Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1847-10-07
Historical.
The Holy Land,
BY MISS HARRIET MARTINEAU.

.--BETHLEHEM- ON-JERUSALEM.
As sat on a tomb in the Turkish cemetery
the next morning March 3Oth) watching the
preparations for our departure, almost dreaded
the interest which every day would now brine.
after the calm and quiet weeks we had spent in
the desert Our encampment looked much the
same as it had done every morning for a month
past the Arab servants busy in taking down
and packing the tents, and a noisy quarrel going
on in the midst-(ths morning about pistol
having been stolen from one of the tents)-and
the Differences were only that there were specta-
tors standing by, and that our camels had given
place to horses and asses But instead of the
rocks and sands of the desert, Hebron was be-
fore my eyes, and the hills where Abraham spread
his 0ocks. and the spot where he and his family
lay buried. And before night, l should see the
place where David was born and lived his shep-
herd life, and where Jesus was born. We had
only twenty miles to travel this day to Bethlehem;
but it was quite enough, for we were eager about
every old tree, and WELL and hilltop. The
shrubs grew finer and the wild flowers more a.
bundant, the whole way; though the hills of
Judah were wild and stony in paris and no Ion
ger fit for pasturing such focks as covered them
when Abraham lived among them, or when the
Hebrews drove in their cattle from the desert. or
when David in his boyhood amused himself with
singing smooth stones from the brook while his
fathers sheep were feeding on the slopes. We
sat down to rest and eat under the shade of
rock and a spreading tree and for the hun
dredth time since we left Egypt it occurred to
me how little we in England can enter into the
meaning of David, when, in his divine songs, he
speaks of the shade of rocks, and of the beauty
of tree planted by rivers of water" and all
such cool images. When one has been slowly
pacing on, hour after hour, over garing sands or
heated rocks under a sun which makes every
bit Of leather or metal or even ones outer cloth
ing, feel scorching hot, and expressing ones very
breathing, the sight of patch of dark shade is
welcome beyond belief: and when one has dis
mounted and felt the GOODNESS of the rocky wall
and Of the ground beneath it, and gathered the
fresh weeds which cluster in its crevces phrase
after phrase of the Psalms and prophecies comes
over ones mind, with life and freshness as
sweet as the blossoms in ones lap.
Our first sight of Bethlehem was beautiful
We came upon it suddenly, Just when the yell
low sunset was richest. Bethlehem was on the
rising ground on our right, massive looking (as
all the villages of Palestine are) and shadowy, as
the last sun-rays passed over it to gid the west
crn hills, and another village which thcrelay high
up, embosomed in fig and olive orchards The
valley between, out of which we were rising, lay
in shadow, Before us, perched on lofty ridge
which rose between US and Jerusalem, was the
convent of ST. Elias, which we were to pass to-
morrow. was sorry to turn away from this
view: but we had to take the right-hand road,
and ride through the narrow streets of the village
to the great convent, built over the spot where
Jesus is believed by the frars to have been born.
1t was too late this evening to see any of the
sacred localities: but it was quite enough to have
the moonlight streaming in during the whole
night through the window of my lofty convent
chamber, and to think that on this hill took place
the greatest event in the history of the world
and that in the fields near, the gentle Ruth went
about her cleaning, little dreaming in those days
of her poverty that from her meeting with Boa2
among the reapers of his harvest, would arise
such events to the human race that the shepherd
grandchild, whose divine songs were to soothe
her old age, should be the mighty king he was
and the father of yet mghtier, who should builC
the great temple of the Lord; and that more
distant descendant should make these glories APP
pear as childish toys in the presence of his great
er sovereignty over the universal human soul
5 A wise man Of late century has nobly said tina
" Prosperity is the promise of the Old Testament
: and adversely that of the New" On this hill wa
: born the prosperity of the old dispensaton; ant
? on this hill was born the Man of Sorrows, VIII
knew the secrets of true peace, and taught it il
e the saying that it profits not a man to gain tn
whole world if he lose his own soul.
j In the morning we went into the church G
e the convent cared little for the upper part
l. with its chapels for Greek, Latin and Armenia
e worship: and not much more for the caverns ur
n derground, where the friars believe that JOSEF
and Mary remained while there was no room fc
s them in the inn. If the town was too full to re
ceive while the people were collected for the cer
1t sus, it is hardly probably that they would repa
n to an underground cave: but in this cave mas
s. was going on this morning. and striking was tn
Iy effect, after coming down from the sunshine,
the crowded cavern, with its yellow lights an
Of their smoke, and the echoes of the chantlnc..
IL We returned when the ssryiGa