The Portland daily press., 1893-04-29

DOME OF TEE CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEP
uLCHER.
The new crusade is not being con-
Quoted on the same Lines as those of Pc
ter the Hermit and st. Bernard. It is
being preached with equal fervor, no
doubt, but the methods proposed are en-
tirely different. tt is prominently
nineteenth century idea and will prob
ably have the usual nineteenth century
effectiveness. The leaders Of the new
movement intend to rely upon the power
Of gold rather than upon force of arms
or strategy to win their battles and will
try to purchase with accumulated wealth
what so many lives and SO much treas
ure were vainly sacrificed to win. The
duties Of the modern crusader will be
confined to furnishing the means where
with to make this possible. There is
but one condition imposed upon those
who join the Army Of the Holy Cross,
the payment Of the prescribed fee-25
cents annually or $12 for a life member
ship. The army numbers hundreds Of
thousands Of members all over the
world and already counts it's member
ship in America by the thousand. It's
headquarters in the United States are
in the city Of New York.
With the contributions furnished the
army has already purchased the Turkish
novels that surrounded the ancient basil
lea Of st. Joseph, the first church ever
dedicated to the foster father Of Jesus,
said to have been erected on the site Of
his workshop, and at Nazareth house
for Catholic pilgrims is being erected
with these funds. But tho grand idea
of the army is to raise sufficient money
to purchase all the shrines, including
the holy sepulcher, which is now, as it
has been since the year 1908, under the
joint control Of the Orthodox Greek
priests and the Franciscan fathers, who
have charge Of it on behalf of the Roman
church.
The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is a
very large building and includes be-
meath its roof, besides the traditional
tomb Of Joseph of Arimathea, wherein
Christ was laid, many other spots made
sacred by association With the passion
and death Of the Redeemer. The holy
sepulcher stands right under the cupola,
and about 80 feet away from it is the
rock of Calvary, whereon the cross was
raised. just across the rotunda is an
altar marking the spot where Christ ap-
peared to Magdalene, and farther on is
the prison Of Christ. Another altar is at
the spot where the Roman soldiers di-
vided Christ's garments, and just at the
foot of the steps which lead to the chapel
Of Calvary is the stone on which Christ
sat when crowned with thorns and
Knocked in the pretorium. On the rock
Of Calvary are the place where Jesus was
stripped Of his garments, the spot where
he was nailed to the cross, the place
where the cross was planted and the
spot where his lifeless body was placed
in his mothers arms after being taken
down from the cross. Here also is one
of the rocks that were split across at the
time Of his dissolution.
The Chapel of the Holy Sepulcher, the
center Of all the sanctuaries, is divided
into two parts. First is the Chapel of
he Angel, wherein the angel appeared
on Easter morning. and where there is
shown piece Of the stone that closed
the tomb, on which he sat, and then
comes the sepulcher itself. The en-
trance to this is so low that person can
only enter in STOPPING position or on
Bonded knees, and there is barely room
within for three persons at time. The
original rock is covered over with white
alabaster to preserve it from profana-
lion, and the slab now there is said to be
the identical one put in place by st. Hell
an, mother Of Constantine the Great. On
panels behind the tomb are two repre-
sentations in relief of the resurrection,
ane belonging to the Greeks and the 9TH
er to the Romans. The latter is beauti-
tul solid silver reproduction of Raphael's
famous painting. III. T. WHITE.