Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1889-08-13
Jerusalem of To-Day.

which the following is taken;
"Thirty thoussn nd out OF the forty thousand
people of Jerusalem are Hebrews, and the
IssaeIites bid fair to again become the pre-
dominant people in Palestine. The Turk
ish govern meot, which has for ages probib.
i,ed them from living longer than three
weeks at time in the Holy Land, Ia, under
the il fluence of the foreign government, re
laxing It's restrictions and at present they
are coming here by the hundreds. They
are engaging in business and they now con.
troll great part of the trade Of jerusalem
and some feel that the day when the prophecy
of the Bible that they shall again inhabit
their land shall be fulfilled is at hand, and
one curious tribe from southern Arabia
claims TO bsve received a revelation that
they must leave their deeert country and
| come back to Palestine. They have lived
in Yemen Arabia for the past $500 years.
They are of the tribe of Cad, and they left
Palestine 700 years before Christ was born.
They are bringing with them many valuable
old documents which prove their origin,
and not few of them are engaged in agri-
culture near Jerusalem.
Our American Consul, Mr.. Gilman, tells
me that there are about two hundred Amer.
ican Hebrews in Jerusalem, and he says
that the great number of immigrants is the
wonder of the people of this part OF the
East he says that the removal OF the re-
! strictiops on immigration has taken place
during the past three or four years, and that
when be came here 1t was the policy of the
foreign governments represented at Jerusa-
lem to aid the Turks ia expelling the He.
brews He was advised shortly after his ar.
rival that some Americans were overstsying
their.three weeks time in Palestine and was
requested to direct them to leave. He replied
that such action was entirely contrary to
the spirit of our government, which iS
founded on religious and race freedom, and
after some negotiations the American He
brews were allowed to remain. Shortly
after this the British Consul, under instruo.
'inus from the British Minister at Constan-
l;n, Ole, took the same grounds, and | am
told that the German and French govern.
meuts have followed suit. A half century
ego there were only thirty-,wo Israelte
families in all Jerusalem and the number in
Palestine was only 3,000 Now there are
nearly fifty thousand in the Holy Land and
three fourths of the population of Jerusalem
| is made up of them.
"Our Consul says there are 100 synago-
| eues in jerusalem, but these as rule are
small and they are not 80 fine as the other
churches of the city. The service is differ.
eDt from that which is observed in Ameri.
Ca, md the women worship in a different
room from the men. was in Jerusalem at
the time of the celebration of the Passover,
and l wes told that the feast Ia now cele-
brated much the same ss it was in the days
of the past, save that piece of burnt bone
now takes the place of the lamb. At this
tiG,e they turned out In holiday attire.
attended the synagogues on the following
day and found them all full The rabbis
were gorseously clad ard 1 have seldom
seen more devout cons regations. The men
were all reading Hebrew out loud and in
the rooms adjoining 1 found women talking
over the Scriptures or listening to the elder
women among them who we're reading.
"One of the greatest sights of Jerusalem is
the wailipg place where every Friday GER
tain sects meet on the outside of the walls
of the Mosque of Omar, which occupies the
cite of Solomon's temple, and with their
heads bent against the ones, sorrow over
tho loss Of Jerusalem and pray God to give
the land back to his chosen people.
Among the people who confidently believe
that the Hebrews will soon again own Psles-
| tine Is colony of ffteen persons who live
| in a 6ue house built on the very walls Of
Jerusalem and who are known as "the
Americans" These people are not He
brews at all. They arc Christians who have
come here from different parts of the United
States, and more especially from Chicago, to
await the fuf!ment of the prophecy that
God will regenerate the world, beginning at
Jerusalem. They believe this day is close
at hand aud they say that it has begun in
the coming back to Palestine They see ite
fu!6Iment in the improvements that are go
ing on in Jerusalem, and cite the new roads
that have been built over the country as one
of the evidences cfi it. They are evidently
people of means as we'll as of refinement and
| culture. When visited them the other day
talked with several of them and found
them intelligent and we'll educated. l asked
one as to their belief and vas answered that
they took the Bible as their guide and thai
they had come to jerusalem to endeavor to
follow its precepts while living upon Its
walls They have no particular creed, and
one Of them said, when asked as to the, thai
there is too much preaching and too little
good living They do no missionary work
and say that they have not yet felt called
upon TO preach. They spend much of theil
time in Bible study and singing and are
much respected among the foreigners wbo
reside in Jerusalem.
There ia no doubt, however, that Jerusa
lem Is improving. The most of its streets
are now we'll paved and the sanitary condi
II oIon o. the city has been greatly improved
Ihe Jerusalem outside the walls is now al
most as large as the city within, and 1 an
told thst iaod has arisen 10 such an extent
that the holy city may be said to have {
real-estnte boom. 10 the Mediterranean
Hotel. where am sioppiog, there Ia a caro-
advertising fine farm for sale bstweer
Bethlehem and Jerusalem, and learn tha