Marshall County Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1855-1859, 1856-03-20
From the New YorI< Obser
First View of Jerusalem.

We fingered longer at Bethlehem than
we had intended. Jeru salem is only six
miles distant, and it was natural that our
desires should be constantly impelling us
to ascend the holy hill, and plant our foot
steps within the gates of the city. Often
in childhood, in youth, and in ripper years,
our feelings Of anxiety to behold the HOLY
City, rs well as the Christians desire to
reach the New Jerusalem in the kingdom
of God, had been uttered in those words
of favorite hymn
'Oh. when, thou City of my Cod
Shall thy courts asccnd.-'
And it was, therefore, constant disap-
pointmcnt to feel that we were within an
hour or two, only of the city, and were
vet detained. Sill, there was so much in
and around Bethlehem TO excite the inter-
est of the Christian traveller, that one loved
to linger there, and make himself more
and more familiar with the hills and val
leys made memorable by the earliest asso-
Citations which we have with our Lord and
Savior.
twas with these emotions, that late in
the afternoon we left the town of Bethlehem
on foot, sending on our luggage with the
camels; preferring to make journey as our
Lord and his Apostles doubtless often made
it in their excursions from Jerusalem hith-
cr.
On the road we passed what is called
and believe to be the tomb of Rachel. 1t
is square, stone building, with dome,
differing little from the hundreds and thous-
ands Of tombs that are scattered all over
the Holy Land. Mahomedans, the Jews,
and the Christians all agree in considering
it a sacred place, and paying honors to it,
as the resting place of the remains of ia
cob's beloved wife Had we not been Just
musing around spots of deeper interest
than this, had we not been expecting to
stand soon in the most interesting of all
the sacred places on earth, doubtless VIC
should have entered somewhat into the
feelings of those Eastern people who, with
4 pious reverence for the memory of the
Patriarch, have sympathy with him in sor
rows, and cherish with peculiar venera-
ton the spot where he laid tho remains of
Rachel As it was, we hurried on, our
desires becoming stronger to behold the
city; and just as the sun was setting. our
eyes caught the first sight Of Jerusalem!
In the whole of our party. who had
been weeks and months looking forward 10
this hour with intense enthusiasm, there
was not one who lifted up his voice to give
expression to the strong emotions kindlcd
in his soul. Perhaps the feelings of some
were to strong to be impressed; perhaps
no one wished his neighbor to know how
its associations could move him. But the
truth was each of us was willing TO enjoy
the luxury alone, and did not wish TO dis
turb or be disturbed by the rest. For my
self, | could not have spoken to a brother,
to tell him how deep the JOY of that hour
when at last these eyes were looking on the
scenes which prophets and kings desired
to see-which every reader of the oriental
writings known as tie Scriptures, must
have gazed upon before he died. And
now it was mine. l have no pride that
restrains me from saying that | wept as
one may weep, when from far and weary
of years he comes back to the
vale of his childhood, and the cot in which
he was born.