Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1892-01-11
cURIos OF JERUsALRu.

ments N Relics-oIfve wood From
Bethlehem and Many Historical
PIaces-Designs From the Dead Ses
and Elaborate Carvings and De.
sigma.
| There is nothing bright, vivid or In
high coloring in the little shop in Car.
mine street Its solitary window, true,
has some little articles in the shape OF
rosaries and reliquAries displayed within
its limits, and thousands of people would
pass by its doors without giving 1t more
than a passing thought or dreaming that
the place contained subjects of interes;
from the Holy Land, little gems of art
from the birthplace of Christ at Bethle-
hem, while other gems are from the
depths of the Red Sea, from Jeddah,
Egypt, while even the Mohammedan Nee
ca is placed under contribution, and Je-
| rusalem and all Palestine have been law
led upon for virtu and workmanship.
That the visitor ia out of the usual
routine becomes very evident when he
faces the strongly marked Semitic fea-
lures of the Arab Selams. born at Beth
lehem, and. though an Ishmaelite, q
Christian. He tells you this in his bro
ken English. while his dark featured,
| pleasant voiced wife interpolates remarks
in Arabic. her dark eyes flashing infor-
| matiezl, but the gist and bearing of her
remarks being as ineligible as q passage
| from the Vedda to the ordinary Ameri-
can listener.
But the curios are there in number,
small bits of exquisite workmanship some
| of them, others very ordinary, but all
significant because they bear the impress
of the land to which all Christian thoughts
turn, the home of its origin, the ground
of cruei6xion and the battle plain of the
Crusaders. And SO it is that as the sr-
ticles pass through the hands and under
the eyes, it is not so much the article
itself as the place of its growth that at
tracts the attention.
Here is a pretty circle of mother of
pearl. with embossed carving, the figures
in bold relief. representative of the trans
fguration of Christ The craven tools
have been very delicate in the tracery, and
the lines are marvelously fine. Another
circle of mother of pearl represents the
Virgin Mother at the manger at Bethlehem,
while the Magii stand near in rapt wonder
and amazement. Features and expression
are distinctly visible, and the work shows
artistic touch and knowledge. Selame goes
on to tell us that this material is obtained
from Jeddah. on the Red Sea, and then
being forwarded to Jerusalem the crude
material is worked into its present form
by Christian artificers in that city.
Beads that look like coral strung in
endless varieties, but really consisting of
a1a nf ats
To these are added crosses of the same
color and texture. This cocoa has a wider
area of growth than many of the other
goods, for there are samples from India,
Egypt, and from Mecca in Arabia, the
specimens from the last named place hay-
ing been obtained from Mohammedsn pill
grims in the crude state, and then worked
into the bead form by Christian labor, con-
sisting of Catholic Arabs, Armenians and
Greeks.
The mother of pearl is transformed into
all classes of bijoutry, small roses. index
hands, leaves, buds, five pointed stars in
closed in circles, fish, beetles, bugs, horses,
knives, pen handles, buttons, breastpins,
all very tastily cut and showing great care
in the designs.
All the more important articles have q
religious tendency, SO when the olive wood
objects were displayed it was not surpris-
IL,
were the principal articles. Many of these
crosses are elaborately caSsed and covered
with mother of pearl on one side. The
designs are sometimes double upon these
crosses-saints in cells. angels hovering
near-but ali deeply religious, showing the
devout ideas of the makers The figures
are very delicatsly carved and sharply de-
fined. Halos of glory surround the OBJ
jects of aduration and are meant TO en-
hance the significance of the picture.
What, however, renders the olive wood
figures of abiding value to Christians is
the fact that the wood is grown on histor-
ic fields Almost every acre of the fertile
tracts around Jerusalem, Bethlehem and
other important points is put to use. and
on many of these acres the cultivation of
olive trees is the chief business, and this
is particularly the case where monasteries
and converts exist.
According to the photographers, and the
statements of Srlsme corroborats them,
the olive trees are grown in the interior of
the town of Bethlehem, on the sites of the
ancient buildings and among the ruins of
those that still raise thei- walls to the sky,
dating from centuries before the birth of
Christ and to the time of Jacob. OFF on
the neighboring hills and mounts, distant
ten, twenty, thirty minutes, for Arabs eI-
press distance by time, not miles, the olive
trees grow, and interspersed are the gar
deps of the people.
The olive trees are cut down and sold to
the artifcers, who manufacture snuff box
es in various forms, books, with STANCE
moving interiors casks in miniature, paper
knives, paper weights, some of the latter
with excellent carving, indicating the
tomb of Absalom, the temple of King Sol
omon and other Biblical sections. Cups
and chalices go 10 make up the varieties of
uses, the wood showing the natural lines
under polish, and as clear as the finest ar
tifcial granting, which in many cases it far
surpasses. Tables, pepper and salt cups,
egg cups and even pincushion stands,
show a careful degree of workmanship and
polish.
Even the flowers, and stems and shrubs,
of the Holy Land find their place in this
singular collection under the titles of
"Fleurs de Jerusalem" "Gethsemane,"
Bethlehem" Mount of 0lirss," as
specification of locality. These flowers,
retaining all their natural colors of pur-
pie, blue, yellow, red and leaves of green,
are gathered by the scholars of the con-
vents or the girls of the families. both
from the gardens of cultivation or the
more luxuriant growth of the broad fields
and hedges. These flowers are then placed
upon cards, pressed, and yet so carefully
that they retain all their natural shapes
and hues.
These relics from the Dead Sea are pro-
duced made of asphalt or a material that
besrJ resemblance tI il. Selsme says of
this that when the blocks are looked upon
from a distance they present a whitish ap-
pearance, but upon being cut into 1t &C.
quires a dark coloring. and when held un-
der the nostrils the smell is decidedly that
of sulphur. The Arabs eye twinklsd as
he recited the story of Sodom and Gomor-
rah, and of the sweetness of the water and
the allegory Of Lots wife. The curios
themselves are in small imitation casks,
with carvings of flowers, scenes of He
brew history, temples and mosques.
Altogether the collection is unique and,
from its historical associations, very inter
esting. r. S. LEWIS.
Notes.
The Scottish Presbyterisns find the rsvi-
sion of the Westminster confession as diff
| ficult A problem to deal with as IL is prov