The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1872-12-07
gupnlar s}istellapg.
From Lippineotfs Magazine.
THE CITY OF JERUSALEM.
ny ,. W. HOLLAND.

Jerusalem is remarkable in many ways.
First, that she is mountain city. From
all sides you ascend to what is a mountain
iastness, breathing a mountain air, con-
stituting in her days of glory mountain
throne, bearing on high the mountain sane
tuary Of Jehovah. Solomon's Temple is
imagined as having been distinguished by
size grace and splendor, but its chief pre-
eminenee was that it stood upon a lofty
summit, and upon platform rising above
that; so that nothing shut it out from view,
and like Strasbourg stccple it gave a char
acter to the scene over which it spread the
wings of Divine protection, This was
what kept the Jebusite stronghold uncon-
quercd so long; and provoked such taunts
at David when the assault began, and made
him more grateful than ever for his hard
won victory at last
Next TO the elevation of this mountain
of the Lord is its manifest antiquity
There are many ancient places which are
all modernized; but, though Jerusalem has
been seventeen times destroyed, its battle
mented walls show many stone with an
cient carvings, the blocks of the Temple
enclosure at the depth of eighty feet below
the street betay vast age, the fine ruin
of the Knights of St John near the Holy
Sepulchre is undoubtedly an antique, while
"Herod's Tower is believed to be actually
the work Of the great king, Indeed, there
is too much of ruin for an American to
enjoy himself-too much decay and desc
lation, the sooty look of many Of the dwell
lings being reflected outside of the city by
vast heaps Of mere rubbish, while inside
the ancient causeway lies deep under faith
oms of mouldering stone. The general
aspect is of city which has been destroy
ed by repeated confagrations, and is never
likely to be renewed-whieh has suffered
more than any other inhabited place, and
is destined to suffer on.
An American, too, is immensely struck
by the silence embosoming a community
supposed to number thirty thousand in
habitants. Palestine has no roads, Jeru-
salem no factories, the jew no gayeties;
and 50 a graveyard stiffness broods around
Mount Zion. DR.. Macleod eonversed from
the Temple area with his brother upon the
Mount of Olives, explaining practically
how the ehildrens hosannas might have
| been heard, ON that first Palm Sunday, by
indignant Pharisees in the Court of the
Gentiles But on fine days the solitude
folding itself around the city is really Won
derful. Among those graves Of nearly all
nations you may look long at MONDAY for
a moving thing, for a stray horse, for a
child at play. Asvast numbers are buried
where the resurrection is expected to begin,
in the Valley of Jehoshaphat, it is no ex-
aggeration to say that every inch of ground
along the entire eastern slope is covered
with Turk and Greek, Armenian and Cath
ollie, jew and Gentle tombstones The
most interesting, of course, are those that
profess to honor prophets, apostles and
kings, the graves being cut into the live
rock, some of them many-ehambered and
beautifully ornamented on the front, though
not to compare with the immense sepul
chres of the Egyptian Thebes.
The finest view of the city is undoubt
edly that which the traveller gets last, from
the east-upon that grand road from Beth
any which Pompey took, rather than tina
ancient music-path which Jusus often trod
Here you have full in view the grant
Mosque of Omar, towering over the entr,
scene, fairy-like building, that lies to tn,
west On the south is the high pile of thu
Armenian Convent and the dome owe
David's Tomb At the southwest corne
stands Herod's Tower, stately relic, sim
pie and grand; next to this are Seen tn
two domes over the Holy Sepulchrc, AM
the long mass of the Latin Convent stretch
t ing to the northwest
The Dome of the Rock, which mark
Jerusalem as that of the Capital mark
Washington, has no rival for beauty, hard
ly for sanctity, Believers in three grca
! religions revere the spot where solomon
, Temple once Stood the Mohammedan, VIII
: only exalts Mecca little higher; the Jew
who has had no other actual sanctuary, an
who expects to meet a reconciled Jehoval
! at that accepted shrine; and the Christian
who held it while through the Crusader,
, valor, and is quietly coming Into possession
. of ii again. The blue-and-white Tempt
! seems as cloud resting for moment owe
the altar Of 20 many thousand years sacr
fee, by and by to melt away IN the seren
heavens. No structure that ever stoo
there could have.becn more graceful; non
; more sublime 1t is strange that so charm
;ngTa model has pever been followed III