Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-09-12
THE WINE PRESSES OF SOLOMON,

which the government was beginning to
have cut away for building purposes.
These not only are located as indicated in
the bible, and indisputably like all the
wine presses found in the country (cut out
out of solid rock with various watts for the
wine IN its successive stages, with channels
of ingress and egress from one vat to anoth-
err, but are too immense in scale, and have
too tremendous a cistern to have been the
property of any private individual. These,
through their influence, are now In the
hands of the Antiquarian Society of Jeru-
salem, and are thus preserved from fur
ther harm. Closesat hand are the quarries
of Solomon. What wonderful climate is
this. that time does not alter the freshness
of the rock The grooves made by the
chisel, as the last block was hewn from its
place centuries ago, shows the incision of
the tool as freshly as if cut but yesterday
Even thus the rocky chambers in the tombs
of the kings and judges show slight signs
of decay so hard and sharp are the edges
The catacombs of Rome, compared to those
of modern build, appear ruinously old
In a long donkey ride around the city
these people pointed to literal fulfllments
of prophecies concerning the rebuilding of
Jerusalem. I'm this they have perfect
faith; more perhaps, in their near fulfill
ments than do those wretched betrodden
Jews who congregate weekly to rail against
the old temple walls How can | explain
to you our impressions of this people as
their lives and aims were unfolded to us?
They are a society of now twenty-six peo-
pie. young and old. unmarried and with
families, who. viewed as fanatics, left Chi
cagO some five years ago. They were a
people to whom their church life seemed
cold and barren, and in bond of common
feeling met often in private to commune
on things spiritual. After time they felt
called of God, as they expressed it, to go
where they could lead a life of seeking,
ceiling they would thus be preparing them
selves for some work in the future for 9TH
ers. People of culture, used to all the
Injuries of refined society, they left friends
and came, by the call of God, as they felt.
to settle in Jerusalem Most of them had
money, but their relatives at home made
them out in the courts as lunatics, who
had no claim to common sense or the
money that goes with it. So, with very
little. they arrived at Jerusalem. and set
tied in a sunny house ON the edge of the
city wall. For two or three years they
were subject to gross misrepresentation of
the worst sOrt-our own consul. for some
unaccountable reason, doing much to dam
age them in America. They took no name,
have no creed, do not proselyte. abide by
no laws peculiar to themselves, but simply
search the scriptures hourly for guidance to
abide by the summing up of all doctrines:
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
and thy neighbor as thyself. They do
their own household work. and. during
that time, if any one wishes help or guild
ance for anything, they drop everything
until they have met and prayed. when they
resume their occupations. They labor
outside for pay. if. after praying over it.
they are led to do so, but nothing must
interfere with