Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-01-04
A CHRISTMAS LETTER
From a Lonely Ssmphian Away
Out West.
"reminiscences Of q Visit to Beth,
lshsn,,
Bat More anxious 10 see Mems
phis again.
spseIaI corfespotdsace tedeer.

Ia " ANAAAh rs - HkHNaN ANAH 49, 49,
EDITOR LEDGER-To day is Christ
mas day, a day above all that should
be looked upon by all classes with the
most profound degree Of reverence
aud sOlemnily-not forgotten and I'm
cared for, as is the case by millions
and millions OF human beings, be-
,ngs all equally concerned in their
future and eternal welfare. Eighteen
hundred and eighty two years agoWhe
world was cngulfed in sin, darkness
and ruin, as It must have appeared to
all that could think and feel. Nothing
in the dark, gloomy forebOdings of the
future presented itself to the minds OF
the most intelligent, the best and en-
lighteued, but a soon coming, eternal
destruction OF all things.
God-the creator, the builder, the
lather and ruler Of all-saw aud felt
the terrible situation Of things, and
under these peculiar circumstances a
child was born upon whose shoulders
the untold weight Of ruined world OF
sin and corruption was to rest and
through his coming the combined
power and goodness that he would
possess, the justice OF Gods wrath was
70 be appeased and satisfied. and man,
sinful, corrupt and degraded as he had
grown, was to be rcinstated to his
former grandeur and greatness, and to
again occupy, as far as possible, his
original position with Ged the
Father.
Eighteen hundred and eighty two
years ago this child was born under,
IS one might think, most peculiar and
singular circumstances, and as trying
as could be under their character.
The time of year, that time when the
old, bleak and wintry winds, laden
With frost and snow in their accus-
toned places howl and fret and
whistle around the corners, rushing
Into every crack and opening, convey
ing terror and regret as it comes. The
location for this great event to take
place, with no preparation seeming 10
have been made for the comfort Of
either mother or child, alone perhaps,
with no one but Joseph, whose rela
ton to the child we do not satisfacto-
rily understand, and God that had
ordered aud designed il. no comforts,
no care, but there she remained in a
lonely stable, uahonored and seem
ingly uncared for, and gave birth to
her first born, who had come to
redeem the world from sin and eternal
destruction, while others lay and slept
and rolled in their grandeur as
unconcerned as il nothing more
than usual was taking place, and
strange to cay, that now, 10 this en-.
lightened age of the world, the intel.
lect, the great length Of time, the ex
pease and proof upon the subject,
even in this enlightened age, there are
thousands that do not believe that
such even occurred. To such we
would ask to wend their way to Pal
estine and Bethlehem, as we have
done. Go into the little clean city il
you please, for when we were there il
was cleanliness to a fault-the whole
perhaps as clean as many an old
maids floor, and kept so from one
year TO another. When they reach
Bethlehem, let them seek out the
Chapel Of the Nativity, and they will
be led along a low vault about thirty
eight feet long by eleven feet wide,
aud is evidently hewn in the rock.
At the east end is a semi circular
niche laid to mark the precise spot
where our Savior was born. There
they will End a marble slab set in the
floor, and inscribed with the words,
l"Hic De Virgin Maria } esus Christus
Natus Est Here Jesus Christ was
born Of the Virgin Mary A silver
star forms the center Of the slab, and
around 1t are suspended six
teen silver lamps, which are
kept burning always" The sides of
the niche are decorated with little
gilt pictures. The maDger is repre-
sented by a marble trough. Even
here in Bethlehem. strange as it may
appear, there is a constant dispute in
regard to the maneer proper. The
Latins contend that the real maneer
was carried away long ago, and is now
in the Church Of Santa Maria Mag
giore, Rome. The town Of Bethle
hem lies on q narrow ridge, which
breaks away to the eastward from the
central mountain range. and falls off
on the northeast and south into deem
wide valleys, the slopes Of the Hill
being formed into ssree and steep
terraces, which are laid Of with the
regularity OF steps and are we'll kept
and carefully cultivated. The town
consists Of a single main street, at the
eastern end Of which, on the brow of
the bill, and separated from the rest
OF the houses by a wide, open pace.
stands the great convent, a massive
structure, which includes the Church
Of the Nativity and three converts
belonging to the Latins, Greeks and
Armenians respectively. The inhabi.
tants are all peasants; their houses
are small but we'll built. The people
do but little else but make models
Of cruciaxes, the Holy Sepulcher,
etc, carved out Of olive wood.
They are a restless set Of beings. and
ii is a wonder to me that they are not
worse than they really are. 1t is said
then that the Bethlehemites are a
quarrelsome people with their neigh.
bors and sometimes give considerable
trouble TO the authorities Of Jerusa.
lem. bethlehem has about 5000 in.
habitants, and strange to say thatthey
are all Christians. Up to 1884 there
was a Mohammedan quarter, but Il
was destroyed by Ibrahim Pasha, as a
punishment for the rebellion Of the
inhabitants.
On yesterday il commenced showing
here in earnest, and it continued 10
fall all night, or nearly so, and ceased
Sunday evening. The ground being
rather warm at the time, it melted
rapidly until Sunday night, when il
turned cold, the wind coming from
the north. The snow is about four
inches deep and we have seen but two
| CLAICHE -. A.