The morning call., 1893-12-24
A PILGRIMAGE TO BETHLEHEM.
The Birthplace of Christ as 1t Now Appears

David with his little stone the great CO.
Hath slew" | passed this place in going
to Bethlehem, and | find that there are
plenty of stones there still. and lusty.
bare-headed Syrian youth was playing
among them. though did not note that be
had the sling of his mighty ancestor. 1t
was not far from this point that 1 rode
through the Identical land which was
owned by BoaZ, the richest farmer of his
day, when he fell in love with Ruth, and
disguised his neighbors by marrying out of
his sphere.
l don't wonder that Boaz fell in love
with Ruth. The Bethlehem girls are
among the beauties of the East and you
will find more pretty girls in the hills of
Judea than in the same amount of terri
tory anywhere else the world over. A
shipload of these Bethlehem maidens if
they could be transported to the great
Northwest would capture the bonanza
farmers of the Dakotas just as Ruth cap
tured this great Landowner. Boaz, and
when they came back to Washington as
Senator's wives they would be the bellies
OF the capital. These Bethlehem maidens
are fair-skinned and frightened. They
have straight, well-rounded forms, which
they clOthe in long dresses of white linen
so beautifully embroidered in silk that q
single gown requires many months of
work.
This dress is much like an American
woman's nightgOwn without the frllls and
laces. 1t tails from the neck to the feet
and is open at the front in narrow
slit as far down as modest decollete
dress. Over this gown they wear sleeve
less clOaks of dark red stripes aud the
head they cover with a long shawl of linen
EN- broidered with silk. Each girl wears
her dover on her person in the shape of a
necklace o.. coins and the forehead of each
maiden is decorated with a crown of coins,
some of which are silver and others gold.
They do not hide their faces like the
Mohammedan women. and their features
are clear cut and refined. l have seen fair
samples OF the pretty girls of most of the
countries of the world and the Bethlehem
girls are the equals of any. They are as
intelligent as they are pretty, and | found
that those with HON | traded usually got
the best of the bargain. Tn re is little
poverty in Bethlehem, and the girls whom
L met were we'll dressed for the Orient,
and they seemed well TO do.
AS you near Bethlehem you find the hills
grow more ragged. Their sides are covered
with stones and you see that they were
terraced into gardens in the days of the
past. About a mile from Bethlehem !
stopped for while before the tomb of
Rachel 1t is a little square building
ii bout the size of smokehOuse, covered
with white dome, and is situated in the
midst of a Mohammedan cemetery. 1t is
worsb ped bv Mussulmans, Jews and Chris
tiar 5, and its walls are covered with the
names Of travellers. A little further on
you find Dayld's well, and then go round
corner and come in sight of Bethlehem.
The Bethlehem Of 1898 is one of the
most prosperous towns in Palestine |; is
bigger to-day than II has ever been, and il
now contains about 5000 people. Ii does a
big business in making beads for the
Catholic pilgrims and the Russians out of
mother-of-pearl, and the most OF the pearl
which come from Palestine
are made at Bethlehem. The people make
a great many backs for prayer-books and
they are thrifty in the extreme. The town
runs along the sides of the hills in the
shape of a horseshoe. and il stands out
against the sky. with big hills rising all
around it. Its Architecture is much like
that Of Jerusalem. save that the houses are
newer and cleaner. They are built of
stone. and they are more like stone boxes
than comforts bic houses. Most of them
are one Story, and they stand close To the
sidewalks, without yards or
gardens. There are no sanitary arrange
ments to speak OF, and these houses and
lot of big churches make up the town.
The people composing 1t are chiefly pa
tives. They are Greek Christians. and
{ here are only three hundred Mobamme-
dams and sixty Protestants in the place.
| asked for the stable in which Christ
lay in the mangeI. / felt sure of finding
H. for in Palestine every spot Is marked.
and. though II is now nearly 1000 years
since the events of Christ's life took place,
the guides of Judea can show you every
spot which his fingers touched and mark
out every foot of land upon which his feet
stood. | was told that it was at the west
ern side OF the town, and / found great
church built over it. just opposite this
IN
baned driver spent his time In this while /
visited the church. Ii is a great stone
structure, ragged and old, with centuries
of hard usage. IL was built, it is said, 1900
years ago by the Emperor Constantine Its
roof was once covered with lead, but the
Turks stripped this off and made it Into
bullets when they captured it, and killed
Christians with the product.
The church has again passed into the
hands of Christians, and the service were
going on as | entered. l stopped for a
and watched the Greek priests,
who in long black gowns, were chanting
their service, while boys in bright-colored
dresses swung incense lamps to and fro.
There were, perhaps. 200 men and women
standing at worship within the great hall,
and the ceremonies were very impressive.
Leaving this hall, | was taken down into
the crypt of the church and thence to the
stable where il is said Christ was born. |
went QOWn Il winning staircase carrying a
candle ana at last found myself in great
cave about twelve feet wide and forty feet
long. the ceiling Of which was about ten
feet high. This cave-like room was floored
with marble. Thirty-two lamps burn day
ard night within il, and il has an altar at
one end under which is a silver star set
into the marble pavement, where you find
an inscription in Latin stating that on this
spot the Virgin Mary gave birth 10 Christ.
] was not surprised to find the stable a
cave. l saw many such in Palestine. and
a great part of the animals of the coun try
to-day are stabbed in caves. This stable,
however, has been changed by the decora-
tons of The church, and it is impossible to
realize the real scene Of Christ's birth
while in it. l looked at the mapger. 1t is
made of marble, and it is said to be the
Identical manger in which he rested.
This is. of course. a fraud. as is also the
well at the other side of the crypt, where
the holy water is said TO have burst forth
at this time Tor the use of the holy family
| looked down into this well. 1t is said
that the star that guided the Magi fell into
il, and that it still shines down there in
the water, but that it is only visible to the
eye of the purest virgin. / looked into it,
but being of the other sex could, of course
not see it.
There are a number Of other chapels
about the stable. each of which has its ira
ditiODs, but the incense. the marble and