The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-12-23
IN THE HOLY LAND.
Christmas Day As Il Now Is In
Bethlehem.
The Modernlty Of Jerusalem.--The Scene
Of the Nativity.

years ago, Tells OF buying an arsenal or
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 tho
journey TO Jerusalem full Of danger and
excitement.
Nowadays an uneventful sail on one of
the Messagerie's steamers brings one to
Alexandria. Another stop occurs at Port
Said. just long enough TO take n cocktail
served solemnly by barkeeper in white
cravat, his establishment being in six
story building of iron framework, with
nothing In the least oriental about it.
Then the next morning your boat is bob
bing up and down in sight of Jaffa. The
deck swarms with priests and ecclesiastic-
al travellers, representing all the countries
and religions In the civilized world, and
some that are not civilized, which puts
the sailors in bad humor, as they be-
lieve that priests on board bring bad luck.
Close by the sea at a short distance from
the city railway station stands, little
one, IL Is true, but genuine.
It Is a strange experience indeed riding
to Jerusalem behind pulling and whis-
tling locomotive
After having passed through fragrant
gardens the line opens into plain famous
In Bible history as the garden of Pales-
tine. This was the land of Canaan, the
country of the Pbiistines spreading away
under our eyes In the clear oriental atmos-
phere bounded I'm the distance by the
vague blue lines Of the mountains Of Ju-
daa.
The train rushes onward, and now the
distant points of the mountains of Judaa
grow palmer. On the right in the dis
tance a white point marks the tomb of
Samson and little further on second
white point to the left this time, Is said
TO how the place where he was born.
Finally one reaches Jerusalem, and I'm
pite OF dreams and spiritual exaltatlon it
q impossible TO dcny that the first effect
Is disappointing. One passes into the
Holy City through streets and avenues
which resemble nothing so much as the
unattractiye thoroughfares which run out
of Paris from the st. Ouen quarter.
There Is nothing In the least oriental
about them. .Ipstead of Zion and Golgotha,
one sees 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 Jerusalem
one traverses the valley of Gehenna, sees
Jobs well with its white cupola and then
finds himself advancing up the slopes OF
Mount Zion, which stands to the left.
Continuing along the road one passes a
Jewish city which was commenced by Sir
Moses Montefiore with the idea that it
would be inhabited by poor people of the
Hebrew faith, aud of late years crowds of
this persecuted race have been coming to
the land Of their ancestors and to this par
ticular oity from all parts Of the world.
Arrived at Bethlehem one naturally
hastens to see tho scenes Of the Nativity,
full of expectation and yet ready to be dis
appointed. The Mount OF Olives, Golgotha,
the sacred sephohre, all were in my eyes
spoiled for the want OF that exquisite sim
plicity which had filed my childish vi
sions. Everywh,s'e the artlor Of the faith
: full has shown itself In upsetting and i'm
proving things In a deplorable manner
Passing through the narrow and crooked
street which cuts Bethlehem into two
parts one finally reaches the extremity of
the 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 cist6rns which
served for baptisms and for ablutions
among former generations of Christians.
In those days IL was the usage to wash be-
fore entering the sanctuary
A curious scene Is here on the very bor-
der OF the place of the Nativity. On ono
side burial ground with white tombs, on
two other sides rows Of bare, high walls,
like fortress or n prison. Here and there
windows pierce the walls, but no uoors.
One looks about him mystificd, but finally
discovers u black hole In and out Of which
people arc passing almost on all fours, SO
low Is 10. This is the chief entry to the
sanctuary OF the Nativity. Having passed
through this hole one finds himself i'm
large hall divided by four colonnades and
surmounted by roof nanked 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 as IL on
business of pressing Importance. Former
ly, / am told, tho Arabs used to stable
their sheep here.
But this Is not tho stable where Jesus
was born, and one Is some time In discov-
ering &C. On the left two Turkish soldiers
with rifles are stretched lazily on bench
One Is asleep, the other .yawns. In front
of them circular stairway goes down to
door which seems to Indicate crypt
The door passed, ono continues tho descent
by a narrow staircase until no comes To
two other Turkish soldiers, this time
standing up, with guns ON the floor, and
on the left, lighted by hanging lamps. is
the following inscription HE do Nirgine
Maria, Jesus Christus, Natus Est" (here
Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin
Nary. Wo arc in the stable.
This discovery IL much OF n surprise,
and ones frat movement IL for protesta.
tion, for the simple reason that nothing
at all Ike stable is appe<<.nt. We are
in grotto. To this objection the reply is
made that In oldcn times IL wns tho Gus
tom in Palestine 10 use grottos for stables
At night the Christmas service in Beth
lehcm begins nc 10 O'Clock with pontif
zeal mass celebrated nc the Franciscan
church near the basil.ca The richest
vcstments arc worn for this office, these
having been presented In the name Of the
French republic by Marcchsl Mac Mahon.
This flrSt ceremony IL concluded about
midnight, and thon n long procession with
candles Ia kand moves toward the Rrotto
OF the Nativity First comes the cross