Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-06-19
THE NORTHWEST
LETTER FROM THE ORIENT. ,
The Great Yearly Feasts at Jerusa-
lem.

JERUSALEM, May IL, lcSO.
Travellers arriving at jerusalem dur
ing the past week find themselves half
ready to conclude that all the Jews
have really returned to the holy city,
and brought all the Gentiles home
with them for a "grand re-opening.n
It is as of old, the big red-letter week of
the year-the feast of the Passover and
unleavened bread, and in gay attire they
are thronging the streets and the roads
and walks and sitting places outside the
wall, while the broad thin cakes of un-
leavenel bread are exposed for sale at
all bakeries and many other shops. The
men still wear the long flowing robes of
scripture days. They love bright colors,
and those that are able are often seen
upon the streets in finest silks, velvet or
satin, of richest purple, crimson or yell
low. The women are generally, very
pretty but the ecomplexion is much light
er, upon the average, than in America.
Indeed the dark, rich characteristic
eye of the American Jewess is seldom
seen i'm Jerusalem. They, too, are lovers
of gay, butterfly dress, and wear their
light and brIght-figured shawls grace
fully over their heads in lieu of hats.
Some of the poor, dependent Jews land
they are not few have been both suffer
ing the penalty and reaping the benefit
Of their persistent attendance at the
mission rooms, which the rabbis forbad,
with threats of Withholding the charity
rations of unleavened bread. Quite a
number of them came to me at the
rooms in deep distress. But those
old-fashioned temple bosses have
learned, to their sorrow, that they don't
control all the charity funds in town,
and If my prediction comes to pass
there will be q larger attendance at the
rooms than before the sharp trick was
played.
But to enhance the crowd and stir
during the week, the Greek Christians
week of Easter covered the same time,
and, in addition to the many inteli-
gent tourists from every quarter of the
earth, has brought almost countless
"Pilgrims" from many lands to help on
with the endlessly costumes and worse
cap the climax, the Mohammedans
have been daily parading the streets
with rude banners, and ruder music,
and in rudest garb, and nightly paint
ing the town red with pyrotechnic dis
plays In celebration of their annual
Neby Musa prophet Moses feast. A
prominent part of their program for
such occasions is visit to their tradi-
tional "Tomb of Noses" down in the
wilderness of Judea, this side of the
Dead Sea. Many of them have sad re-
memberance of a terrible catastrophe
down there two years ago. A party of
them got caught in a deep, rugged
canyon by the flood from a water
spout, or "cloud-burst," and the man
gled corpses of over forty of their num-
Der were dashed down into the Dead
Sea.
These crowds of people make heavy
demands for provisions, and the cara
vans and pack-trains of camels and
women are kept running up to full ca
pacity. The camels and donkeys are
mostly run on the lines between here
and Jafta (Joppa,) our seaport, while
the women are worked on the roads
leading from the surrounding villages
to the city. Besides pretty full round
of garden and field vegetables, and
poultry and eggs and other farm pro-
ducts, with which our market is sup
piled, large quantities of green feed
wheat and barley, pulled up by the
Foots-for the many horses and pack |
animals of tourists, as we'll as to supply
other beasts necessary to a population |
ofperhaps $4,000, are principally carried
in upon the heads of Arab women. |
What do you think of that, my fair |
enes of the West? But hold, that is not |
all. Quite large proportion of the fuel. |
consisting of the grubbed roots and |
scraggy brush of the small growth |
found in the rocky hills many miles |
away, is freighted to this market by the
same means. Many of the poor crea-
lures walk in from various distances of
six to IL miles, often barefoot, with a
basket of produce or wood-rOots, or an
immense bundle of grass or scraggy
brush upon their heads and child in |
their arms, and sometimes another
child swung in sack upon their backs. |
Their "market-places" are the narrow
and generally crowded streets and the
only little bits of sidewalk, near the
Jaffa Fate, the latter of which they
often closely occupy to the entire ex-
clusion of pedestrians. 1t is no uncom-
mon thing to see these women sitting
fiat down upon the stone pave in the
middle Of the most thronged
street, In front of the Medi-
terranean Hotel, with a child or
two in their arms, or held close to them,
and their marketing in front. I have
often stood, perhaps for an hour at a
time, to watch and contemplate the
strange, regretful scene, and gone away
believing it really a species of miracle
that they were not trampled to death
meath the feet of the ever turbulent
mass of great, ruff bare-legged men, and
donkeys, horses and camels, by which
they are often closely pressed. In less
crowded places the dear little ones, ever
bright and interesting and good, en-
gage in romps and plays, reminding
the thoughtful, half-dreamy passer-by
of the Saviour's comparison, Matt. XII:
16) and taking him with an effort to
realize that he is in the Jerusalem of
the nineteenth century, and not in
that of the first. The Arab men are
never seen carrying loads to market,
but it is no strange thing to see one
coming in mounted upon donkey
and his wife trudging along under a
heavy load. Their clothing Is more of
a uniform" than is worn by the soldi-
cry here or anywhere else. It consists
of single garment, winter and summer
Of blue drilling, with sleeves shaped
just like Gala flower, but with the
point drawn out longer in proportion,
reaching almost to the ground when
the arms are pendent, and serving to
wrap parcels in, and to protect
~ \ n I'M IT. |