Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1879-12-11

| west is slightly ascending. the valley on.
| that side being filed up with the debris of
| age On the east, Moriah descends preejpi-
tously 500 feet into the valley of Cedron.
On Moriah Abraham built the altar on
which to sacrifice Isaac. On Moriah Or
nan. the Jebusite, had his threshing floor
which David bought for eco shekels of
gold. and here he offered burnt offerings
and called on the name of the Lord. On
this Mount was built Solomon's magnificent
Temple of marble and gold, and later still
the Temple of Zerubbabel, and still later
the Temple Of Herod which IN extent and
gorgeousness rivaled that OF Solomon, and
which was destroyed by Titus.
a word about the mountain itself It
originally rose up large, conica, rocky
height. Solomon leveled it off, and in or
der to make it large enough, built up all
around it with solid masonry and filed it
all in Recent excavations under the Tenn
pie grounds here revealed double series
Of columns, arches and piers, ECO feet long,
100 feet wide. 25 feet deep on the east of
the hillside The foundation stones are per-
fectly immense, unequaled by anything
since fashioned in Jerusalem. These great
rock foundations all about the sides of
Moriah were prepared and layed by Phoe-
ncian workmen. There now can be seen
the marks of the Tyrian tools. ~----
To-day the Mosque of Omar occupies the
site OF Solomon's Temple-ohe Of the most
magnificent structures on the globe. We
get pass and leave our shoes st the en-
trance; we ascend flight of stairs, and find
ourselves in an immense enclosure each side
a quarter of a mile long, walled around to the
height of 10 or l2 feet. The ground is level
and paved with large marble squares; here
and there are fountains and cyprus trees,
and before US rises the Mosque Of Omar,
the most conspicuous building in Jerusa-
/ loox e-a, fbo. Mount of OLIVES Tho
building is eight-sided, the walls being of
limestone, 536 feet around it. Above this
eight-sided story is round story pierced
with 81 elegant stained glass window, and
above this rises dome of perfect magnif-
| cence and airy lightness, equaling Saint
Sophia, ST. Peters, or st. Paul OF London.
The building is gorgeously elaborate within
and without. Many columns of different
material and size support the roof. Spar
rows were flying here and there among the
rafters as in Solomon Temple of old. In
thevery center Of the bui ding, and direct
ly under the vast dome is large dark
grey rock So feet long, Al wide and 6 feet
above the marble foer, surrounded by
railing. This rock is famous and has his
tory is the very top of Moriah left when
Solmon cut away about it. Mohamedans
say that Mahomet took his last fight from
earth from this rock and they show you
the impressions of his feet in its side when
he sprang from it, and also the hand marks
of Gabriel as he held the rock. down, so
eager was it to follow the ascending proph-
ct. This rock summit is hollow. We de-
seend into it by q stairway. It's large
chamber. Our Consul thinks this
room was the store house where Araunah
kept his grain. There is hole in 'the.bot-
tom of this room, and the best Scripture
scholars now believe that this rock was the
place of the ancient sacrifices in the Tenn
pie worship at Jerusalem, and that down
this cavity or hole, through q rocky
passage. flowed tho blood of the
millions of animals which were
slain in the Jewish dispensato1i - It
has been aquestion where those stones came
from Of which Solomon built his Temple
and palaces We know that the wood work
came from the cedars Of Lebanon. A few
years ago g man was walking on the north
side of jerusalem and his dog drove some
game into a cave under the wall, and when
the dog returned it was out of breath, as
though having been loDg distance. Peo-
pie with lights went in and explored this
entrance, and found it % be the opening of
an immense CURRY. We got some torches
and went q long distance into this cave,
which extends thousands Of feet, probably
clear down to Moriah, underneath the
Temple, where may have been a shaft.
The floor Of the cave is covered with rocks
Au0 w y SAW EtIH 6tSO Tue pes
culiar marks Of the Tyrian picks on the
rocks, and this is evidently the quarry from
which the great stones were prepared and
dressed for the Temple foundation and
walls, as all the stones were brought ready
f0r their places.
The Jews are gathering in and around
Jerusalem from all parts of the earth
many poor and infrm. They are support
ed by charity. They have come TO lay
their bones in the sacred soil. Some, true
to their natural instincts, are changers Of
money. and look penurious and grasping.
Baron Rothschild has a C aim of $40, COO,
CC) on the whole of Palestine, and the ten
dency is towards the recovery of Jerusa-
lem to the possession of the Jews. Sir
Moses Montefori, of England, has re-
Gently erected SEQ tenement houses just
west of Jerusalem for their accommodation
and benefit, as their quarters, on the east
ern slope of Mount Zion, are excessively
filthy and repulsive. Every Friday after
noon they gather outside of the walls, as
near the site Of the old Temple as possible
as they are forbidden entrance to the
sacred grounds of the Mosque and weep
and wall reading the pathetic lamentations
of Jeremiah, and kiss and battle with their
tears--and apparently with great sincerity,
men, women and children, together--the
massive stones of the Temple foundation,
where Solomon placed them.
/ am often asked if saw any lepers
Yes a great many, and. though not inten-
tionally, touched them. In one part of
the city there is long, dark row of stone
novels, without chimneys or windows; in
these the lepers live. In complexion they
are dark copper color ed, their cheeks ears
and noses are swollen, and the fingers have
dropped from some Of their hands They
sit in row alongside their novels, or out.
side the city walls with little tin pals in
front of them, begging aims. They are
scantily dressed, filthy, and repulsiye.
They did not seem to be very wretched
We often gave them. 1 have passed within
few feet of them, and would look back
and shake my head, indicating that
would give them nothing, and | noticed
them turn to each other and laugh, A
wealthy Prussian lady has built some com
Portable houses for them of late years, out
side the city, with good food, clothing,
medicine and care gyatuitously supplied
Ny next lecture will be on scenes and
places about Jerusalem. The rock hewn
sepulchres, Gethsemane, Mount of Olives,
Calvary, Easter at Jerusalem, the Mount
of Ascension, Bethany; and, if time, Jeri-
cho, Jordan and the Dead Sea.
AETENTJON REgURrHCANS