The herald., 1897-04-18
IN JERUSALEM

The songs of Easter Sunday recall
memories of nineteen centuries ago. The
minds of the singer and the listener are
unconsciously turned in the direction
Of that wonderful city, Jerusalem, the
scene of the worlds gratest tragedy.
the beginning of an era which promises
to last as long as Father Time watches
over us, and the Reaper Death wields
his sickle.
There Is an indefinable something
about the celebration of the day in this
far away eastern city which thrills the
being of the resident with awe and i'm
presses the visitor in an emotional man
ner as nothing else could do. All look
reverently at the objects which, there
is every reason to believe, watched with
natures eyes the last walk of Christ
to a cruel death. Others still remain
as they were on that memorable day
1897, years ago, when there occurred
resurrection which the whole world to-
day celebrates. There are today in Je-
rusalem two houses more than 1000
years old. by which passed that famous
procession whose march ended upon
the Mount ofNCalvary. There is an an
tiquity that overshadows all, general
air of solemnity, that makes one feel
on Easter Sunday in. that particular
spot of the world as if in some way or
other the years had been rolled away
and all of those secenes of which mill
| ions have read were about to be re-en-
| acted.
| Jerusalem is the ideal city of all others
| for the celebration of the Easter festi-
val. Christ stood upon the hill of Cal
vary 1897 years ago and looked down
| upon the town where he had labored and
| been betrayed. That was the first East
| er morning, and since then every year
kind and loving hands, representing
countless generations of all times, all
creeds and all races have left some token
| in honor of the day at at least one of
| those places made sacred by the memo
ries of the Son of Man.
On Easter day the reputed tomb of
Christ in the church of the Holy Sepul-
chre is covered with the lilies which
are used all the world over. The Mount
of Calvary is visited by the Christian
| population of the town and the men,
bers of the various religious orders in
| habiting 1t, and flowers are strewn upon
| the spot where the cross is supposed to
| have stood. The archways under which
| tradition tells us Christ walked on his
| way to the spot of crucifixion are stand
| ing just as they stood fully 220O years
| ago. Every Easter the little children of
| many of Jerusalem's families are taken
| to this place of the cross and told what
| the various objects signify, and of the
great events which transpired there.
| These are the only children in the world
| to whom the true significance of Easter
! Sunday is made apparent by an object
lesson, and such an object lesson as no
Christian mind ever fails to appreciate.
| Although nearly nineteen centuries
have elapsed since Christ passed from
among men, the city of Jerusalem does
not exhibit notable changes from its
| appearance, as judged from history, at
the beginning of the Christian era. 1t
| is still the terminus of pilgrimages.
The same queerly gowned and strange
| ly hooded figures are seen upon its
streets now that were familiar to those
who lived when Pontius PLATE was
| disciple of justice, so-called. The IA
nous localities which the world has
learned to know are absolutely as they
were then. All about, through and
through, it is a place of memories, and
one which stirs the emotions of even
| the most Ilnty hearted.
Perhaps the most notable of all these
places with which mankind mas become
familiar is the place of the Skull" The
most of us know it as Mount Calvary.
| When the traveller is at the famous
Gate of Joppa he sees the mount out
lined against the blue Palestine sky. The
guide tells him that it is the name first
given. If the traveller recognized that
name he finds therein the cause Of the
strange feeling of familiarity which has
! first come to him when he caught his
initial glance at the mount. On Easter
| Sunday every believer in the doctrines
which were preached by the Being
| whose resurrection is celebrated makes
| his way to the mount, and there, in some
| form or other, observes the day. There
are professions of old and young. One
hears that familiar anthem, GLORIA in
Excelsis," all about. Now to the Mount
or the Garden of Gethsemane comes
troop of young girls all clad in white
and singing, Christ the Lord is risen
| today Alleluia!"
This Garden of Gethsemane, where the
children love to spend much of their
time on Easter, is small enclosure 100
feet long and 150 feet wide 1t is cared
for by a colony of Franciscan monks,
who spend much time in beautifying it.
The Bible says: I'm the midst Of the
garden was the sepulchre," and the stu
dents of Biblical events generally ac-
knowledge that it was here Christ was
buried The place is beautifully adorn-
ed with hedges, kept in exquisite order
by the monks. There are inuumerable
beds of pinks and roses, and visitors are
given nosegay by the monk in attend
ance. The popularity of the garden
with the children of Jerusalem is evil
denced by the number of little ones
seen about the streets on Easter day
wearing flowers such as are only to be
! secured from the monks
The Easter celebrants are almost sure
| to visit the bunch Of seven venerable
olive trees, some of them nineteen feet
| in circumference. and SO old that their
trunks are shered up With stones. These