People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1897-03-12
Jerusalem---1ts seamy side---Part II.


The English Churchman is in his
glory as>he traverses the winding ways
of Jerusalem, with a bevy of female
devotees at his heels. Everywhere he
sees the fulfllment of prophecy. He
tells me Our Lord has set His curse on
the Jews, and they are still suffering
from the effects of it. 1 reply that in
France and England the Semitic race
have long outlived the curse, and. as
artists, and fnanciers, and statesmen,
have climbed to the top of the tree. It
may be that the poor Jew is under
curse, but, alas my poor Protestant
brother may be included in the same
category, as, undoubtedly, poverty is
curse wherever it exists. They tell me
the Jew is blind because he is waiting
for the coming Messiah. but, I ask, are
we not all waiting for the coming
Messiah, and the sooner He comes
the better for all of us, Jew
and Gentle alike. If the Jew
is, waiting for coming Messiah that is
surely to his credit-that he remains
true to the teaching of his fathers-and
shows him to be no more blind than
those of us who piously await the dawn
of Millennium, which, according to
all human appearances, seems as far
off as ever. When the Turkish Empire
breaks up it will be no easy matter
how to settle into whose hands Jerusa-
lem will be placed. There may be
terrible fight about the Holy City yet.
zone ought to go to Jerusalem if
only to see what priests can build up
on small foundations, and to what
length superstition can be carried, even
in what are termed days of light and
progress. In this respect the Turk is
as great sinner as the Christian, and
tells you how at the resurrection the
risen will have to cross the Valley of
Jehosophat by bridge of the proph-
cts hair, from which the wicked Will
fall straight to Gehenna, while to the
righteous, Heaven, with it's houris, will
open it's diamond gates. You see in
Jerusalem what you see nowhere else,
city built up by religion true or false.
1t is wonderful how Turk and Chris
tian, Roman and Jew. have battled for
its possession. To secure the sacred
places, Russia dragged us into the
Crimean War, and in the Middle Ages
how striking were the adventures of
the Crusaders, including the best blood
of Western Europe. The city is we'll
worth fighting for now. One is scan
dalized at every step he takes. The
sacred sites are all unreal, built over
with churches of all parties, so that
not glim pse of reality remains. 1t is
a shocking sight to see the deluded
votaries of faith which processes to
teach better things kissing every
sacred stone, praying at the corners,
crawling on their hands and knees to
where the Christ was said to have been
buried All that you can realize is that
you are in cave or what might have
been such, lit with endless lamps. and
around which architecture of all kinds
has sprung into existence.
Jerusalem lives on fraud, and there
are no such aiders and abetters as the
pious Christians of England and Amer
lea. 1t is a huge conglomeration of
churches, the Russians, of course, TAX
ing the, lead-synagogues, mosques,
converts, and hospitals and schools
maint aimed by wealth of other lands.
Money is the one thing Jerusalem
sucks in as thirsty soul does water
when it comes, and many well-mean-
ing people find there living prepared
for them who would otherwise have to
starve. AS to the real state of the
people, you never hear word. The
Turkish taxgatherer may grind them
down. The wild Bedouin of the desert
NAV come and take what the tax-gath-
erer has left. But you hear nothing OF
that, and the daily topic of converse
ton among the European settlers is
the repetition of dogma and the fulfil
ment of prophecy. 1t is not till you
have cleared out. taken the rail to Jaffs
and sail along the blue waters of the
Mediterranean that you get rid of the
once more breathe free. THE Ameri
can.
We Want Names.
We want the names of two live, act