Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1881-12-24
atirgiuia tfreF gre5s.
THE STAR IN THE EAST.


and the Eas. the past Summer and Autumn,
the Hon. (. S. Cox, the legislative wit, has
contributed some delightful notes of travel
to the New York press. His letter dated
Bethlehem, Oct 10 and descriptive, also, O:
the Journey thence from Jerusalem, miles,
by mule conveyance, says:
The well Of the magi, however, is one OF
the incidents of the main object, and a
pretty story is told of it, although il is not
recorded in the second of Matthew; for did
not the wise men, af.el leaving the presence
of Herod, here stoop to drawwater? VAST
not here that the reflection of theatarwhich
led them was seen in the well? Then BETH
lehen appears more clearly. It's prominent
object IS the Church Of the Nativity within
its semicirclc. On the right Is the old
Knight rcmplar's castle, now the house Of
the Austrian Consul The landscape be
gins to show much grape and olive. The
square. solid houses OF Bethlehem, and ter
raced hills, gardened and groyel, amid
lodges Of limestone, make as pretty pic
ture in its frame Of rock as artist could de-
sire to delinaate The hill tops show little
villages afterwe leave the Hebron road, but
none look as blithe and prosperous as Beth
Iehem, as shcsits crescent-shapcd upon the
mountain side
We halt at the gate Of the town. We
are, owing to impedments, compelled to
abandon our carriage. We are surrounded
by beyy of Bethlehem girls. One is ex-
ccedingly pretty, and does not degrade the
neiehborhood of Ruth by unssemly scFeech-
ing for aims. She plies little pair of pin
GERS. and turns in aud twists upon tie wire,
olive beads Cor rosarics, with property Of
easiness" which Shakespeare commends in
the "hand Of litle employment" mean
while chatting with easy grace. These
dozen girls are yiyacious and somewhat
pretty. and would be more so If not dirty
and sorc-oyed. They wear little close cot
( tage caps. with two or three rows Of coins
tapping closely on each other, and in the
sum making quite q dowry. They jingle
mcrrily when shaken. would not depre-
ciate these Christian maidels, for these are
moi of the Moslcm religion, whatever their
blood. But I cannot fail to portray one
beautiful woman-a young mother, who, be
it said reycrcntly, recalled, if not the
Madonna, the picture of her by Raphael,
" La Peria"-in which the magi are offering
gold, frankinccnse, and myrrh. She sat
apart upon a stone under the shade OF the
archway, nursing babe. Her hair had that
rich auburn and ethereal fncness with
which Murrillo iayors his madonnas, which
are likenesses, by the way, of his Andalu-
sian wife. l wondered if peradyenture,
this beautiful Bethlehem mother might not
have in her veins some of that precious
blood Of the house and lineage Of David
that escaped the murderous decree Of
Herod
Bethlehem has 1000 people and 500
houses. Many of the hoeses are substan-
tial. The str cts are so narrow that our
guide has to ride ahead and employ people
to move impediments out Of the way. 1t Is
said the people are handsome. That repu-
tation may come from the ruddy cheeks Of
David, OF the g5aces Of Ruth, or the pic
lures OF the Madonna. One thing must be
said of the town, and that Is that il
I it has any beauty or COOL in it, it IS Chris
tian, for it is par excellence the Christian
town of Judea
Lc, us enter this place Of the Nativity.
/ Ii has been honored, as is well fixed, since
I the second century. Over it, in the third
century, the mother Of c tantine erected
that church which j. .he Oldest in the world
Some Of its columns are lrn the Temple
But the crypt We seek. There are two chap
els here, leading to the place Of Christi
birth; ore is Greek and heother Armenian
On the north side there Is Catholic con
rent and church. From this there are step