Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1890-01-31

ton. The Greek patriarch has written a
big document to his subordinate the bishop
of Bethlehem, to receive us, or rather "a
receive Mr. Cook, with due honors
The Greek church is immensely rich It's
income is over $500, 600, great sum in this
country; it owns much land Greek pill
grims pay regular fees hence constant
increase Of wealth The Greek church
powers are anxious to sell 10 Mr. Cook a
piece Of land 10 build a new hotel, hence,
says he, all their interested attentions.
Mrs Cook aud our lady have
struck quite friendship, the Misses Cook
are delightful (see trip in Egypt, Mr.. Cook
is mine Of information, an active, well
informed man, all will aud action cosmo
politau, with as little stiffness as it is posi-
ble for a Britisher To possess We have
been favored in falling into such good com
pany. We are ten, all on donkeys.
with ten donkey drivers plus gorgeous
dragoman, also mounted aud adorned with
a revolver. For five miles We follow IA
good carriage road skirt the city the Ger
man hospital, the MonteRore houses for
poor Jews, the ophthalmic hospital: pass
near the hill Of evil counsel see the place
where Judas precipitated himself pass the
molly well where the holy family rested and
drank when they He'd to Egypt; near by is
! Elias convent, named after the prophet
| Elijah then Rachel's tomb, over which is
a mosque, around it neglected Mussulman
cemetery site quite possible. The road is
full Of Russian pilgrims going to Bethle
hem, on foot, on donkeys, no carriages, few
! horses The good road ends with Rachel's
tomb, and we follow the track leading to
| Hebron. a succession Of stony hills full Of
most beautiful cyclamens, which grow on
| rocks and in crevices. Our boys pick them ::
soon we are all adorned aud hourishing like
brides and bridegrooms. We meet long
trains Of camels our caravan is most pictur
/ esque the sky is clouded we have no glar
ing sun aud receive only a few drops Of
rain. We are 2500 feet nearer heaven, a
band of children on a spree, contagious
| even for the steady grandmother and
| grandfather found in our party.
At Soomon's pools we find flock of
| white sheep flock Of black goats, typical
shepherd and his wife, groups of pilgrims
eating near the rushing water, travellers
resting, horses, donkeys, cames On the
hillside is the spring which fills three
large reservoirs called pools. Formerly
an aqueduct took these waters to Jerusa
lem, today it is broken, the water wasted,
while the people of the city are suffering
The water falls under our feet; we discuss
| its supply the abundant rains which fall
here the hills are full Of springs similar to
this one The whole scene is a revelation,
| explains ancient fertility; wa er will make
everything grow. 1t is said that Mrs
| Burdett Coutts. the rich English heiress,
offered TO reconstruct the aqueduct; the
| Turkish authorities were ready 10 take her
money and do the work she knew them
too well to accept their offer she wanted
to have the work done by her own dele
! gates the Turks refused.
Near by is fort occupied by Turkish sol
diers The spot is so beautiful that we lin
ger and leaveit with regret. We follow
| the pools which form three stories a small,
half broken aqueduct takes water to Beth
ehem. A narrow path forces Us to 20 In
! dian file. as much as possible keep near
John Cook. brimful of information, or near
Brother Stephanos who can answer many
questions More flowers, hills Of stone be
| low at the bottom Of the valley are the gar
| dens Of Solomon or Rehoboam, full of al
mond aud ounce trees. also vegetables.
raised only with water Another five miles
ride and we reach Bethlehem, planted at
the top Of a hill which we climb painfully ;
we have been three hours in the saddle and
are a little tired.
A long narrow street full Of building ma
terials brings us to the Greek convent, hos
telry, hospice, khan. in which pilgrims are
received and lodged. There are no monks :;
IA few fathers or priests oversee the ser
wants who attend on all the convent Is
huge building, new in 1890. BY means Of
outside steps we climb three stories and are
in a parlor very high indeed Soon the
bishop of Mount Thabor appears, excuses
the bishop of Bethlehem, who is sick he
shakes hands with everybody as he does
not speak English, conversation is limited !;
a black robed high hat fellow brings a tray
! with glasses of water. two bowls full of
jam, one with teaspoons each one Ia turn
takes spoonful Of jam puts it in his
mouth, deposits the spoon in special dish,
| takes mouthful of water and swallows
his jam; the same spoon or glass Is not used
twice We come down a story, find water,
soap, towels, a rare treat in the East Mr..
Cook has sent lunch from our Jerusalem
hotel coffee only is made on the spot. Ii
is a banquet, abundant enough TO feed us,
our donkey boys and other attendants. 1t
is a princely treat in this high room, with
the views spread before the windows.
Then we explore
First, the grotto in which Mary nursed
her holy son, hence called the milk grotto.
Nursing mothers increase their milk by
drinking water in which rocky particles
from the grotto have been dissolved
Second, the spot from which we have
full view of the fields in which the shep
herds watched their flocks on Christmas
eve.
Third, the Church of the Nativity, be
longing two thirds to the Greeks, one-third
to the Armenians rext 10 it the basilica of
st. Helena, and recently built Catholic
church The Armenians are shouting a
service We receive lighted tapers and de
scend under the church, rock hewn out,
and see tie spot rohere Christ iCds born.
4 big silver star with Latin inscription
covers the spot near which is the manger
or cradle, also the spot where the magi and
the shepherds came and worshipped the
child.
The whole of this subterranean space be
longs to the Greeks and Armenians The
Latins have under their church a narrow
passage leading to il, closed with a door
and hole to look at the holy place, A
Turkish soldier with gun keeps guard over
the nativity star. Once it was robbed and
all sorts of complications ensued
From the Latin church we penetrate into
another series of underground passages
and cells One with a small loop-hole win
dow is Jerome's cell, where he wrote his
Latin translation of the Bible, called the
| Vulgate Here is his picture he died in the
next cell In another cell his lady friends,
{ Paula aud her daughter, were buried The
whole Jerome part belongs to the Latins.
/ Father Stephanos remarks that many things
were discovered in Crusader times which
were not known till then. He has made
the same remark in the milk grotto; evi-
IDENTIFY he does not believe in Latin legends !;
b. h.1 s,,t ,f his fsbu oh
| not less numerous doubt it. With few
/ thousand pounds, some diplomacy, pater
could become venerable bishop; every
/ thing has its price in this well regulated
| system of Greek and Latin churches.
| We reenter the Greek church, which is
superbly adorned with all sorts of saints
| paintings in richly gilt frames, some very
ancient, We are allowed to penetrate in
| side there the altar is, where mass is said,
where common mortsls do not GO; it is "a
very great favor to our party. Before en-
tering the church we have been assailed by
an army of sellers Of rosaries and cruel
/ fixes we have bought quantity almost at
random and in hurry Pater places them
on the nativity star, in its very centre, then
requests the bishop to bless them they are
put on the altar and duly prayed over.
| later they were put also on the holy sepul-
/ chre, blessed by Latin priest ana thus be
came very valuable for many) Before
leaving, we visit the shops in which relg
ious objects are sold it is scene of con
fusion and the custom of the sellers is TO
ask many times the value of each article,
hence a most disagreeable necessity to hag-
gle over each purchase Shells are brought
from the Red Sea, worked aud transformed
into mother-o pearl articles. Bethlehem
is the great centre its business reaches
half million of dollars yearly. So, in.
deed, does religion pay.
In Bethlehem | see a carriage. In Beth
lehem | am pestered by crowd of ped