Wisconsin tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1847-1854, 1847-10-01
gain the whole world ie he lose his own

In the morning we went into the church
of tie convent cared little fox the up
per part, with its chaples for Greek,
Latin, and Arenenian worship and
not much more for the caverns under.
ground, where the friars believe that JOS
eph and Mary remained while there was
no room for them in the inn. If the town
was too full to receive them while the
people were collected for the census, it is
hardly probable that they would repair to
an underground cave: but 10 this cave
mass was going on this morning and
striking was the effect, after coming down
from The sunshine, eff the crowded cav
ern, with its yellow lights and their smoke,
and the echoes Of the chanting. We
returned when the service was over, and
saw the star in the marble floor which
marks. as the friars believe, the precise
spot where Jesus was born, and the mar
bic slab which is laid in the place of the
manger.-When / saw, through the coun-
try, how The Arabs now use the caves Of
the hills to bed their goats and cattle, this
belief of the friars appeard less absurd
than it would with US but still, it is so
imp robable that the precise spot of these
transactions (whose Importance was not
known I'LL afterward) should have been
marked and remembered, that felt little
interested in them in comparison with the
landscape outside, about whose leading
features there could be 10 mistake.
From the bottom Of the garden we o.
veriooked the great valley which expand
ed to the north east; and one enclosure
there-a green spot now occupied by OIL
live trees-was pointed out to us as the
field where the shepherds were abiding on
the night when Christ was born Behind
it to the east, lay range behind range of
hills, stretching off to the north and a.
mong these, we knew, lay the Dead Sea,
and the Jordan, where it pours its waters
into that Gfeless and melancholy lake.
AS we left the convent and village, and
descended the rocky road, with terraced
vineyards and Olive groves on either hand
we knew that Joseph and Mary mus have
come this way from Jerusalem when SOM
moned to the census and this was more
to us than all the sights the f,iar, had
shown US in their zeal and kindness. We
looked in at the Tomb of Rachel. and at
the Convent of Elias but our eyes and
fbnnuhtS hon
remember, however, that | here first saw
the waters of the Dead Sea, living blue
IN little gap between the hills.
AS soon as L had mounted my ass be-
fore the Convent of Elias, saw from our
ridge some buildings on the rising ground
which now showed itself before us. | was
not Immediately certain what they were ;
but the news soon spread among as. Tha,
rising ground was Zion, and those build
ings belonged to Jerusalem, though they
stood outside the walls. Immediately af-
ter, the walled city itself came into view,
| lying abou: the hills Most of the party
were disappointed. | was Dot-partly
because | knew that we were approaching
1t from the least fav orable side, and part
ly because my expectations had much
underrated the size and granduer of the
city. What we now saw was line of
white walls on hill side, with some square
buildings and small white domes rising
Within.
walked the rest of the way. On our
right were hills, the summit of one Of
which was Aceldema, bought by the priests
with the money which the wretehed Ju-
das returned to them, when he found too
late what he had done in his attempt to
force his Lord to assert His claim to a
temporal sovereignty. On our left was
the plain of Rephaim When we arrived
at the brow of the high ground we were
on, we were taken by surprise by the
grandeuer of the scene. Zion now APP
peared worthy of her name, and of her
place in the hymns of David, and in his
tory. We were now overlooking the val
ley of Gihon, more commonly known by
the name of Hinnom. From its depth,
and its precipitous rocks on our side, l
should call it a ravine. This deep dell
contains the Lower Pool, now dry and
the acoueduct from Solomon's Pool is
seen crossing it obliquely. Its opposite
side Is Zion rising very sleepIy, still terra
ced for tillage in some parts, and crown
ed by the city wall. To the right, sweep
/ ing away from the ravine of Gihon, is the