St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1884-06-12
Interesting Tombs in the East.
BY REV. c. /. GooDELL, d. d.

One living in America can hardly
understand the interest taken in tombs
in the East, nor how much is made OF
them. Our Saviour's words show this
oriental zeal for tombs-"Ie build the
tonbs of the prophets and garnish the
sepulchres Of the righteous" We live
io our hopes, in these eastern lands
men live in their memories. We look
forward tO our sons. they back to their
ancestors. The living in a sense. are
dwellcrs among the tomhs. They get
a great income by showing the bones
of their forefathers.
We are told of the grandmother who
promised her little grandson if he was
u good boy he might go and visit the
grave of his grandfather; it made the
hoy very happy.
On holidays and other interesting
occasions in the East, the people visit
the scpulchres. One of the most joy
Gus festivals we ever saw there was Il
| grand annual gala day, spent at the
grave of the patriarch Noah in Il beau
tiful valley of Syria beyond Lebanon.
! Hundreds of men, women and children
IN their best attire assembled and spent
the day with song, and games, and
dancing on the green. The tomb is
built of stone, one hundred and twenty
feet long, with a high dome.
There is also in Syria, the sepulchres
Of Abel and Seth, and Nimrod, which
We visited. They are vey imposing
and interesting. Great attention is
| given to the architecture of these strlc-
lures in the East. They are among the
most costly and attractive products of
human skill. The great pyramids of
Egypt are sepulchres. And the tombs
of the Caliphs and of the Marmalukes
| in Cairo, the tombs of the Sultaus in
! ConStantinOple, are marvels of archi-
tcctural establishment and beauty.
The kings of the earth lie euthrOned
| in glory The dead are better housed
than the living. The long centuries
have 81 crowded the earth with mauso-
lcums of the illustrious dead, that one
seems to be walking in land of
shadows and not of living men.
At Hebron We see the stately tombs
of the five patriarchS, Abraham and
Sarah, Isaac Az, Rebecca. and Jacob.
but no Christian can enter these, they
are in the hands of MOslems. Abra-
ham bought Machpclah for IA burying
place for his dead. Jacob buried the
beloved Rachel where she died, ii little
way from Bethlehem, where the tomb
still stands in loneliness, and Joseph,
at his own request, was embalmed and
brought up into the hill country by
Moses, when the Israelites returned,
is buried in sepulchre near Jacobs
we'll.
The prophet Samuel lies buried in ii
>rpulchTe Oh Il commanding eminence
} ut the northwest of Jerusalem, over
locking the field of his labOrs. 1t il
: thought to he the place where he
anointed Saul king. Royal sepulchres
of the kings of Israel for many genera
tions are OH the hight of Mount Zion
in Jerusalem. The tomb of David is
there, and solomon, and Hezekiah. 1t
is holy hill charged with sacred dust
Beyond kedron, as you ascend the
Mount of Olives, are three sepulchTe.
having monuments Of special interest
one of these is that of st. James, til,
first pastor of the first church ut Jeru-
salem another is that of Zachariah
the prophet who was slain between til,
porch and the altar; another still til,
broken monument of Absalom the un
dutiful son of il noble father. 1t ha
been the habit of Jews for ages To spi
at it and east stones upon it, in tokeI
of their contempt of his disobedience
Great piles of stones thus thrown Ii,
about it. These monuments are yer,
impressive. They wear the look O
slow gathering centuries.
Over the Mount of Olives in Bethany
is the grave of Lazarus, deeply sunl
in the earth, where the tears of Jesu
fell and where the light of the resurrec
tion dawned. 1t may be the dust q
: Martha and of Mary is lying near. |
is one of the most touching graves il
the Holy Land.
The burial of three notable monarch
Il,
III such a way as to attract univers;
interest and attention. King Nicto
Emmanuel has been buried in til
Pantheon at Rome, as becomes patriC
and IA deliverer of Italy. Wreaths ,
immOrtelles from many countries adOr
the walls. The memorials of the Iii
- of Pope Plus Ninth are among IL
richest and finest in st. Peters, and h
tomb at the church of st. Maggior
D outranks in taste and splendor any
- the papal fathers buried there.
The tomb of Abdul Azziz, the la
sultan of Turkey, is the most cOnspic
Gus in the Mausoleum of the Turks
rulers at COnstantinople. Ii is a big
y. pointed dquadrangular structure, cover
uh with black velvet heavily embroider
th in silver. over the top, in front, a
ga laid the splendid cachmere scarfs
'ns wore during his reign. Only lit
while ago we saw these three sove
- eigns in health and vigor, in the glO
8 of their earthly apparel, now they re
oeu among the dead.
ConstantinopIe, May, loo4.