The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1884-11-14
Life In Modern Palestine.
THE STAY IMMIGRATION AND THE FAMOUS
OLD CITY WHOSE RUINS THEY ARE
DESTROYING.


HAIrA, Oct. 2.AThe habit of tourists
of visiting only those spots in Palestine
called holy places to which some Bibli-
cal association is attached, causes them
to neglect ruins Of the highest historical
interest, and which are often as well
worth seeing from picturesque as
from an archaeological point of view
They make an effort to go to Nazareth,
which differs in no respect from an or
dinary Syrian town, and which does
not boast single object of antiquari-
an interest, while they omit from their
programme, because it is not included
in the books, ruin like Casarea, a
city once unsurpassed for grandeur
and magnifcence by anything in Pal
estne when Herod raised it to the dig
nifty of a metropolis, and the scene Of
many important events, both Biblical
and historical. Here Peter baptized
the first Gentle convert to Chrstiani-
ty here Philip lived with his four
daughters, engaged in missionary
work here Paul preached before Fe-
lix, and "almost persuaded Agrippa
to become Christian. 1t was in the
theatre, the remains of which are still
TO be seen, that Herod made his ora
ton to the multitude when the "angel
of the lord smote him and he was eat
en- of worms and gave up the ghost.
1t was in the streets of C@sarea that
on the occasion of a quarrel between
the Greek and Jewish Population, 20,-
900 Jews were massacred. Here the
celebrated historians Eusebius and
Procopius were born, and here was
found, when the city was taken by the
Crusaders, the hexagonal vase of green
crystal which was supposed to contain
the Holy Cross.
The old Roman wall can be traced
for mile and half, enclosing an area
strewn with the remains of theatre,
hippodrome, temple, aqueducts, aud
mole, while asecond line of fortification,
still in admirable preservation, and
over half mile in extent, marks the
enceiute of the old crusading fortress,
with its castle and donjon keep, its ca
thedral, its northern church, and har-
Dor. This tendency on the part of
travellers is the more to be regretted az
the opportunity of examining these ex-
tensive ruins is now about to pass
away, never again to return.
The Slay colonists, whose immigra-
tion l described in my last letter, are
laying out broad streets right across
the most interesting ruins, using the
old foundations, appropriating the
beautiful masonry, the white stones
which formed the temple built by Her
cd, and the brown limestone blocks OF
the cathedral of the Crusaders, quarry.
ing into ancient buildings beneath the
surface of the ground, levelling down
the ruins at one place, levelling them
up in another, ard so utterly trans
forming the whole picturesque area
that it will soon be no longer recogniz.
able. Already within five months over
twenty good stone houses have been
built, some of three stories high, 9TH
ers with vaults for merchandise and
storing grain ; in some cases the old
crusading vaults, evidently used for the
same purpose, have been made availa-
BILE. The dwellings are being built on
the plan which renders the towns of
the Moslem Stays of European Turkey
30 dull and uninteresting they are all
enclosed with courtyards, the high
stone walls of which jealously guard
the harems of the proprietors. In
this respect these western Mohamme-
dams are far more particular than the
Arabs, who allow their women COM
parative freedom ; but during the per.
iod of my stay in Cesarea l did not
see one of the female colonists.
Their male belongings, however,
were more hospitable, especially when
they found that knew their country
and was familiar with Mostar and Cog
nitza, in the neighborhood of which
towns had been their former homes.
They wore the landed aristocracy of
their own country. and have therefore,
brought considerable amount of
wealth with them, large tract of the
most fertile land of the plain OF Shar-
on has been donated to them by the
Turkish Government, and there can be
no doubt that the country will gain by
their settlement in it. In manners and
costume they form a marxed contrast to
the natives, who are evidently much
impressed by their wealth and dignity.
The lower or peasant class of Bos-
MIA and Herzegovina were not obliged,
when the country was conquered by
the Moslems, to change their religion,
and they have continued Christians ;
while the descendants of their masters,
who remained the proprietors of the
soil, became bigoted Mussulmans. The
consequence has been that now that
the country has been handed over to
the Austrians, the Christian peassntry
have naturally found protection from
the authorizes against the oppression OF
their former masters, who, unable to
endure the humiliation of seeing the
tables turned and their old servants
enabled to defy them with impunity,
have sold all their possessions and mi,
grated to the dominions of the Sultan
rather than endure the indignities tc
which they declaree they were exposed
from their new Christian rulers and
their old Christian serfs-very much
on the same principle that the South
ern States became intolerable to some
OF the landed proprietors after the
emancipation of their slaves. Wheth
er they will agree with their Circassiat
neighbors remains yet to be seen. The,
form the dcant garde of a much lar
ger migration which is to follow a,
soon as arrangements can be made tc
receive them. One of the leading men
who has opened store, assigned m,
an unfinished house as a lodging, anC
said that he intended TO enlarge it int
hotel for travellers.
1t is worthy of the notice of intend
ing travellers in Palestine next season
that they can now drive the whole wa,
If they wish in wagons belonging L
the German colonists from Jerusalem
to Nazareth in four easy days, insteac
OF having to ride and camp in tents a
heretofore. There are excellent hotel
at Jaffa. The next stopping plac
would, now that accommodation i