The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1891-12-03
2GE, VIRGINIA
A NEW JERUSALEM.
Changes in the Famous clty-Jev


Changes in the Famous City-Jew
Returning to Their Home.
A foreign correspondent of the Ne
York Observer sends that paper the TO
! lowing picture OF modern Jerusalem
Travellers to Jerusalem to>day ma
well be surprised at the innovation
which they find there. There stands TIL
old city on it's three hills, with its Gomes
mosques and church spires cleaning
above the turreted walls just as it ha
been pictured and described. There ar
the deep ravines on the east, south ant
west, which seem to heighten the walls
Olivet and Bother, and in the distance
1.-The mountains that are around abou
Jerusalem" But this is the old city. 4
new Jerusalem is springing up outside
the walls. Only decade or two age
travellers approaching the city from the
north saw but two or three old buildings
on that side of the wall
Now there are houses for nearly two
miles north of Jaffa Gate, while to the
east and west beyond long rows of cot
tages and freshly-tiled tenement houses
are newly-cut streets and scores of un,
finished houses Land has doubled and
trippled in value within 5 years, fol
twenty-one colonies of Jews have set
tied themselves through Judea and Sa-
maria and are buying up large tracts of
land, building houses and cultiyating the
SOIL Hills about Jerusalem which a few
years ago were described as bare and
stony are now covered with oliye groves
and vineyards. Carriage roads between
Jerusalem and Jaffa, Bethany Bethle-
hem and Hebron have taken the place
of gullies and bitches full Of rock, over
which the travellers were obliged to ride
a few years ago. A road is also begun in
Jericho, and the long-talked Of railroad
between Jaffa and Jerusalem is now
partly completed.
Inside of Jerusalem's walls many
changes are also occurring. Old build
ings are being torn down to make room
for new and better ones. Many of the
StlSttS nave OCtl iiSNiJ 1cIf C0 eliIl Ulicli
vaulted roofs torn away to let in the
sunlight. New gates have been opened
in the walls of the city, and it has even
been limited that the old walls may be
torn down altogether and the stones
used for building.
The greatest improvement in prospect
for the city is water works After tedi-
Gus negotiations Constantinople permits
sion has at last been granted a company
to proceed with their plans for supplying
the city with water. 1t would be
brought from Solomon's pools, the old
reservoirs which probably watered the
Kings famous gardens Much of the
masonry is still preserved and can be
restored, as well as that Of some of the
ancient aqueducts which conducted wa
ter to Jerusalem. The pools are almost
nine miles from the city, eighty OF nine
ty feet higher than Jerusalem, and will
be supplied with water from a number
of small springs in their vicinity, inclGd
ing what is supposed to be the sealed
fountain referred to in Solomon's song.
A system of water works would be an
incalculable boon to the city, as cistern
water, which is now the chief source of
supply, becomes scarce and stale in the
summer, causing much fever and con-
tagion.
The business of Jerusalem is rapidly
passing into the hands of the Jews, as
can be seen by walk through the
streets on Jewish Sabbath. Shops are
closed and business suspended on whole
streets which, a short time ago, were
outside the Jewish quarters.
These changes are due to no govern
mental revolutions, but are simply bust
ness results of the immigration of the
Jews, the most remarkable feature of
which is it's suddenness. 1t was not I'M
til four or five years ago that the him
ORANGES to Jewish immigration were ac-
tually removed, although the restrice
tions were nominally withdrawn in 1866.
Long after that, however, many who
turned back without being allowed to
land. 1t is now difficult to get at GER
rect estimate of the number of Jews in
Palestine, as they are constantly pour
ing in in great numbers, but in Jerusa>
lem alone the number has increased
within twelve years from eight thousand
to more than forty thousand.
These facts, taken in connection with
the expulsion of the Russian Jews, have
8 great deal of interest and
aroused speculations concerning the
final return of the Jews founded on the
cries none to well grounded. There are
some striking faots in connection with
the situation in Jerusalem to-day The
time has come when the people may
''dwell safely" there. The city gates
stand open day and nights and are
almost unguarded. The Jews go about
the city fearlessly, although few years
ago they scarcely dared to appear alone
on the streets at night.
They are coming into possession OF
the land, as foreto!d. They buy for
subscribe evidences and seal
them, and take witnesses in the land of
and in the places about Jeru
salem, and in the cities of Judah, and in
the cities of the mountains, and in the
cities of the valley, and in the cities of
the south" In the new city outside the
walls ''also Jerusalem may be said to be
as towns without walls for the
multitude of men and cattle therein y
A great deal has been said about the
return of the later rains, but the irregu-
lar showers that come one year and fail
the next scarcely answer to the descrir-
ton of abundant rains promised, al
though the harvests are increasing and
the hills of Judah and Samaria are being
covered with the vine and the valleys
turned as a plain.
Thus far the building of the city has
gone out over a hill and .scompassed
about to another hill. 1t has also gone
into an old cemetery, valley of dead
bodies" and around an lash heap and
on out over the fields into branch Of
the brook Kedron. But the starting
point, the site of the ''tower of Hama
neel, has not been located. and until
II,