The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1898-12-23
IN THE HOLY LAND.
CHRISTMAS DAY AS 1T NOW Is IN
bethlehem.

TI:e Modcrnity of Jerusalem - The
scene OF the acknowledgements
Visitors In the Sacred Grott0.
Christmas Night Rituals.
"All aboard for Jerusalem, Ramleh,
Artouf and the tomb of Samsonr"
The poet Lamartine, writing of the
Holy Land in his meditation" sixty odd
years ago tells of buying an arsenal of
pistols, sabers and other weapons to arm
his company against the Greek pirates
who infested the archipelago sea and of
divers other dangers which made the
journey to Jerusalem full of danger and
excitement
Nowadays an unevcntful sail on one of
the MCsSageries steamers brings enc to
Alexandria. Another stop occurs at Port
Said just long enough to take cocktail
served solCmnly by barkeeper in white
cravat, his establishment being in a six
story building of iron framework, with
nothing in tho least oriental about it,
Then the next morning your boat is hob
bling up and down in sight of Jatta. Tho
deck swarms with priests and cccIcS!astic-
al travellers, representing all the countries
and religions in the civilized world, and
SOME JIliO arc uOG CINlllIGtl, "ilIL pNIS
the sailors in bad humor, as they be
lievc that priests on board bring bad luck.
Close by the sea at a short distance from
the city railway station stands, a little
one, it is true but genuine.
1t is a strange experience indeed riding
to Jerusalem behind putting and whis
Ting locomotive
After having passed through fra grant
gardens the line opens into plain famous
in Bible history rs the garden of Pales-
tine This was the land of Canaan, the
country Of the Philistines spreading away
''..lcr our eyes in the clear oriental atmos-
phrre, bounded in the distance by the
vague blue lines Of the mountains of .Ju-
dGpa.
The train rushes onward, and now the
distant points of the mountains of JudHa
grow palmer. On the right in the dis
lance white point marks the tomb Of
Samson and q little further on second
white point, to the left this time, is said
to show the place where he was born
Finally one reaches Jerusalem, and in
spite of dreams and spiritual exaltatiGn ii
is impossible to deny that the first etfeI,
is disappointing. One passes into the
Holy City through streets and avenues
which resemble nothing SO much as the
unattractive thoroughfares which run out
of Paris from the st. Ouen quarter
There IS nothing in the least oriental
about them. Instead OF Zion and GOlgotha,
one secs only red roofs and long new build
ings with monotonous lines of windows
which look like hospitals and orphan asy
lums.
Passing outside the walls Of ,Jcrusalcm
one tiIyerses the valley OF Grhcnna, sees
- 1. L =. 1.
finds himself advancing up the Slopes Of
Mount Zion, which stands to the left.
Continuing along the road Sre passes u
Jewish city which was commenced by Sir
Moses M0nteforc with the ide;. that it
would be inhabited by poor people Of the
Hebrew faith, and of late years crowds of
this prosecuted race have been coming to
the land OF their ancestors and to this par
ticular city from all parts of the world.
Arrived at Bethlehem one naturally
hastens to see the scenes of tho Nativity,
full of expectation and yet ready to he dis
appointed. Tho Mount Of Olives, Golgotha,
the sacred scpulchrc, all were in my eyes
spoiled for the want of that exquisite sim
plicity which bad filled my childish vi
sions. Everywhere the ardor of tho faith
full has shown itself in upSetting and i'm
proving things in deplOrablc manner
Passing through the narrow and crooked
street which cuts Bethlehem into two
parts one finally reaches the extremity OF
tho burg and finds himself in an oblong
square, which in its turn opens into an
esplanade paved with stone, here and there
showing openings into cisterns which
served for baptisms and for ahlutions
among former generations of Christians
In those days ii was the usage to wash be-
fore entering the sanctuary
\ curious scene is here on the very Dor
der Of the place of the Nativity. On one
side burial ground with white tombs, On
two other sides rows Of bare, high walls,
like fortress or a prison. Here and there
windows pierce the walls, but no doors
One looks about him mystifed, but finally
discovers black hole in and out Of which
people are passing almost ON all tours, 50
low is it, This is the chief entry to the
sanctuary OF the Nativity Having passed
through this hole, one finds himself in
large hall divided by four colonnades and
surmounted by roof thanked by heavy
beams People stand about talking and
smoking, children play, Turkish soldiers
sew up their uniforms, women give suck |
to their infants, fakirs offer oranges, beads |
and candies for sale, while Greek and |
Franciscan monks hurry about rs if on |
business of pressing Importance. Former
ly, l am told the Arabs used to stable |
their sheep here. |
But this is not the stable where Jesus |
was horn, and one is some time in diSc0v- |
cring il. On the left two Turkish soldiers |
with rifles are stretched lazily on bench. |
One is asleep, the other yawns. In irons |
of them circular stairway goes down to |
Il door which seems to indicate g crypt. |
The door passed, one continues the descent |
by narrow staircase until he comes to |
two other Turkish soldiers, this time |
standing up, with guns on tire floor, and |
on tho loft, lighted by hanging lamps, is |
the following inscription: HE do NirSine |
Maria, Jesus Christus, NatUs Est (hcra |
Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin |
Nary. We are in the stable
This discovery is much of "a surprise, |
and ono's first movement is for protcsta- |
ton, for the simple reason that nothing |
at all like stable is apparent We arc
i'll "a lsrotto. 10 this objection the reply Is |
made that in olden times it was the Gus
tom in Palestine to use gruttos for stables !
AT night the Christmas service in Beth |
lehem begins mt 10 O'Clock with pontif- /
zeal mass celebrated at tho Franciscan |
church near the basil;ca. The richest |
vestments arc worn for this office, these |
having been presented in the name Of the
French republic by Marcchal MacMlhon.
This first ceremony is concluded about |
midnight, and then long procession with |
cane ) in hand moves toward the grottO
of the Nativity. First comes the cross
bearer, followed by Franciscan monks and !
members OF other religious bodies. The I
patriarch comes last, and directly behind /
him, at the head of the laymen, walks the
French consul with his attendants.
Only those who prccedc the patriarch
piii.rY cnndIns hmt that dipnifnrr hrnrs in