The Washington critic., 1888-04-07


1t is heavy enough looking
to have been built by Brobiignagians,
and is about as elegantly designed as
a doublc-humped camel. All that
can be seen are two dirty, dish-pan-
looking domes, minaret and
square, massive, russet-colored front
with two arched doors, surm ounted
by two arched windows. On enter
ing, however, the aspect entirely
changes. You are
suRFEITED WITH GRANDEUR.
Painted screens, mosaic walls, sculp-
tured and various tinted marbles,
massive shrines, candelabra, hanging
ornamented lamps and festoons Of
ostrich eggs dazzle your eyes. and
the tomb of our Lord and Mount
Calvary, the bare, skull-like hillock
you expected to find, are so bejeweled
and bedecked and so different from
what you fancied they were that
everything you see appears unreal.
Advancing about ten PAGES from the
door, we stood between the sepulchre
Of our Saviour and the "Stone of
Unction,' and after touching q white
marble slab which covered this stone
and which was enclosed by an iron
railing whose dimensions were about
Z feet by feet, we sat on
THE CENTRE OF THE WORLD,
block of sculptured marble about ,
feet in heigth, which looked for all
the world like plugged up vase. A
Bostonian in the party urged Ma
homet to relinquish his bel ief in this
stone and become convert to Oliver
Wendell Holmes, but Mahomet was
not to be converted. Turning his
great lustrous eyes full on the citizen
of the Hub" he said: "My fren, l
telly you troof; supposey you know
berrer, all rite" Proceeding to the
right and making our way up eigh-
teen steps cut out of the solid rock,
We found ourselves in the
CHAPEL OF GoLaoTHA,"
& A service was going ON there, and
priests in gorgeous robes were swing
ing incense around and chanting in q
very lugubrious manner. In o few
minutes the service was Overland we
advanced toward the altar, which was
erected upon platform of pure white
marble and studded with gems and
paintings, and after removing metal
plate, viewed the hole in which,
Mahomet said, the cross stood. A
short distance from this is another
hole, through which can be seen the
rent in the rock occasioned by the
earthquake. Leaving here we de-
scended to the body of the church
again, and taking turns entered
THE HOLY sEPULcHRE.
This most important tomb is sur
mounted by chapel which occupies
the greater part of the rotunda of the
main building. Its dimensions are
in length 90 feet by Is feet in breadth,
and its height is about 15 feet. 1t is
constructed entirely of marble and is
exquisitely sculptured and designed.
Passing through lane of candelabra
and very small door we were shown
the stone on which the angel sat after
it had been rolled from the mouth of
the sepulchre. By the way we had
seen what was termed "the real stone
which covered the sepulchre," in the
house of Caiphas the day before.
The ATmenians claim theirs is the real
one, and the Greeks claim theirs is
also. Which, therefQfe, were we to
believe? 1t didn't mHch matter any
way. A stone cannot be very efiica-
cious TO salvation. 1t may be worth
noting, however.
Entering through still smaller
doorway, we found ourselves in the
,1nl, ~ lie n
chamber about 6 feet square and
about 8 in height, with six or seven
richly ornamented gold and silver
lamps depending from the ceiling.
We were informed that these lamps
are kept constantly burning. 1t was
hard TO realize that we were of Il
verify standing in the chamber which
witnessed the glorious Resurrection of
our Saviour. TWAS so stuffy that we
wanted to get out almost before we
got in. We next visited the
CHAPEL OF ST. HELENA,
which necessitated the descent of
about thirty steps. Here were pointed
out the "Altar of the Good Thief, -
and the marble chair in which IIe-
lena sat while directing the search for
the cross. Descending about dozen
steps morc--all hewn out of the solid
rock--we were shown small low
dark apartment where our Saviour
was supposed to have been confined d
whilst awaiting crucifiXion; also the
"Shrine of Longinus," where was
formerly preserved a very important
relic, the actual title which PLATE
caused to be affixed to the cross; also
the spot where Johns head was
buried Mahomet was rather doubt
full concerning which John. 1t was
some Johns any way. The spot is
also shown where the three crosses.
nails, inscription, and crown of thorns
! were found, and near this is shrine
erected in memory of Adam, from the
| fact of
MS SKULL. AND TWO HOMES
having been found there. We ques-
toned Mahomet as to how they came
to recognize the skull as Adams, and
he told us that there existed tradi.
ton that the first man would rise
from the dead after the sacrifice OF
the Son Of Man; and that Longinus
seeing q man rise right up alongside
the cross Immediately after the death
of our Saviour came to the conclusion
il was Adam, and that the man cruci-
fed was the Redeemer of the world.
Thus it would seem, from Mahomet's
account, that Adams psychical entity
had been chained to this mundane
sphere for nearly 5000 years, The
skull and bones of course We're found
when the crosses were discovered
Adjoining thetomb of Adam are the
tombs of "NIelchisidec, the King
Melchisidec dates back to the Pen
tateuch-and the tombs of Godfrey
and Balwin, the Second, the cru
sader kings of Jerusalem. II was
natural these brave old warriors