The Irish standard., 1899-04-08
Famous Grotto in the Convent
of St. Giovanni.
MECCA OF The ORIENTAL DEyOTEES
The Picturesque Costumes Worn
by the Pilgrims.

In the ancient day Bethlehem was a
busy, thriving, gorgeous city. with its
pomp and wealth and splendor, as well
as its poor and wretched. 1t is sur
rounded on every side by the rising
hills and valleys Of Judca. dyed in the
rich shades OF perpetual summer, with
the gleam OF winding. scmi-scorchcd
walls, almost as ancient as is the world,
showing themselves through the green
oi tree and shrub.
Modern Bethlehem, no longer mighty.
has scarce 300 inhabitants, most OF whom
are Chri ristians. The walls OF the city are
fallen away and are covered by the
moss and green OF picturesque ruin; at
the site OF the fountain where the shcp-
herds kept watch in the night when the
argels announced to them the birth Of
the Lord, two olive trees. fully grown.
spread their branches; the streets are
dirty and few and harrow, and contain
an occasional rude shop.
Bethlehem, the greatest as we'll as one
Of the least OF the worlds cities, has no
industry outside the making OF mother
of-pearl beads and crosses, and the peo-
pie. carpenters. masons. laborers, me-
chanics. walk six miles to Jerusalem and
back at the rising and setting OF the
sun, In the streets small scraps OF pearl
lie, thrown out as refuse and CLEAN and
glisten in the sunlight with all the varied
hues of the rainbow. One OF the few
r:acadamized roads in Palestine runs
from Jerusalem through Bethlehem and
on to Hebron, distance OF twenty five
miles in all.
1t is the main road beside which, Ra
chel died more than 1000 years ago,
and where her grave is marked to-day;
the road which Ruth Travelled when she
went to Bethlehem with Naomi. her
| mother ,-law, to become the mother OF
Kings; the road over which the Virgin
Mary passed the day before the birth OF
Christ, when she journcyed from Naza
rcth to Bethlehem, a four days trip, to
meet the tax imposed on all. every one
unto his own city" The scene along
the road is Oriental, but the pavement
is not, and il dctracts from the biblical
romance and suggests more OF modern
than OF ancient Bethlehem.
The Convent OF Saint Giovanni con-
tains the Grotto OF the Nativity, the spot
| where Jesus was born, which was erected
by the Empress Helena on the site OF a
magnificent temple OF the tabled god
Adonis, built by the Emperor Hadrian
who thought, in his hatred against all
who profcsscd the Christian belief, that
a perfect figure OF Venus placed where
| now rcpOscs a waNcn image OF the
Christ child, would outrage Christianity
The convent is divided among the
Greek, the Roman, and Armenian Chris
tians. to each OF whom are assigned
separate divisions for places OF worship,
as well as for lodging But on certain
great days they all perform their devo-
tions together before the altars placed
over the most memorable spots within
the convent walls. Christmas and Easter
are celebrated in Bethlehem for a week
preceding the great days.
Last year two Chicagoans OF the
South Side, gentleman and his wife.
spent the Easter week in Bethlehem,
leaving Jerusalem to do so. as do many
OF that city's inhabitants. They passed
in a carriage down the macadamizcd
road with the bits Of history on either
side. 1t was Palm Sunday. Bethlehem
means "a house OF bread" an appropri-
ate name for the birthplace of Chris
tianity. the bread OF everlasting life. "
Bethlehem was dcckcd in freshly cut
palms taken from the many trees. Palm
leaves were hung like banners from the
house tops, from the windows. were
| twincd like arches over the doors and
above the gateways, and we're spread
like rugs along the floors and walks.
Every one was out OF doors. The deep
green leaves were brandished in the
hands OF men and women OF all ages. oil
all sizes, OF every nationality and cos
tune, as well as in the hands OF chill
dren. who added their prayers and
hymns to the general rejoicing. The
scene was one OF brilliant color ant
magnificent action.
Through the narrow little streets back
and forth before the houses, around tht