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

e healthy, being even superior to til;
- OF Jeausalem. The nccessaries
IS life are very cheap, but although tn
: i the case, no Christian and no Ara
= resides in Hebron 1t is not a sat
e place OF residence, for the city is O.
: Ten visited by robbers and murderer.
{ Even in our days this city has ha
9 much to suffer from warike depreda
f tions. '
7 Such was the case in 1882, whe
= Ibrahim pacha rebellcd against til
, Sultan. The Mohammcdans resiste
: and fought with desperate valor befor
their city was conquered. The Pa
: cha lost a large number of men
and when the place was captured i
was given over to murder and piIlage
He took terrible revenge. NearI,
every thing was destroyed. The Mo
! hammedlns escaped to the mountains
: tasirg all they had with them Tht
soldier: laid waste the whole city
| What they could not carry off they
destroyed. For seven days there
was one gancral confagration. The
most valuable goods were destroyed
because they could not be carried off:
N It Il single house was left standing.
Although the Jews had taken nc
part in the matter, they had to suffer
from all Pacha's So!diees. All theil
property WIS taken from them, and Il
large number of them murdered. =
Thtir beautiful wives and daughters
were carried away by the soldiers to
their homcS. After three days the
Pacha, plying the Jews, prohibited
further cruelty to them. The Jews
! did not even ask to have returned
what they had lost, but crowded
around him, and or their knees, with
their face: to the earth, rendered him
thanks. This WIS called the great
trouble to distinguish it from another
they had later, and in which they also
suffered severely. One of their rulers
having been deposed a fierce war en-
Suel' and when finally the tyrant was
reinstated their gooIs were again ta-
ken from them, and were never re
stored.
It-inIght be asked with some reason
wzy theJcw remaia in place where
they suffer Sch privations and in
diynities, and aro in continual peril
from robbers ard murderers? The
Jews still love the place; where their
foreiathers resi-. They love to live
near Macpelah, yet they are not al
lowed to enter the cave. They are
obliged TO stahl outside and say their
prayers, even under, these circum-
stances, they are joyful, although
jecrcI at and even stoned by the
boys. The boys can do this without
fear Of punishment. If the case were
brought before the court the magis-
trate would take no notice OF it,
the Cave OF MacpeIah is situated
on the highest slope of the eastern
hill and is now inciosed b. massive
wall fifty feet high. The wall is con-
structe;l oflarge pebble stones, hewn
smooth, and extending north and
south two hundred feet, and east and
west one hundred ana twenty-five feet.
The exterior is ornamented with
square pi!aSters, sixteen on each side,
and eight Oh each end, which, without
capitals, support the cornice the whole
length Of the structure. The wall
is solil without window, door, or apcr-
ture Of any kind, except at the north
end, Were he entrance is reached by
steps. Within the inclosure stands
mosque. In Il small chapel of the
right, is a cenotaph in honor of Abra-
ham, ard also contains the shrine o.
Sarah. 1t is inclosed by an iron
railing, and guarded by silver gate.
It contains cOffin-like structure six
feet high. Near by are the orna-
mented tombs of Isaac, Jacob and
Rebekah. In separate cloister, op
posite the entrance of this mosque, in /
Il corresponding recess, are the tombs
Of J"cob and Leah.
There are two hundred Hebrew fam
lies in Hebron, somo ofthcin Spanish
and some German. Although living
harmoniously together they he er
They are all very
strict in keeping the laws and c.rcm J.
nics prescribed inthe Talmud. Theyi +
Ire very hospitable. They make fire
lnent pilgri ages to Jerusalem,
where they go to the we stern w:,li oil
he Temple, and pour out their SOILS
II prayers and psalms. As regards
heir manners aud customs they re- ,
emble the other Orientul nations ,
they marry their children very young. {
Boys and girls marry at fourteen, and {
Ire often parents ut seventeen.
There are now in Hebron about
wo thousand Mohammedan families.
They are of rather noble department, {
nd carry weapons ut all times.-
heir chief garment is long robe /
made of camel hair. Their houses S
re without windows, for they love
o sit in the dark. Most of the
arabs are husbandmen. There is on
Y one market in Hebron, and this is '
iways in the greatest disorder, each a
ealcr having crowded into his shop
he most incOngruOris articles
Ehe schools are generally kept in f
ome dark room, and unusually cou-
st os ten or dozen pupils OF from Z
Eelve to fourteen years of age But
tile is taught except to writ e little.
liable and read in the Koran The u
Oeaker who gave somewhat extend u
| description of an Oriental coffee {
ouse, with its coffee urns, cups,
ipes, strange noises and the singular a
OF people usually found "
it.
Toe lecturer closed his address by "
uoting the words ofthe Bible, where
is said, 81 will remember my COW
aant with Jacob, and also my covell- il
ut with Isaac, and also my covenant HI
ith Abraham will | remember, and =,
lie land will remember "