Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-10-02
In THE NEW JERUSALEM.
THE CITY ONCE MORE OCCUPIED SY
THE CHOSEN PEOPLE.
Change Which Have Taken Place I'm the
Holy City Since the Hebrews Have Be
gun Return. as the Bible Declared
They Should-Some Queer Habits.

gun u h~turh, Ms the blDie Declared
They should-Some Queer Habits.
Thirty thousand out of the forty thousand
people of Jerusalem are Hebrews, and the
lsraelitss bid fair to again become the pre-
DONNA 1T people in Palestine The Turkish
government which has for ages prohibited
them from living longer than three weeks at
time in the Holy Land, is, under the infiu-
ence of the foreign governments relaxing its
restrictions and at present they are coming
here by the hundreds. They are engaging in
business and they now control a great part
of the rade of Jerusalem Some of then,
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 curl
GUS tribe from southern Arabia claims 10
have received n revelation that they must
leave their desert country and come back to
Palestine. They have lived in Yemen Ara
bia 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 ire engaged in agriculture near Jeru-
salem
CURIOUS PEOPLE
Our American consul Mr. Gilman. tells
can Hebrews in Jerusalem, and he says that
the great number of immigrants is the won
der of the people of this part Of the east. He
says that the removal of the restrictions on
immigration has taken place during the past
three or four years, and that when be came
here il was the policy of the foreign govern.
ments represented at Jerusalem 10 aid the
Turks in expelling the Hebrews. He was ad-
vised shortly after his arrival that some
Amer cans were overstaying their three
weeks time III Palestine and he was request
ed 10 direct them to leave. He replied that
such action was entirely contrary TO the spirit
of ouf government, which is founded on re-
hgiou' and race freedom, and after some ne
gotiatons the American Hebrews were al
lowed to remain. Shortly after this the
British consul, under instructions from the
British minister at Constantnople, took the
same grounds, and | am told that the German
and French governments have followed suit
A halt century ago there were only thirty
two lsraelte families in all Jerusalem and
the number in Palestine was only 5000 Now
there are nearly $1,000 in the Holy Lard and
three fourths of the population of Jerusalem
is ma lie up of them.
A curious people they are. They are nearer
the type which existed here in the past, and
pearsnce Is like that of no other people of the
Orient. The boys and men wear long coat
like gowns which reach, without belts, from
the nsck to the feet and which show other
gowns beneath them at the front Their
heads are covered with cloth or velvet caps
bordered with long brown fur which stands
straight out, forming a wide fringe about the
head. None shave and all who can wear
bearos. Each face is framed in two long
curly locks Of hair which come out lust in
front of the ears and i'll many cases reach
dowr To the breasts, in accordance with an
inJuI ction Of the Scriptures stating that
thou must not mar the corners of the
beard"
They never cut their hair in front of the
ears and have seen boys with the whole of
the r st of the head shaved and these two
locks left. They have hair of all colors, from
biacl and white to fiery red, and there are
man. among them with boards OF silvery
whltsneSs. Jerusalem is to the elderly Is
raeli1e of Europe what Benares Is to the
Hincoo. He hopes to come here to die and
am told that many of them here believe that
II they die in other lands they will be drag.
ged under the earth through the globe from
whence they are laid until they come out
upor the Mount of Olives. The side of this
mou ltain Is covered with tombstones. and
soil from it is sent To Hebrews in many parts
Of the world in order that it may be put into
then collins at burial
DEvoUT wORsHIPERs
1 have visited a great number of their
houses; whole families live in one cave like a
room of the size of a hall bedroom with no
windows, and lighted only by the door at
the 'front.'. Both walls and floor are of stone
There is little furniture to speak of There is
only bed or two for the grown people and
the Test of the family must bunk on the floor
The kitchen is in most cases little box Just
higt enough for the woman of the house to
stand upright in and not more than three
feet wide and four feet deep. At the back Of
this there is rude stove of stone for the
burning of charcoal, and somewhere in the
catJ combs, which make up the tencments of
IA SC Dre OF families, there is well which is
the common property of all. On the door
posts Of each dwelling, whether it be of only
one room or more, there is tackled rolled up
STRIP of white parchment six inches long, on
which is written the name of Jehovah and
the ten commandments, and every one of
thee Palestine Hebrews wears the com
malIdments tied upon his arm under his coat.
They have in some eases philacteries for their
foroheads at time of worship, and most of
the n are very devout.
Cur consul says there are $50 svnagoyues in
Jerusalem but these as a rule are small and
they are not 50 fine the other churches of
the city. The service is different from that
which is observed in America, and the women
wo ship in IA different room from the men /
was in Jerusalem ut the time of the celebra-
ton Of the Passover, and was told that the
feast is now celebrated much the same as it
was in the days of the past, save that piece
of burnt bone now takes the place OF the lamb
At this time they turned out in holiday attire,
AMI was surprised to see rich gowns of vel
vel and silk, of blue, yellow ard green, on
some of the men whom had seen before i'm
little more than rags. ] attended the syna-
go yues ON the following dav and found them
all full. The rabbis were gurgeously clad and
have seldom seen more devout congrega-
tions. The men were all reading Hebrew out
loud, and in the rooms adjoining i found
women talking over the Scriptures or listening
to the elder women among them who were
| aiding. The rabbis of Jerusalem are not en-
"a gei i'm business. Some of them act as Judges
ard ia quarrels the suits are always settled
by them. The chief rabbi is now more than
N years old. He is very intelligent and
bright old man and is highly respected in
JerusGleHn.-Frank g. Carpenter
His Mother Was Dead.
Look mere Won little rascal I'll tall vo,r