The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-04-19

Helena appears In the pure rays of the
day, which come In pale blush tints
through the openings of the vault. IL is
certainly one of the strangest pieces of
this whole place which Is called the Holy
sepulcher. Here we experienced in the
most striking fashion the sentiment Of
the terrible past 1t was silent when 1
gaze of the phantoms that occupied the
staircase of the entrance. There was an
indistin sound from the bells and the
chants above. Behind the altar another
staircase, occupied by the same kind OF
personageS with long hair, reaches further
down into the darkness. -Four pillars.
snort ana strong, or primitive Byzantine
style, heavy and powerful, sustain the
cupola, from which hang ostrich eggs and
a thousand barbarious pendants. Frag-
ments of paintings on the walls still in
dicate saints with golden nimbus. and In
attitudes stiff and naive, the defacing
caused by humidity and dust Everything
here Is in a state of dilapidation. From
the depths below there comes a procession
Of Abyssinian priests, looking like an
Client Magi coming from the bowels of the
earth. In the distance, near the kiosk of
the sepulchre, the rock of Cavalry ap-
pears. 1t supports two chapels, into which
one enters by about twenty stone steps.
which for the crowd form the chief places
for prostration and s0bs.
From the peristyle of these chapels. as
from an elevated balcony, the view COM
mands confused mass of tabernacles, a
labyrinth of churches The most splendid
bus of silver, which shines out in the
background like a rainbow, there appear
in life size the pale images Of the three
crucified ones-Christ and the two thieves.
The walls disappear under the icons of
silver, gold and precious stones The
altar is erected at the precise place where
the crucifxion took place. Under the al
tar rail a trellage Of silver leaves in view
in the dark rock the hole where the cross
was planted, and It is there that the pi;-
grims crawl on their knees, mOistening
those somber stones with their tears ana
their kisses, while soothing sound or
chants and prayers necessarily comes
from the churches below
And here for now nearly 1000 years the
same scenes have been enacted in this
place, although under different forms ana
In different basilies, with Interruptions OF
sieges, battles and massacres, only to be
reproduced again more passonately than
ever. Here Is the same concert of prayer,
the same ensemble Of supplications and OF
triumphant acts of grace
Certainly these alterations seem a little
idolatrous for him who said God Is
spirit, and those who adore Him must
adore Him in spirit and In truth" But
they are so human! How well they re-
spond to our instincts and to our miseryi
Surely the first Christians, in the purely
spiritual spring Of their faith, when the
teaching of the Master was still fresh In
their souls, did not cucumber themselves
with the magnifcences of symbols and
images. Certainly II was not early recoi-
lectiOns-the place of a martyrdom or an
empty sepulchre-that preoccupied them
they did not seek their Redeemer there
because they saw Him forever freed from,
serene light.
But we, the people of the west and OF
the north. have escaped more recently
from naive barbarties than the anfioue
societies from which the first Christians
sprung. In the middle ages, when the
faith penetrated our forests, II was OBJ
scured by thousand primitive religions
and It is the smallest number among us
that have been sufficiently enfranchised
from accumulated traditions to be able to
embrace the evangelical worship In spirit
and in truth. And, moreover, when faith
is extingulshed in our modern souls II is
still toward this veneration of sacred spots
ard cherished recollections that unbeliey-
ers like me are brought by the sad regret
of the lost Saviour.
Oh that Christ. for whom all these
crowds have come and for whom they
weep; that Christ for whom the poor old
woman near me kneels down, kisses the
pavement, and throws upon the flags her
broken heart, while shedding tears of de-
lcious hope; that Christ who holds me
here also in the same place. Just as He
holds her, in a vague meditation still most
sweet-oh, If He were only one Of our
brothers in suffering, vanished forever
now in DEATH Let His memory be adored
all the same. for His sublime teachings
Of brotherly love, of hope, and of eterni-
tyi And let this place also be blessed, this
unique and strange place which is called
the Holy Sepulchre-even contestable or
fictitious, If you will-but where for now
nearly fifteen centuries there have come
countless grief-stricken multitudes, where
hard hearts have melted like the snow.
and where now my eyes are becoming dim
in one last outburst OF prayer-illogical,
perhaps, but ineffable and infinite!
When the officials went with a notary
and an advocate to take the seals Off the
late Paul Verlaine's chamber. It was found
to contain few books and four pawn
tickets OF the latter. one was for gar
had -
London; another was for an 0veFc0at ana
a pair OF gloves, and the remaining two
were for some linen. The total value was
3S francs