240；alsoFallmerayer，vol。i，p。197。ForIrbyandMangles，seeworkalreadycited。ForRobinson，seehisBiblicalResearches，London，1841；alsohisLaterBiblicalResearches，London，1856。
　　ForLynch，seehisNarrative，London，1849。ForGratz，seehisSchauplatzderHeyl。Schrift，pp。186，187。ForDeSaulcy，seehisVoyageautourdelaMerMorte，Paris，1853，especiallyvol。
　　i，p。252，andhisjournaloftheearlymonthsof1851，invol。
　　ii，comparingitwithhisworkofthesametitlepublishedin1858intheBibliothequeCatholiquedeVoyagesetduRomans，vol。
　　i，pp。78-81。ForLartet，seehispapersreadbeforetheGeographicalSocietyatParis；alsocitationsinRobinson；but，aboveall，hiselaboratereportswhichformthegreaterpartofthesecondandthirdvolumesofthemonumentalworkwhichbearsthenameofDeLuynes，alreadycited。ForexposuresofDeSaulcey’scredulityanderrors，seeVandeVelde，SyriaandPalestine，passim；alsoCanonTristram’sLandofIsrael；alsoDeLuynes，passim。
　　Evenbeforeallthisevidencewasin，ajudicialdecisionhadbeenpronounceduponthewholequestionbyanauthoritybothChristianandscientific，fromwhomtherecouldbenoappeal。
　　DuringthesecondquarterofthecenturyProf。CarlRitter，oftheUniversityofBerlin，begangivingtotheworldthoseresearcheswhichhaveplacedhimattheheadofallgeographersancientormodern，andfinallyhebroughttogetherthoserelatingtothegeographyoftheHolyLand，publishingthemaspartofhisgreatworkonthephysicalgeographyoftheearth。HewasaChristian，andnothingcouldbemorereverentthanhistreatmentofthewholesubject；buthisGermanhonestydidnotpermithimtoconcealthetruth，andhesimplyclassedtogetherallthestoriesoftheDeadSea——oldandnew——nomatterwherefound，whetherinthesacredbooksofJews，Christians，orMohammedans，whetherinlivesofsaintsoraccountsoftravellers，as“myths“
　　and“sagas。”