The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1880-02-18
MISCELLANY.
THE WE'LL OF THE LEAF OF JE-
RUSALEM.
- Z

X
The story says that in the days of Omar,
one of the faithful pilgrims came to the well
to draw water. His bucket fell to the bottom
and he went down to got it. To his great
surprise, a door opened before him, and he
found himself in beautiful fragrant garden,
in which he walked for some time with great
satisfaction. Before leaving this delightful
place he plucked a leaf from one of the many
trees, stuck il behind his ear, and so assembled
to the upper earth without difficulty; but
there is no record Of whether he brought his
bucket up or not. OF course the story spread
till at last 1t reached the ears Of Omar, but
only as an impudent invention, for no door
could be found BY any investigating travellers.
Omar, however, treated the rumor with re-
spect, and said there was a prophecy that one
of the faithful should enter Paradise alive
Everything depended on whether the leaf re-
tanned its yerdure, and SO could maintain its
claim to have grown upon tree of Paradise.
This test was triumphantly passed, for the
leaf was as green as ever, and SO the story has
lived to this day, and SO it is always told on
the brink Of the g Well of the Leaf" The
Mohammedans seem fond of tests. If the
true believes can pass between two columns,
outside the Mosque Ell Aksa standing very
close together, he leaves all his sins behind
him. Now the thinnest of our party could
only just nanaas to squeeze through, and fat
Mussulmen must lssuredly find 1t difficult. A
still more difficulfltest is at another place a
LITTLE beyond the same mosque, whore Solo,
mon throne onct stood. Here hangs-@visible
only to the faitlful-(and even they must
bridge, thin as q lair, and sharp as sword,
between earth aid Paradise. Beneath it
yawns the abyss q Gahenna, and the faithless
will miss their foding, and tumble headlong
into It's depths, willie the true believer crosses
the bridge easily aud swiftly. Passing still
along the wall, W, came to the garden gate.--
Within are most BEAUTIFUL carvings, and some
fine pillars, said D have been brought from
GAIA, by the QUEEN Of Sheba as a present to
Solomon. 1t wasquite late in the afternoon
before we reached the Church of the Holy
Sepulchre, which occupies the site of the
Cuurcu uullC Dy NOubtdublHc OFct our hoiu
tomb just insids the door is a slab on which
it is supposed tbebody of Christ was laid in
order to be annonted, and it is worn quite
into holes by the kisses of devout pilgrims
1t is quite touchipg to see the faith these poor
creatures place in every possible and impossi-
BILE site. Many Of the peasants of the South
of Russia save MP their money for half life
time, ID order to make this Journeys which,
they perform Ia the most economical way pos
sible. They traSel as deck passengers on
board ship, in all wcathers, and walk when
they are on land. When, at last, Jerusalem
is reached, they take up their abode in the
Russian hospice, and the wretched priests
never let them go till they have strippedthem
.oEtheir uttermost fssthing, SO that they liter
ally, have to beg their way back, and often
.statvs on the roadside. HRS. Bfassey IN
Trdsey's Magu2Sn6