The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1894-05-25

David captured the Castle of Zion, erected
palace on the site OF the Jebus.te castle,
fortified the place and since then his name
has been associated with it. Just today,
escorted by seven or eight Turkish soldiers,
l assembled the tower of David and had a
splendid view of the city and the country
round about Jerusalem.
For more than 5000 years this city has
been the center of religious interest, and it
may be nice for you to remember this part
of my letter-you already know my inclina-
ton to. history and biography so you can
excuse this. This city has three eras in
history--Hebrew, Roman and Turkish or
Mohammedan. 1t is the city of three relig-
ions and of three Sabbaths-Jewish, Christ
ian and Mohammedan, This has made it a
city of constant turmoil and strife and
through these thousands of years of strife it
has created and nursed race prejudice and
religious blgotry which under the present
condition of things cannot die out. How l
wish that every person who has rreligious
bigotry and thinks that their church is the
only one and fails to see that all Christians
are really of one church--how / wish that
all such persons could come to this ancient
city, go to the place called the Church OF the
Nativity in Bethlehem, and to the place
called the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and
see the masses of poor, ignorant, filthy
creatures crowding about the affairs and
cbrin o,H M Them
manner of gowns, leading the superstitious
masses. II such person could see what it all
means when fully carried out, they would
cease all incinations to sectarian claims.
When it was my opportunity to go into
the place where they claim Christ was
buried, the crowd was so great that it was
difficult to get on. j walked upright like
man. All about me were poorly dressed,
unwashed creatures, some of them haying
walked from 500 to 1900 miles. Here they
were, down ON their knees and even on their
faces, kissing the stones, crossing them
selves. bowling and moaning. Amidst gid-
ed splendor and brilliant candles. sat the
priests. with garments peculiar and decora-
tions all gorgeous, dealing in blessings for
the people, selling blessed candles and dis
pensing holy water and Offering prayer in
unknown tongues Greeks and Latins and
Russians with few Germans and felt like
saying, thank God, no Americans.
May not hope sincerely that our Ameri-
can Christianity will keep it self above the
sad and melancholy degradation displayed
by the masses who crowd these ancient
shrines of superstitions. Think of it my
dear young friends, last evening l stood by
massive building upon which no less than
half million has been expended. 1t is
called church. The doors were locked.
Seated upon the omassive stone steps, l
watched mostly aged women and few aged
men go down on their knees, cross them
selyes, then rise, approach and kiss the
door knobs or the door posts, cross them
selves and go away as If blessed insthe act.
Some one will say ''If only they were sin
cere.r With such person you cannot
reason, but to you can say how would you |
like to have your oldEmother come long |
distance, go through such a performance
and call it religion?
At Bethlehem in the place called the |
Church of the Nativity, the different sects
have different places assigned them for their
shrines, SO there are several places called
the manger and the crib where the infant
Christ was laid, and these sects become so
Jealous of each other that they quarrel about
the room, and there are Turkish soldiers
placed among these shrlnes to keep the
peace and few years ago there was actual
bloodshed over this matter. Here is religion
without the true spirit, the church without
character, and ceremonies without life. And
the money-changers connected with these
places called churches, il they were to be
driven out as Christ drove them from the
temple they could scarcely do it in a day
for the capacity of the doors could not pass
them in that time so numerous they seem to
be. Collections for every saint and in the
name of every saint, money for candles and
money for slippers and money for sacred
this aud sacred that until the whole atmos;
phere seems indeed vulgar with traffic and
all in the name of religion. You will par
don this long sermon-lilze talk about these
matters but my own soul has dwelt in sad
ness over these sights and then to think that
foreigners are working hard to plant this
same priestly rule in America to take the
place of the fervent spirit of the pilgrim
fathers and the gentle simplicity Of the
settlers of my native Keystone state.
Up to this time l have ridden camels,
donkeys and horses in three continents but
not until last Wednesday did really have a
ride. Then mounted genuine Arabian
steed at my hotel to 90 down from Jerusa-
lem to Jericho, accompanied by eight others
and two heavily armed Arabs on splendip
horses as escorts, Of over the hills, by
Mount of Olives and through Bethany, the
place Of Mary and Martha, stopping at the
Good Samaritan Inn for lunch, and then the
wilderness of Judea! Who can ever tell
Of 1t? Such mountains and desolations
Such deep and forbidding rocky caverns and
such hideous looking Bedouins appearing
here and there from you know not where!