Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-07-13
JERusALEM oF ro-nAY.

ECeaiRg Post Letter.
JERUSALEM, June 9.-Jerusaleln is full
Of cranks. This sounds a little coarse.
perhaps, but it is the only expression
which l know adequate to convey the
precise thought.
The Holy City, while it is the object of
the most solemn and tender regard by all
Christians, is at the same time an atfrac-
ton for all the religious driftwo0d in this
great world. In this way it has become
an abode Of Second Adyentists, Restitu-
tonists, Latter Day Prophets and a
thousand and one other peculiar people.''
These various enthusiasts have organiza-
tons here for the furtherance OF their
views, and often organizations at home
with which they communicate by letter.
Each clique lives in a certain rut Of
thought, and never gets out of that par
ucular rut, even so much as to crawl up
to point where they can look over it into
the rut Immediately next to them. By
thus living in rut the members are able
70 harmonic everything in the Bible with
their strange theories and wonder at the
stupidity OF the world in not seeing as
they do.
The different systems Of belief are con-
Trajectory in the most essential points,
and yet all claim the Bible as authority,
quoting passage after passage in favor of
their doctrine, and dispOsing of all diff
culties in a satisfied manner. Correspond
ents seldom mention these things in writ
ing from Jerusalem, and it has occurred
to me to do so in a charitable way. L
cannot give names always, since it would
injure the feelings Of similar believers in
America, who are familiar with the writ
ings of these cracked religiOnists in GER
tain fanatic newspapers. For be it known
that the majority of these religious
cranks hail from the United States, which
has produced so many and strange re-
HgiOns.
First there is a clique that opposes the
idea Of natural Immortality altogether.
There will be no resurrection of the dead,
good or bed. They claim that the Bible
plainly says sol One Of the advocates of
this doctrine is an American woman who
is waiting for the coming Of Christ, pray
ing that it may be in her day, since when
He does come, then those who are living
viii have immortality conferred upon
them. She says she only wishes that she
could believe in the final resurrection of
those who are already dead
Then there are those calling themselves
the "Church of God" who hold that
wicked souls shall surely die (annihila-
ton }, and that the souls of the good die at
the natural death, but are recreated by
God at the judgment day. This anoma-
lous view doesn't seem to purify its de-
voices altogether. Several Of them work
on Sunday. One woman takes in sewing,
and a man makes beehives on the LORDS
Day.
Lastly, there are those who hold to i'm
mortality most tenaciOusly. One man
goes so far that he says, in approaching
me:
sab, your face looks familiar, but yet |
know l have never seen it before in this
world. l wonder if we were acquainted
in the ages when we were good before the
world begany'
assure him that l can't rely upon my
memory in such remote matters.
Another man Of this same school fancies
he has been sent to Palestine to proclaim
the certainty of everlasting torment.
OF course. there are all the intermediate
shades of belief on the Immortality ques-
ton.
One very peculiar case our country has
not the honor of claiming for her own,
that Of a very intelligent Scottish divine,
who has come here with gray hair and
beard to labor for the rebuilding of Zion.
He is an exceedingly pleasant gentleman,
and very clever. But he is an enthusiast
over the subject of the restoration of
Palestine. Said he to me:
sob, the second coming of our Lord is
very near now. 1 rather expect to see it.
l have the assurance in my heart that l
shall. His feet shall come down on Oil
vet, and the Mount of Olives, we read,
shall be cleft IN twain. Abraham, Isaac,
Jacob, and all the rest, will come back
here to sit down with US. We are going
to have the metropolis of the world at
Jerusalem. The present city must pass
away, it must all be torn down, Mosque
of Omar and everything. 1t would never
do to have any of the present rude mate
rial in our glorious future capital. The
new Jerusalem must be the finest city in
the world, and its temple must surpass
the one of old. We Will have great uni
Yersity there. Every year representatives
of all the nations on earth will be sent up
to Jerusalem, and it will be the centre of
the worlds learning as well as piety. Of
course, there's got to be terrible war
with Russia first, but that is all described
in the 3Sth and 39th chapters OF Ezekiel.
1t will take seven years to burn up the
wooden implements of war as fuel, and
seven months to bury the dead. This will
merge into a war with all nations. My
opinion is that this Soudan trouble is the
beginning of the great war, for France,
Turkey, Austria and Russia are all jeal-
GUS of the course pursued by the English,
who are pledged to the work and cannot
now back out. We have had the famines,
floods, earthquakes, etc., within a few
years. The shower of stars occurred in
1881. But you will find more about the
signs in the oath chapter of Matthew"
One American citizen here is now en-
gagged in marking out a little plot of
ground which he has bought, as the king
dom of God. He is organizing body of
five believers, based on the number of wise
virgins, who are to wait for the coming of
the Lord on that particular ground. 1t
NAV he we'll to state that these queer but
jealous people come and go, the majority
of them only staying few months. The
unattractlve character of the country
discOurages them. At present, Consul
Merrill tells me that he has half dozen
applications for assistance in getting back
to America. The saddest cases are those
of men who have brought their families
here, and are now penniless. Doubtless
much of the mischief is done by publica-
tions in those cranky religious newspa-
pers referred to, which urge people to come
to this country. 1t is suicidal to desert IA
vored America and come to this pauper-
land, where labOrers cannot hope to
command more than 20 cents per day.
come now to speak of colony of IA
Americans, 2 English persons, and ma
tiVes, who are living inside of the city
wall, near the Damascus gate. l APP
proach the task carefully, for personal
intercourse has led me to respect the peo-
pie thoroughly, although 1 cannot sympa-
thize with all their views. They are not
headstrOng, unreasoning or fanatic. So
cially, they are delightful companions,
being, without exception, cultured, re-
fined people. Mentally, they are well
equipped, and can always give you a
reason for the faith that is in them. Spi-
ritually they come as near to the perfect
life, without any ostentation or ''goody-
goody' piety, as any body of men and
women that have ever seen. You enter
their hOuse-and it is to the finest in Je-
rusalem-and you will at once be struck
with the evidences of taste which are
scattered about. Books, birds, a splendid
piano, flowers, plaques, notices, an aqua
rium-these are among the things that
gladden. the eye and bespeak the refine
ment of the coIonists. The house is
very large one, and commands from its
roof magnificent view of the whole city.
The various families live together in per-
feet harmony, and have done so for three
wears. From time to time there have been
accessions to the rather extensive home
circle from the number of those unhappy
ones to whom i have already referred,
who have not the funds with which to re-
turn to America. These guests are freely
entertained for months at time, and the
house is said to be never empty of them.
Not a few have gone away ungrateful. 1
have in mind one man who was thus