Fromthisdecisiontherehasneverbeenamongintelligentmenanyappeal。
TherecentadjustmentoforthodoxthoughttothescientificviewoftheDeadSealegendspresentssomecuriousfeatures。AstypicalwemaytakethetravelsoftwoGermantheologiansbetween1860and1870——JohnKranzel，pastorinMunich，andPeterSchegg，latelyprofessorintheuniversityofthatcity。
ThearchdioceseofMunich-Freisingisoneofthoseinwhichtheattempttosuppressmodernscientificthoughthasbeenmoststeadilycarriedon。Itsarchbishopshaveconstantlyshownthemselvesassiduousinsecuringcardinals’hatsbythwartingscienceandbystupefyingeducation。ThetwintowersoftheoldcathedralofMunichhaveseemedtothrowakillingshadowoverintellectualdevelopmentinthatregion。Naturally，then，thesetwoclericaltravellersfromthatdiocesedidnotcommitthemselvestoclearingawayanyoftheDeadSeamyths；butitissignificantthatneitherofthemfollowstheexampleofsomanyoftheirclericalpredecessorsindefendingthesalt-pillarlegend：theysteadilyavoiditaltogether。
Themorerecenthistoryofthesaltpillar，sinceLynch，deservesmention。Itappearsthatthetravellersimmediatelyafterhimfounditshapedbythestormsintoaspire；thatayearortwolaterithadutterlydisappeared；andabouttheyear1870Prof。
Palmer，onvisitingtheplace，foundatsomedistancefromthemainsaltbed，ashesays，“atall，isolatedneedleofrock，whichdoesreallybearacuriousresemblancetoanArabwomanwithachilduponhershoulders。”
And，finally，Smith’sDictionaryoftheBible，thestandardworkofreferenceforEnglish-speakingscholars，makesitsconcessiontotheoldbeliefregardingSodomandGomorrahasslightaspossible，andthemythofLot’swifeentirelydisappears。
IV。THEOLOGICALEFFORTSATCOMPROMISE——
TRIUMPHOFTHESCIENTIFICVIEW。
Thetheologicalefforttocompromisewithsciencenowcameinmorestronglythanever。Thisefforthadbeenmadelongbefore：
aswehaveseen，ithadbeguntoshowitselfdecidedlyassoonastheinfluenceoftheBaconianphilosophywasfelt。LeClercsuggestedthattheshockcausedbythesightoffirefromheavenkilledLot’swifeinstantlyandmadeherbodyrigidasastatue。
Eichhornsuggestedthatshefellintoastreamofmeltedbitumen。
Michaelissuggestedthatherrelativesraisedamonumentofsaltrocktohermemory。Friedrichssuggestedthatshefellintotheseaandthatthesaltstiffenedaroundherclothing，thusmakingastatueofher。Someclaimedthatashowerofsulphurcamedownuponher，andthatthewordwhichhasbeentranslated“salt“
couldpossiblybetranslated“sulphur。”Othershintedthatthesaltbyitsantisepticqualitiespreservedherbodyasamummy。
DeSaulcy，aswehaveseen，thoughtthatapieceofsaltrockfelluponher，andveryrecentlyPrincipalDawsonhasventuredtheexplanationthatafloodofsaltmudcomingfromavolcanoincrustedher。
Buttheologiansthemselveswerethefirsttoshowtheinadequacyoftheseexplanations。Themorerationalisticpointedoutthefactthattheywerecontrarytothesacredtext：VonBohlen，aneminentprofessoratKonigsberg，inhissturdyGermanhonesty，declaredthatthesaltpillargaverisetothestory，andcomparedthepillarofsaltcausingthistransformationlegendtotherockinGreekmythologywhichgaverisetothetransformationlegendofNiobe。
Ontheotherhand，themoreseverelyorthodoxprotestedagainstsuchattemptstoexplainawaytheclearstatementsofHolyWrit。
DomCalmet，whilepresentingmanyoftheseexplanationsmadeasearlyashistime，givesustounderstandthatnearlyalltheologiansadheredtotheideathatLot’swifewasinstantlyandreallychangedintosalt；andinourowntime，asweshallpresentlysee，havecomesomeveryvigorousprotests。
SimilarattemptsweremadetoexplaintheotherancientlegendsregardingtheDeadSea。Oneofthemostrecentoftheseisthatthecitiesoftheplain，havingbeenbuiltwithblocksofbituminousrock，weresetonfirebylightning，acontemporaryearthquakehelpingonthework。Stillanotheristhataccumulationsofpetroleumandinflammablegasescapedthroughafissure，tookfire，andsoproducedthecatastrophe。[443]
[443]ForKranzel，seehisReisenachJerusalem，etc。ForSchegg，seehisGedenkbucheinerPilgerreise，etc。，1867，chap。xxiv。
ForPalmer，seehisDesertoftheExodus，vol。ii，pp。478，479。
Forthevariouscompromises，seeworksalredycited，passim。ForVonBohlen，seehisGenesis，Konigsberg，1835，pp。200-213。ForCalmet，seehisDictionarium，etc，Venet。，1766。Forveryrecentcompromises，seeJ。W。DawsonandDr。CunninghamGeikieinworkscited。
TherevoltagainstsucheffortstoRECONCILEscientificfactwithmythandlegendhadbecomeveryevidentaboutthemiddleofthenineteenthcentury。In1851and1852VandeVeldemadehisjourney。Hewasamostdevoutman，butheconfessedthatthevolcanicactionattheDeadSeamusthavebeenfarearlierthanthecatastrophementionedinoursacredbooks，andthat“theoverthrowofSodomandGomorrahhadnothingtodowiththis。”A
fewyearslateraneminentdignitaryoftheEnglishChurch，CanonTristram，doctorofdivinityandfellowoftheRoyalSociety，whohadexploredtheHolyLandthoroughly，aftersomegeneralitiesaboutmiracles，gaveupthewholeattempttomakescienceagreewiththemyths，andusedthesewords：“IthasbeenfrequentlyassumedthatthedistrictofUsdumanditssistercitieswastheresultofsometremendousgeologicalcatastrophe……Now，carefulexaminationbycompetentgeologists，suchasMonsieurLartetandothers，hasshownthatthewholedistricthasassumeditspresentshapeslowlyandgraduallythroughasuccessionofages，andthatitspeculiarphenomenaaresimilartothoseofotherlakes。”SosankfromviewthewholemassofDeadSeamythsandlegends，andsciencegainedavictorybothforgeologyandcomparativemythology。
Asaprotestagainstthissortofrationalismappearedin1876aneditionofMonseigneurMislin’sworkonTheHolyPlaces。Inordertogiveweighttothebook，itwasprefacedbylettersfromPopePiusIXandsundryhighecclesiastics——andfromAlexandreDumas！HishatredofProtestantmissionariesintheEastisphenomenal：hecallsthem“bagmen。”ascribesallmischiefandinfamytothem，andhishatredisonlyexceededbyhiscredulity。
HecitesalltheargumentsinfavourofthesaltstatueatUsdumastheidenticaloneintowhichLot’swifewaschanged，addssomeofhisown，andpresentsheras“atypeofdoubtandheresy。”
Withtheproverbialfacilityofdogmatistsintranslatinganywordofadeadlanguageintoanythingthatsuitstheirpurpose，hesaysthatthewordinthenineteenthchapterofGenesiswhichistranslated“statue“or“pillar。”maybetranslated“eternalmonument“；heisespeciallysevereonpoorMonsieurDeSaulcyforthinkingthatLot’swifewaskilledbythefallingofapieceofsaltrock；andheactuallyboaststhatitwashewhocausedDeSaulcy，amemberoftheFrenchInstitute，tosuppresstheobnoxiouspassageinalateredition。
Between1870and1880cametwokillingblowsattheoldertheories，andtheyweredealtbytwoAmericanscholarsofthehighestcharacter。FirstofthesemaybementionedDr。PhilipSchaff，aprofessorinthePresbyterianTheologicalSeminaryatNewYork，whopublishedhistravelsin1877。Inahighdegreeheunitedthescientificwiththereligiousspirit，butthetraitwhichmadehimespeciallyfitfordealingwiththissubjectwashisstraightforwardGermanhonesty。Hetellsthesimpletruthregardingthepillarofsalt，sofarasitsphysicaloriginandcharacteristicsareconcerned，andleaveshisreadertodrawthenaturalinferenceastoitsrelationtothemyth。WiththefateofDr。RobertsonSmithinScotlandandDr。WoodrowinSouthCarolinabeforehim——bothrecentlydrivenfromtheirprofessorshipsfortruth-telling——Dr。Schaffdeserveshonourfortellingasmuchashedoes。
Similarineffect，andevenmoreboldinstatement，werethetravelsoftheRev。HenryOsborn，publishedin1878。InatrulyscientificspirithecallsattentiontothesimilarityoftheDeadSea，withtheriverJordan，tosundryotherlakeandriversystems；pointsouttheendlessvariationsbetweenwritersdescribingthesaltformationsatUsdum；accountsrationallyforthesevariations，andquotesfromDr。Anderson’sreport，saying，“Fromthesolublenatureofthesaltandthecrumblingloosenessofthemarl，itmaywellbeimaginedthat，whilesomeoftheseneedlesareintheprocessofformation，othersarebeingwashedaway。”
Thuscameout，littlebylittle，thetruthregardingtheDeadSeamyths，andespeciallythesaltpillaratUsdum；butthefinaltruthremainedtobetoldintheChurch，andnowoneofthepurestmenandtruestdivinesofthiscenturytoldit。ArthurStanley，DeanofWestminster，visitingthecountryandthoroughlyexploringit，allowedthatthephysicalfeaturesoftheDeadSeaanditsshoressuggestedthemythsandlegends，andhesumsupthewholeasfollows：“Agreatmassoflegendsandexaggerations，partlythecauseandpartlytheresultoftheoldbeliefthatthecitieswereburiedundertheDeadSea，hasbeengraduallyremovedinrecentyears。”
So，too，aboutthesametime，Dr。ConradFurrer，pastorofthegreatchurchofSt。PeteratZurich，gavetotheworldabookoftravels，reverentandthoughtful，andinthishonestlyacknowledgedthattheneedlesofsaltatthesouthernendoftheDeadSea“inprimitivetimesgaverisetothetraditionthatLot’swifewastransformedintoastatueofsalt。”ThuswasthemythicalcharacterofthisstoryatlastopenlyconfessedbyLeadingchurchmenonbothcontinents。
Plainstatementslikethesefromsuchsourcesleftthehightheologicalpositionmoredifficultthanever，andnowanewcompromisewasattempted。AstheSiberianmothertriedtosaveherbest-belovedchildfromthepursuingwolvesbythrowingovertothemherlessfavouredchildren，soaneffortwasnowmadeinaleadingcommentarytosavethelegendsofthevalleyofSiddimandthemiraculousdestructionofthecitiesbythrowingoverboardthelegendofLot’swife。[444]
[444]ForMislin，seehisLesSaintsLieux，Paris，vol。iii，pp。
290-293，especiallynoteatfootofpage292。ForSchaff，seehisThroughBibleLands，especiallychapterxxix；seealsoRev。
H。S。Osborn，M。A。，TheHolyLand，pp。267etseq。；alsoStanley’sSinaiandPalestine，London，1887，especiallypp。
290-293。ForFurrer，seehisEnPalestine，Geneva，1886，vol。i，p。246。Fortheattempttosaveonelegendbythrowingoverboardtheother，seeKeilandDelitzsch，BiblischerCommentaruberdasAlteTestament，vol。i，pp。155，156。ForVandeVelde，seehisSyriaandPalestine，vol。ii，p。120。
Anamusingresulthasfollowedthisdevelopmentofopinion。Aswehavealreadyseen，travelleraftertraveller，CatholicandProtestant，nowvisitstheDeadSea，andhardlyoneofthemfollowstheNewTestamentinjunctionto“rememberLot’swife。”
Nearlyeveryoneofthemseemstothinkitbesttoforgether。
Ofthegreatmassofpiouslegendstheyareshyenough，butthatofLot’swife，asarule，theyseemnevertohaveheardof，andiftheydoalludetoittheysimplycoverthewholesubjectwithahazeofpiousrhetoric。[445]
[445]TheonlynoticeoftheLot’swifelegendintheeditionsofRobinsonatmycommandisaverycuriousonebyLeopoldvonBuch，theeminentgeologist。Robinson，withafearlessnesswhichdoeshimcredit，consultedVonBuch，whoinhisanswerwasevidentlyinclinedtomakethingseasierforRobinsonbyhintingthatLotwassomuchstruckbythesaltformationsthatHEIMAGINEDthathiswifehadbeenchangedintosalt。Onthistheory，Robinsonmakesnocomment。SeeRobinson，BiblicalResearchesinPalestine，etc。，London，1841，vol。ii，p。674。
Naturally，underthisstateofthings，therehasfollowedtheusualattempttothrowofffromChristendomtheresponsibilityoftheoldbelief，andin1887cameacuriouseffortofthissort。
InthatyearappearedtheRev。Dr。CunninghamGeikie’svaluableworkonTheHolyLandandtheBible。InithemakesthefollowingstatementastothesaltformationatUsdum：“Hereandthere，hardenedportionsofsaltwithstandingthewater，whileallaroundthemmeltsandwearsoff，riseupisolatedpillars，oneofwhichbearsamongtheArabsthenameof`Lot’swife。’“
Inthelightoftheprevioushistory，thereissomethingatoncepatheticandcomicalinthisattempttothrowthemythupontheshouldersofthepoorArabs。ThemythwasnotoriginatedbyMohammedans；itappears，aswehaveseen，firstamongtheJews，and，Ineedhardlyremindthereader，comesoutintheBookofWisdomandinJosephus，andhasbeensteadilymaintainedbyfathers，martyrs，anddoctorsoftheChurch，byatleastonepope，andbyinnumerablebishops，priests，monks，commentators，andtravellers，CatholicandProtestant，eversince。InthusthrowingtheresponsibilityofthemythupontheArabsDr。
Geikieappearstoshowboththe“perfervidgenius“ofhiscountrymenandtheirincapacitytorecogniseajoke。