The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-07-19 00:00:00

LORD BUTE ON THE HOLY LAND.

In London, on Monday evening, the Margin. of Bute de.
livered a lecture in the Roman Catholic Schoolroom, Great
Prescotts.reet, Tower-bill, on The Shrines of t^e Holy
Lend," The Madero, Genies presided —The Daily Telegraph
gives the following report of the lecture
The noble Marquis said that, in speaking to a
Catholic audience about the Holy Land, he knew he
should be excused if he kept to one aide of it, about
which but little was heard in this country—namely,
the actual appearance which the pla-es prenPnted to
the pilgrims who resortei there. He should not
enter iiito any of the diicuesions or controversies
which had been raised shout particular places or
event, or into any matters of that kind, histinical
or sublime, or inn r aeon wny was omen sae
Holy Land. He should describe hut the three chief
holy places—Nazareth, where our blessed Lord waa con-
ceived and lived en aby Bethlehem, Bethlehem, where He was
born; and Jerusalem, which lie selected in ord.'.
to work relemptiou in the mint of the earth.
After briefly describing, the town of Nazareth, his
loidship pained oa to notice the Church of the Annuli.
elation—a great square building with window, high
no, and rather handsomely decorated witrin in the
Italian manner. The Shrine of the Annunciation was
in • sort of cave or cellar. The walls were covered
with silk, and toe floor was pared; on the left was
a pillar, broken through, and it was traditionally as-
serted that the tractime wad caused by the wing of
the angel ; on the ground beneath the altar was
a cross, to be kissed by pilgrims, because it was on
this spot that the blessed Virgin atood at the un-
speak dole moment when she became toe mother of
our Lord; over that there were little lamb. fastened
on the table, and behind them three coats of arms—
tholie of Godfrey de Bouillon, who refused to be King
of Jeruealecn, because, as he said, Christ was the only
son of Zi ; five golden cromes on • silver ground;
the Order of the Cross and St. French', and that of
the Five Wounds. Having minutely described several
of the places adjoining Nazareth, his lordship pro-
ceeded to notice the town of Bethlehem, which is
situated about two hours' walk south of Jerusalem.
The road leading to Bethlehem wail, in the eatimation of
all Christiane, holy, becatve of the Virgin having
psased over it PO many times, carrying our Lord, and
for this reason those pilgrims who were stroug enough
never rode, but walked. The tomb of R achel, he said,
adopting the words of the Dean of Westminster, was
of all places in the Holy L and the only one about
which there had been no denial OA to authenticity.
The Church of the Nativity was one of the most mag-
nificent in the Holy Land—the work of reetoration
having been done at the expense of Edward I. It bed
an enormous convent likes citadel attach, dao it, which
wan divided between the Catholics, the Greeks, and
the Armenian,. Pilgrims had to toter, a, wart neural in
all such place., through • low door covered with iron
plates; the church was like the cathedrals in England,
nomething that wan perfectly splendid. The Ca hobo
altar and tabernacle were moot gorgemely decorated.
Perhape of all the place n in the Holy Laud thin wart sa-
lmi:ire:bed with the greatest devotion, because it was the
one which excited people mo-t. He had heard portions
who were officiating there hardly able to go on, on sc.
count of the strong feeling which necessarily came over
them in such a place. Jorinvslein was essentially the
Holy City. Must of the pilgrims c aught their firstgliance
of it from the north, and it was there that King
Richard refueed to look upon it, became he was unable
to delver it from the pollution of the unbeliever,. The
Church of the Assumption, remarkable as the place
where the Virgin wee rahied from the dead, seemed to
he a matter of little importaLce, so great were the
other things that were round about it. Glare were no
windows, and nothing but lamps to light it. It
belonged entirely to the Greeks and th,. Armenians,
the Catholics having no altar there. The Moulit of
Oiive,, the Hosannah•roud (where the proctinion peered
on Palm Sunday), St. Stephen's gate, the place where
the Virgin in said to have met our Lord, and
the Judgment-gate, were minutely desciiteel. Next
came the Church of the lily Si-pub:bre. The
large square before it was paved with stiinea which
were all cracked, owing to the number of Christians
who had been burned elf= upon them Immediately
opposite the church was the mother-house of the
Knights of St. John, • builiiing in a Etate of great
ruin, lie was told that the Sultan had presented
it to the Emperor of (:erniany, and that he had givin
it to the Protestant Knight. of St. John, whine
sisters worked very hard among= the siek and
wounded during the late war, an I that they were
about restoring it, in order that it might again be used
as an hospital. In shape the church was like the
Temple Church in the metropolis, which was built
in imitation of it. In front of the opening was
the stone of unction, like • bier, and which pilgrims
kissed because it 1•114 sail to be over the place where
, the body of Christ ware laid when it was anointed by
holy women. The sepulchre was a little ugly building
with a dome shaped like an onion. Pilgrims and
tourists crawled barefooted up some steps snit en'ered
ho' a low door. There was a little round table in the
niiildle, with a piece of the stoneeloor of the /1. pa leb re,
the chief part of which was preserved by the Arme-
nians on the Mount of Zion Ihe sepulchre itpelt,
the actual and real tomb of Christ, from which lie
rose, was in the inner part, and was a piece about aix
feet square, the ceiling of which was entirely
covered with gold and silver lamps. Before a sort
of marble slab, which c ivertd the conch of localis upon
whioh the body of Christ lay. Coristbans knelt and
prayed. This was continually being washed with otto
of Mem or rose water, and there were in it little chhils
through which the tears of believe= trickled, as a sort
of offering to their LorcL This wae the great centre
towards which Christeedom heel turned, the great
fountain from which the life of Christendom had
sprung, and it was there that occurred the quickening
of His body, of which the Scriptures gave no descrip-
tion, and of which man could form no conception
whatever.

Father Cooke proposed a vote of thanks to the noble
mergnie, and the ',rousede of the lecture, it was etoted,
would be applied to the funds of the Moore aod Fiohtr
inetitute.

Priuee Chrietinn hes, on oh dt notice, had to take
the place of the Duke of ltdlnnergh in presiding at the eons-
e.enneratlon festival of the Lanlon Orphan asyinto Inn mime
of his addeens he said that Le had reosiv,d • telegram from Ms
He7al Highness authorising hint to announce his engagement
Loth. Gamed Duchies Maria of Baia. The aasounoemant
Tag gralloti wtilla loyal oh•sang.