The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1870-05-18

wat9r in tic neighborhood, ia
thing in this dry and thirsty land
The chief products are olive tre
(Which grow in great numbers in tn
vicinity )cotton aud tobacco. Un lie
another government it would be OF
Of the most 1ourishing OF the old town
Of Palestine; but 1t is in The hands {
a wild and uncultivatcd people. Th
Arab citizens resemble the Druses {
Mount Lebanon, and are noted #
cruelty and iicrcenesS. Murders hal
pen at Shec1em oftener than in an
| other part ortI,e caHntry, but the at
thorfties t.ke no notice Of them. =
The government is too weak Th
population is exceedingly healthy
| The chief trade is in olive oil, soa
and cotton, which they sell partly t
the Arabian merchants.
Shechcm belonged formerly to tn
tribes OF j Joseph, anl the blessing o
God to Joseph still remains upon it
1t is Il blessed city. Many of the in
halitants have gathered great riches
but they do not think of touching
the tree of wisdom, knowledge anc
morals. The people quarrel nu2l
with one another. OI!y about thirty
Hebrew families live in the place
and these live together in one small
district. Their poverty is their only
safeguard. The Christians are most
ly Greeks, and number about one
hundred and twenty families. They
are likewise poor. Only the Samari
tans are nourishing, and in a condi
tiOn to resist any attack from the
Arabs. The Samaritans number one
hundred and thirty persons, all rich,
and possessing houses, fields and vine
yards. They speak AMI write Ara
bic so correctly that sonc OF them are
as secretaries at the custom
house and in other offices. Nothing
but their dress distinguishes them
from the Arabs They also speak
Hebrew, but with very peculiar
pronunciation. They consider them
selves the real Israelites.
They have high Priest, who, they
say, is descendant of Aaron Their
prayers consist Of few verses taken
iromthe Pentatcuch, which they repeat
very often. They visit their house Of
worship only on Saturday, and when
hey enter them always take OFF their
shoes. They diess in white garments
when they enter. Like the Moham
mcdans when saving their prayers,
hey bow the head and bend the
knee; often, with their faces turned
oward Gherizin, their holy NOUN
ain. After the prayers the priest
akcs up and lays down the Pentn-
cuch several times, while the peopl"
1T up their voices in shouliny5 in
lonor of the laws Of Moses, The
High Priest then reads few passages
md so ends divine Worship. They
observe the Sabbath very strictly
they use 10 candles, prcferring to
it in darkness They don't leave
hair houses on that day, except to
20 to the house of prayer. They eat
10 cooked fo0i Oh the Sabbath nor
lpon any festival day. On the day
Il the Passover they go i'll procession
o Mount Gherizim, and maze an Off
ring Of the lambs with very peculiar
They eat only unle.ty
ned b cad. They keep most Of the
Commandments, and profess the lie
rev faith, although with a considela
,le difference from the Jews.
The Hebrew name of God is never
mentioned in their prayers. When
peaking Of him they say Ashcma,
Which seems TO be the name Of the
dol which the SlmaritanS WORSHIP,
nd which IS mentioned in the second
'oo,l of ki.!gs, seventeenth chapter,
'hechem Is the place Where idoIatry
fas first Introduced under Jeroboam. |
There is another place most sacred |
o the j twS in Palestine, and this is
Hebron. 1t is about twenty miles
outh Of Gherizim, and is situated in |
valley, the mountains which sur
ound it being the most elevated in
u6ea. The Arab name for it signi-
es '.houSe of the beloved" because
abraham is buried here, whom they
herish, and whose descendants they
Dnsider themselves. 1t was the res
lcncc for seven years Of King David
he patrIarchs not only lived there,
ut were buried there, and there
ney sleep to this day. Jacob is said
!, be buried there, for he made Jo-
,ph swear to bring his carpse to He
ron. Hebron and Jerusalem are
ke twins. One is the dwelling place
the Lord, and the other the dwell
g place of the patriarchs. AS they
ere like twins, so they shared the
me. Jerusalem light be called
eelduma, the "city Of blood. a
ebrew legend tells us how, at the :
Of the temple, jeremiah
ent and hid himself III the tomb of :
e patriarchs, and cllled upon them
arise, and see how their children
ere driven into captivity. 1t was |
so in the Valley of Hebron where .
e victorious Romans brought to- ,
thcr thousands Of the youths of
on and sold them for slaves. The
scendants of AbLahrm Isaac and 5
.cob--.he descendants of<kings and 5
Oh priests-were sold to strangers t
,e cattle Uncertain are the ways !
God. The same city was, in the /
ne Of Joshua, a place for murdercrs $
flee to-one of the cities Of refuge c
is now seven hundred years since l.
e5roa was conquered and destroyed I
the Christians, For seventy years c
remained uninhabited, and. even i
.cr its reconstruction, the Jews did
t dare to live. there. For three q
ndred and sixty years there lived i
y about ten Hebrew families i'll it, c
t since lat time it is principally in a
5itcd by Jews. r v
Hebron is a small city without walls