The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1885-03-03

On HOLY Ground,


OF course the cave of Machpelah is
the principal attraction TO tourists in
Hebron: and vet nothing could DE more
inaccessible than this same cave. Buck
sheesh, that all-conGuering power. has
opened the mosque of Omar, the COen-
aculum and other Biblical places Of in
terest that are in the hands of the Mos
lens: but this wonderful cave is forbid
den 10 the iniidel Frank despite all So
licitations. This is the more TO be re-
GREETED, inasmuch as it is n once genu-
me, while GOlgotha, the Bethlehem
manager. Gethsemane and the rest are
only approximately or doubtfully
known, and also boasts of IN antiquity
far out-dating the Christian era. In
order 10 reach the place from this es-
Enlistment we ride along stony lane
through vineyards for two miles, and
then through the narrow. and almost
pitchy dark, streets of Hebron for some
ways farther. The city has populs-
ton Of nearly ten thousand inhabitants.
The people are the most bigoted and
intolerant in all Palestine. a. their Sc
elusive regard for the cave would indi-
cate. We were repeatedly inSulted on
the streets in Arabic, and those Jews
who deigned 10 confer with us were
call.d dogs by the populace.
The principal business seemed TO be
the manufacture of rude glass trinketS
and water skins. l inve-ted a cent in
glass rings. and got enough TO flood
the market in America when got
back.
The cave is covered by q huge
mosque, 200 feet long by lis broad.
The foundation stones are some of them
20 feet long, aud bear the ancient jew
iSh bevels. Two tall minarets make
the mosque the most conspicuous feat
ure of Hebron in distant views of the
town. | shall not attempt To describe
what / think no living Frank has in
spected, the cave itself way down be-
meath even the basement. This is stu
diously guarded even from the indis-
criminate gaze of Moslems. The ac-
counts. published from hearSay, are
confused aud contradictory. Sooner or
later Mohammedan tanaticism must
yield, and then will there be some im-
portant revelations in the way of dis
covered antiquities? There are monu-
ments of display which L believe some
honored celebrities have been permitted
10 view: but that is exactly the salts
faction enjoyed by every pilgrim. the
privilege of seeing where the caves are
not. These nominal sepulcherS were
erected when the church, then called
It. Abraham, was in the hands of the
Franks. Ii is believed that there are
two caves i'm reality. as the word mach
pelah means double, and that large
numbers of Israelites have been here
entombed.
The remaining attraction of Hebron
is Abraham's oak. This curiosity is in
the front yard of our so called convent.
Ii is gigantic, rambling tree, twenty
three feet in girth, and covering an
area of ground ninety feet in diameter
The life has pretty much departed out
of the main body of the tree. only the
ends o. the great branches being tipped
with foliage. There are a few other
small oaks TO be seen. but this Is the
only conspicuous reminder of what was
doubtless onIe forest. picked some
of the leaves, which are as eminently
small as those of our own oaks are
large. Doubtless this oak has very
great antiquity, but | do not suppose it
is the identical tree beside which Abra-
ham dwelt. Ii the site has been accu-
rately marked it can not be more than
a scion of the original tree. The Rus
SLAMS, who have possession, have put
low wall around the roots and prOpped
up the venerable wide-Spreading boughs.
-PGtesti,le Cor. SAT- Lake Tribune.