Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1889-07-31
A Sabbath iu Jerusalem.
BY FRANCES Il. WILLARD.

upon tne MOUNT OF olives! To q devOut
soul this were worth pilgrimage longer
than any other that the earth's wide belt
makes possible. And yet-and yet-we
were 80 cold; the wind blew so searchingly;
curious Arabs pursued US SO relentlessly:
the intellectual part CT studying the land.
scape, and practical part of keeping on the
backs of slippery donkeys, distracted our
attention so that the spiritual part, those
shy, sweet feelings of the heart-those ten
der, child-like aspirations-those deep and
solemn contemplations more suited to the
spot than to any other in all the earth, had
| little chance to hold us. But had some
quiet moments of priceless worth. Cleans
and glimpses of what all this may mean
flashed through my soul. The gentle, help.
less face of Mary-my sister Mary-shrined
| forever in the center of my heart, looked
out upon me from her dying pillow, and
that failing voice uttered again the words:
sob, Christ has come to mel He holds me
by the hand; He says she tried to be good,
but she wandered: but rll forgive and save
herv'
That same Christ to whom We trusted
Mary walked upon this mountain; here
spent the night of His infinite agony and
purchased her sweet souls redemption on
the bitter cross, within sight of where /
stand!
Pale and wasted and framed in hair made
gray by suffering moro than age, another
voice looked on me and my honored fathers
voice rang iu my ears: "Christ lived and
died and rose again Upon this faith /
walk right out over the gulf of death-and /
am not afraid All, how these tender
memories, so sad, so sacred, SO inspiring,
bring home to me the reality of that relig-
ion which was born In yonder gray and
ft11o oitv md hao ;fcr
remotest corner of our worldI The poets
song brings relief to my heart, which is
surcharged with trembling love and timid
hope, and prayfully sing:
Rock of Ages cleft for me
Let me hide myself in thee;
Let the water and the blood,
From thy wounded side that flowed,
Be of sin the donble cure;
Save from wrath and make me pure.'
Oh, I must go again and yet again to
Olivet; no experience of all my life has
seemed so sweet and SO significant as thisl
1t is a mournful thing to see the white
robed women of Jerusalem, their beauty or
hideousness concealed by colored handker-
chiefs wrapped about their faces, congre-
gated around the graves that flock the val
leys and the hillsides of Jerusalem beyond
the walls. / wonder why they CO. poor
thingsl and whether it is to be merry or sad.
Sometimes have seen flowers upon lit
tie stony grave and children playing
around, while the women, patieut and still,
sat beside the lonesome mound.
As we toddled in at the Damascus gate
(my odd word describes, not inaptly, the
motion of our droll little donkeys) cannon
was fired, and another, and another still,
signals for closing the gates at evening.
The Spanish Consul here, a pleasant gen.
tiemen that sits opposite US at table d'hote,
says that at Rsmadam, the fasting time of
the Mohammedans, the firiug of cannon
informs the people when they can eat, when
they must commence their rigorous ab-
stinence, which lasts from sunrise to sunset
and in which no good Mohammedan eats,
drinks, or even smokes; also, in the night
it aronses the faithful to prayer. This is
the first religious use to which have heard
gun-powder put in all my travelsi
I can never tell what force and added
pathos found in all the wonderful Bible
after the experience of this marvellous week
and this chief Sabbath of my life, Why,
the Bible is going to be new book to me
after this! God grant it may be "new" in
a deep spiritual sense; that it may take
hold upon my careless life, may make me
what all teaching and most golden oppor-
tunities must fail unless they accomplish
a better human creature, nearer to what
God meant whom He created me, more as
Christ taught US we must be to serve Him
en- earth and live with Him in heaven.
Bishop Kingsley, DR.. Bannister, DIR.
March and company reported themselves as
comfortably encamped beyond the Jaffa
gate, and we lost no time in getting our
luggage into the prescribed compass, aud
walking behind the same as piled upon the
broad back of Ell Hani's servants il travers-
ed the dark and winding streets. With
the least possible ceremony We introduced
ourselves in camp, where three large tents,
besides the 'kitchen," were in order, the
star r-sp1ngled banner floating from that oc-
cupied By the wide awake Presbyterian
quarter, Drs. March, Goodwin and Hayden,
and brother Ezra Coan. We found our
quarters quite comfortable, one large tent
adorned within after the manner of patch
work quilt Of the ''basket pattern" red,
white, blue and green calico in circles and
triangles, and at the top branching out into
a flaming star; pieces of carpet cover the
ground, four iron bedsteads stand thickly
around (Mr. and Mrs. Paine of Boston, aro
our companions), q table occupies the csn-
ter with decent red s'spread' thereon;
there are two tin wash basins and pitchers,
and one brass candlestick suitably equip
ped for evening. We hunt up the gimlets
we have provided Cat our friend Warbur-
toms s@ggestion), bore into the tent-pole,
regardless of any sensitiyeness on Ell Hani's
part, and hereon hang curtains to divide
riage-top hats AID so on. Things began to
''look like living" got out our books,
and finding in my Bible the description of
the temple built by Solomon read it,
placing myself in fancy where stood last
evening, imagining its glories replacing the
swelling dome OF the Caliph's mosque, and
listening with ear intent to that stately
prayer of the wise king, with its impressive
iteration of "Hear us, 0 Lord, in heaven,
Thy dwelling place, aud when Thou hear
est, forgivel" Alb, but it is a new book
altogether, this Bible l have read SO long
and left SO long unread; what would nor
give now to have it all sat my tongues
endP'
1 also read ''Esther," being interested
particularly in the account of the pilgrims
to .he Holy Land, and make out from the
various guide-books a list of such places as
yet must see or must revisit in this city,
which has a charm for me-although it is
the darkest, dreariest and most comfortless
ever saw-that no other can ever attain.
Jerusalem and Paris! What contrast
greater does our various earth affordl They
are at the two opposite poles of human life
and history. The one gratifies every sense,
pleases every taste, is the bright, consum-
mate flower of modern civilization, the Hong
result of time in its most winning sense, tho
admired of all admirers; the other girt
about with gray and barren hills, hedged
by stern and solemn walls, with no beauty,
no attraction, hardly even the ordinary
comforts of life to offer to the weary pill
grim, and yet drawing him to her withered
bosom with spell to which he gladly
yields, and melting his heart with love,
pity and hope that take fast hold upon the
dearest ties, that reach backward through
all ages and forward to the contamination of
creations mystery.
If Any Dealer Informs
You that he has for sale any dentifrice iden-
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