Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-05-10
JERUSALEM AS IT Is.
NOR wt1AT TWAS AS THE ZION ANT
.,sf MORlAH OF THE JEWS.

$1,000
!, but Now It's Population j. Only Forty
b 1houAand- Squalor and ReIi-
Z Ifous Bigotry-Points For Tourists.
% "Jerusalem! This train goes no far
fher!''
kgt'ThiS way, New hotel bust Get outi
Grand hotel, Imshee-Mohammedl Oh,
here is our dragoman! For heavens sake,
rescue our baggage and get US out Of this
mess
We were in Jerusalem after four
hours' Journey on the little railroad that
now runs from Jaffa.
1, What q sight when we remember the
words Of the famous old hymn:
Jerusalem the golden,
With milk and honey blessed.
Yelling dragomans, delirious porters,
French railway officials dancing about as
only French guards can, q hopeless mass
OF baggage, stuck all over with curious
Arabic labels; hotel runners imploring
patronage and promising anything, blind
beggars, yellow, NANCY looking ours, pa
tient, Ill used donkeys and gummy eyed
children, bowling in chorus, 'Backsheesh,
Backsheesh'' form the outskirts Of the
crowd.
Ha This LIS ones first view OF the Holy City,
and his impressions are altogether depend
ent upon his good or bad temper. AS in
photography the perspective Of distance
or history mcllows defects, so it is in Sy-
ria. The reverential feelings Of bishop
would be dissipated in i've minutes after
his arrival. The picturcsqueness Of the ORR
ent fades into drcary foreboding for any
country that can produce SO much misery
and dirt. Tho beaten tracks of travellers
are well marked, however, and tho hotels
are fairly Observation-Disclosures, in fact,
II ones means are unlimited.
1t Is not much Of an undertaking nova
days to go to Palestine and Syria. The
carting Of your traps over Hoboken ferry
boat and fears that they may be lost in
tho pitched battle for their possession
among the boatmen at JafIa are among
the most uncomfortable features Of the
journey. The Mediterranean service estab-
lished by the German transatlantic COM
panies has placed the north coast of Africa
and the west coast of tho Turkish posses
siOns within as easy distance as Southamp-
ton or Liverpool The expenses are not
heavy, and II the personally conducted"
tourist Is not too numerous the trip from
tho time Cape Vincent is reached Is do
lightful. Don't be carried away with the
Idea that you are going to travel on S. a
dizzy. You may possibly do 1t. but if you
do you will wish you had sta'd at home.
1t requires vivid imagination and faith
to picture the Jerusalem Of to-day as tho
Zion and Moriah of tho splendid Jewish
empire. Its crooked lanes and narrow
streets cover the modern crust of all that
Ia holy and sacred to jew, Christian and
Moslcm.
To enjoy Syria be sure you have two
thifigs-faith and money.
Tho longer one sojourns In Jerusalem
tho greater will become his interest. At
ono time the city was supposed to contain
300, 600 people. Today 1t has about 40, 600
OF these 7, $50 are Moslems 2S, 900 Jews,
1900 Latins, $50 United Greeks, so Unit
cd Armenians, 1000 orthodox Greeks, $40
Armenians, 100 Copts, rs Philippians and
about 300 Professionals. OF late years tho
number Of Hebrews has greatly increased
owing to tho prosecutions in Roumania
and Russia. Owing to the bcnevolcnce of
Baron Hirsch, Baron Rothschild and other
wealthy Isrnclites much has been done to
relieve the sufferings Of their brethren, for
they are very poor Many lettering on tho
verge of the grave desire to BIO buried In
Jerusalem and throw themselves upon tho
generosity Of their corcligionists There
are 10 synagogues, in addition to numer-
GUS places Of shelter for pilgrims. The
Alliance Israelito maintains fine school
for handicraft, tho Rothschild hospital is
n new institution, and there is an excel
lent orphanage supported by Germans.
The climate is not merciful to poverty,
ma Ia n s,fb Al tn tn
orient. Snow and frost are not unconl-
mon. The public water supply is bad and
frequently results in fever and dysentery
Altogether 4. is q poor place for COLOMBIA
ton.
The CONFUSION of centuries has made
historical research most difficult. Jerusa-
lem has been tho greatest battle-ground
the. world has ever seen. From tho time
Of Hezekiah to the conquest of Napoleon
1t has been besiegcd, ravished burned and
plundercd by Egyptians, Christians, Mos
lens and French, rent asunder by inferno
cine wars and bloody instructions until it
Is . wonder there is n remnant of 1t today.
Even In this ninctconth century of broth
crly love the various Christian scots about
the holy sepulcher arc waging an internal
war of bitter bigotry and hate, to the great
contempt of jew and Moslem. So violent
have these disputes become that the Mo-
hammedan authorities have frequently
been compelled to interfere to prevent
bloodshed.
We often hear in America charges that
this and that particular religion or creed
has dehasing effect upon mankind. 1t
is n favorite argument of bigotry Look TO
the east for proofs, and you will find Copts
and Moslem Egyptians ON tho same social
level; the Armenian Christians and the
Armenian Moslcms about six of one and
half n dozen Of tho other. Those of the
same environment, but different creeds,
are prcaching the same gospel of religious
intolerance and hate and leading the same
miserable and squalid lives. Have we not
IN our own New York men Of different de-
nominations preaching bigotry, Intolerance
and religious hate instead Of Christ cruel.
fcds
Among the Christians the orthodox
Greeks are the most powerful. This fact
is largely due to the political as well as re-
ligious aims Of the priests and the support
they receive from the Russian govern
ment. The Armenians are most closely
affiliated with the Russians, and both are
Inclined to be more friendly with theProt-
estants than with the Roman Catholics.
Tho lnftrr rnpf along vrr :. wall thopgb