Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1860-08-23
Jerusalem,

To the Jew, Christian, and Mohammedan,
Jerusalem is the most sacred spot on earth.-
Here cluster the fondest and p1lrest remembran-
ces Of cur childhood. Here transpired the most
momentous events which are recorded in the
annals of sacred or profane history Here was
consummated, by the voluntary sacrifice of the
Son of God, the great plan of mans redemption;
and here he shall come again, not as the lowly
NaZarine, but to take vengeance on his enemies,
and to be admired of his friends, when Shis feet
shall stand upon the Mount of Olives" Here
dwelt that king whose glory and renown attrac-
ted the Queen of Shcba, and whose wisdom and
to exelaim, ''that half of the greatness of his
wisdom was not told her; for he exceeded the
fa.n5 8 tssar sae had nearsi.' To this goal the
depressed and the degraded Hebrews looked
forward when cha6ng beneath the yoke of bond
age imposed upon them by that king who knew
not Joseph. And hither they came, after long
and weary years of wandering i'll the desert
The highest aspiration of the "Great Lawgiver''
centred here and most earnestly did he entreat
the Lord to let him view this land of promise,
before he was gathered to his fathers. Here
lived the great king Melchizedek ; and here, for
time, dwelt the ':fricnd Of God"
Every change that time and man can effect
has been wrought on this devoted city. Liter
ally has the denuncation pronounced against it
been fulfilled and we now see the abomination
of desolation, spoken by Daniel the prophet,
standing where it ought not" Where the mag
nifcent Temple of Solomon erected in honor of
the "Unutterable, once stood, now towers the
Mohammedan Mosque of Omar And from this
sacred spot pea!s forth the Muzzim's cry. five
times during tn, twenty-four hours-at dawn
of day, noon, three o'clock, sunset, and two h
after sunsct-to call the faithful to prayers
What heart-rcnding emotions fill the breast of
every Christian, as these words strike upon bis
ear: God is great-God is great Mohammet
is the prophet of God y This is first proclaim
ed from the minaret Of the Temple enclosure,
(the Harem Sharf) and then repeated by
cries from the mlnarets in different parts of the
city. The cry at dawn of the day is a little
modified, having this addition: "Arise from
sleep and come to prayers, for prayer is better
than sleep: When this summons is made
which is done by blind men, chosen for the Of
flee, that they may not look down upon the
women on the house-tops. or in the courts be-
!ow--the devCut Mohammedan, no matter where
he is, or under what circumstances whether
gossipping with his wives, promenading on the
public plain and in the fields, or vending goods
in the market-doffs his slippers and tarbush,
washes bis feet head, face, hands-if they are
in the fields, water is omitted and then after
spreading rug, proceeds with his genufuxons:
uttering at the same time what has been pro-
claimed from the minaret, making no petitions,
expressing no gratitude. They who are not so
devout do not inconvenience themselves to pray
Immediately. If they are engaged in either
business or pleasure, they defer their prayers
for more convenient season. So they pray
before the Muzzim sounds again, it is lust as
acceptable. The women pray with the head
covered.
Time has left unchanged the immutable hills
which still stand around about Jerusalem, as in
the days of yore. The natural feature of the
landscape is unchanged. Beautiful for situa-
tion, the Joy of the whole earth is Mount Zion. "
The modern town-El khu,ls or the Holy, as
it is called by the Arabs-stands upon the same
site as that occupied by the city when it was
besiesed by Titus, but more circumscribed in