Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1882-03-01
Jerusalem.

Everybody knows the general aspect Of
Jerusalem now. Ordnance surveys, socie.
ties for exploration, Sunday-school teachers,
and artistic friends have brought pictures
of 1t for those Of us who live in these most
remote corners; Jerusalem itself, be it re-
membered, being in the "middle of the
world" Indeed, such is the ease Of travel
now, that IL is safe to take for granted, in
any considerable assembly, that some one is
present who has walked in the streets of
Jerusalem, has seen the Jews weeping by its
walls, and can describe from personal re-
membrance the Mosque of Omar. This gen.
eral aspect helps US in forming an idea of
what it looked like eighteen hundred and
fifty years ago,-of which, by misfortune,
there is no description. OF the temple and
its glories, as all readers know, there is very
full description; but the indifference of the
ancients to the picturesque, and even to
topography, leaves us to construct for our
selves the Jerusalem of the gospel time
still the slopes of the hills are there; the
olive-trees and the anemones and the cycla.
mems, with the rest of the spring vegetation,
are there. The wood has been DESTROYED
from the country generally by the ravages
of Islam and Islam's wars. But the neigh
borhood of city as large as Jerusalem was
then is never heavily wooded. The popula-
tion of the city itself was then six or eight
times what it is now. Such a population
requires diligent farming and market gar
dening in the neighborhood. So that it is
probable that the country around had more
farm houses and hamlets and other aspects
Of habitation than it has now. But making
such allowance for changes, the traveller to-
day has a right to feel that he looks on much
such a landscape as the traveller coming
down to Jerusalem from Jericho saw in the
days of Jesus Christ A New Highlander
sometimes catches bit of landscape in his
own regions which remind him, If the con-
ditions of sky and climate are right, of these
rounded hills and rounded olive trees and
closer olive orchards. | have photograph
of piece of chill country 4" near Jerusalem
which may easily be mistaken for home
scene in Northern Middlesex or Southern
| New Hampshire. You have only to select
bit of rolling country, well covered with
orchards, without New England houses, for
ests, evergreens, or pines, but with fair
share of stone walls, photograph l., and
place the picture in your portfolio between
view of Jaffa and one Of the Dead Sea, and
even an experienced pilgrim would take it
up and say, "And this is somewhere near
Jerusalem" The city was built SO long ago
that nobody knows when. 1t is on the crest
line between the waters of the Dead Sea
valley and those which flow into the Med.
iterranesn. The hills ON which it stands
were abrupt enough to make an admirable
fortress what has been said of rounded
slopes does not apply to them. Fortress il
was in the days of the Jebusites when David
took it. After his time it assumed the
state and importance of capital. Aud this
was no little state and Importance when il
meant a capital to which " the tribes come
up three times year." Josephus says-ir
what is probably an Intentional exaggera
tion-that at the time of the Passover mil
lion and a quarter people assembled in it, O.
in tents around it, Even if this is not true
it gives an idea of what an intelligent man
thought true in times Immediately aftel
Christ's visits to the city. 1t is not so mucl
matter OF regret that we have not the physi
cal picture of Jerusalem on that day as W,
have from the Gospels and from many othe
writings of these times good glimpses of SC
cial order there, aud of mems habits of life
All this recent delving into the Talmud an,
kindred writings, which has taught some
thing even to superficial readers, gives loca
color for any picture of Gospel times. An,
all the photography in the world woul,
never help us to any knowledge of Jerusa
lem as it was then,-though we had pei
spectives of Herod's temple, and elevation
by Herod's architects,-unless we coul,
make real the moral perspective and mora
elevations of the city. In an admirabl
paper by Mr.. Francis Tiffany, he compare
this city, the head of ecclesiastical machir
cry, with such manufacturing place a
Lowell or Holyoke "Imagine all the mill
in Lowell one vast corporation temple; tn
| hpl IL r,f ttxra. st,t
pie servants the fabrics turned out, creed'
treatises, or disputations the tenement owl
ers dependent on pilgrims for their dodgers
the neighboring farmers finding the marke
for their wood, cattle, and oil in sellin
them for the sacrifices, or for tine mainte
nance of those performing the sacrifces,-
do all this, and you have a rough but palE
able working idea of Jerusalem. ."-Edicar,
e. Hall in March Atlantic.