Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1871-10-11
The Walls Of Zion.

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upon the top as scarcely to afford room
for u temple Of small dimensions. On
all sides it fell off rapidly and very
steeply, except from northwest to south.
east, the direction in which the ridge
ran. The area on the summit was en-.
larged by walls built along the declivi-
ties, the outside walls deep down the
valleys, from 100 to $50 feet below the
area on which the temple building stood.
One hundred feet again below this lay
the original bed Of the brook Kedron.
The foundations of the temple, there
fore, We're $50 fectabovc the deep defiles
around. This area, originally built by
Solomon and enlarged by Herod, still
exists, running on the south along the
valley of Hinnom 200 feet, along the
Kedron 1900 feet
This Enclosure was originally covered
with splendid ediices. First were the
porticoes or covered walks, built along
the outer walls, and overlooking the
kedron and Hinnom. They were mag
niticent structures, resembling the nave
and aisles of Gothic cathedrals. The
middle walk, or nave, was forty-five feet
broad, and the two aisles thirty feet. The
aisles We're fifty feet high, and the nave,
rising like clear story between the two,
was more than 100 feet high. Add now
terrace walls to the height Of the porti-
Goes, and we have a solid and continuous
wall Of masonry of $50 feet high.
But these were only the outer build
ings of the temple area. The porticocs
opened inwardly upon court paved with
marble and open to the sky Steps led
up to second court. Beyond this,
again, through beautiful gatcways, was
a third, and rising above them all was a
fourth, in which stood the temple proper,
ascending story above story, and said to
have been 100 or $50 feet high.
These horizontal measurements have
been verified If one looked upon Mount
Moriah from the Mount of Olives oppo-
site, coming round the brow of Olivet
on the way from Bethany, as our Lord
did when bcholding the city, it must
have been asight which, forarchitectural
beauty and grandeur, perhaps, has never
been eQuuled, certainly not surpassed.
1t was an artificial mountain from the
deep rayincs below, wall, column, roof,
pinnacle, eliminating in the temple with
in and above all, and probably measur-
ing FROM 800 and GOO feet.
The palace of Solomon, too, added to
the impressivcness Of the sight. 1t is
settled by recent discoveries that this
pile of buildings was on the southeast
corner of tho area, joining on the House
of the Lord above, and extended below
to the Kings gardens, where the two
valleys met and "the waters of Silouh
go softly"
All these buildings, portcoes, columns,
pinnacles, altar and temple have perish
ed. Not one stone remains upon an
other which has not been thrown down.
The area alone remains, and the massive
substructures that for 1900 years have
been sleeping in their courses. The pre-
seryation has been due to the ruin.
Buildings so vast have been toppled
down the slopes of the Moriah that the
original detiIes and valleys have been
almost obliterated. What had been re-
gardcd as the original surface, has been
found to be Debris from seventy to ninety
feet,
With pickax and shovel British explor-
ers have been down to the original foun-
dations. Fallen columns have been met
with, and avoided, or way blasted
through them. The cinders of burnt
Jerusalem have been cut through, and
turned up to the lght-rich molds de-
posted by the treasures Of Jewish pride
The seal of Haggai, in ancient Hebrew
characters, was picked up out of the sift-
ings Of this deposit. The first courses OF
stones, deposited by Phnnician builders,
have been reached, lying in the living
rock.
At the southwest corner of the area,
Debris has accumulated to depth of not
less than 125 feet-the accumulation of
ages, made up Of the ruins of successive
JeruSalcms and here some of the most
interesting discoveries have been made.
Here is the famous Arch of Robinson,
shown now to be an arch, as he conjec-
turcd, by the discovery Of the pier upon
which the first span rested. 1t is the re-
mains of Il bridge which crossed the
valley on arches, and connected Mount
Morlah with the mountain opposite
the modern Zion. 1t is the skewback or
abutment that slopes to receive the end
of the arch. Three courses remain. The
stones are 5 or feet thick, and 20 to %
feet long.
The valley here is $50 feet wide, and
this must have been the length of the
bridge connecting the Temple with the
Royal Palace On the other side. At a
depth of 30 feet a worn pavement was
found, worn by feet that passed over it
in our Lord's time. Lying on this pave
ment were the voussoils, or wedge-like
stones, belonging to the arch. Breaking
through this pavement, and through p
feet OF debriS beneath, they found Il still
more ancient roadway, and resting upon
this, the kcy-stones OF a still more an
cient bridge.
WATER IN THE DESERT. Under the
sand OF the great desert there is a liquid
bed which the inhabitants Of the borders
Of the Sahara have long been in the
habit of reaching by means of wells.
With rude instruments they penetrate
the successive layers of sand, gravel, and
clay, till they come toa schistose or slaty
stratum at depth of one or two hun
bred fathoms. This last covers the
precious fluid, and in penetrating ii the
indefatigable workmen are often over
whelmed by the sudden ascent of the
water in great quantity. Sometimes
thnsn wells nrn cnmnletnl undnra cnlnmn