The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-12-15
Mohammeaan,sm prose,yted with the sc,n.

Mohammedanism proselyted with the scim-
1tar.
Caliphate Of Omar.
How this spirit of conquest and exalta-
ton gave Persia as well as Arabia to shett
arms and led them in the caliphats of
Omar to turn their faces to Syria may be
read in the histories. In G37 for four
months Jerusalem withstood the besiegins
Arabs. AT length, S~ophronius, the Patri-
arch, offered to surrender the town if
Omar himself would sign the capitulation.
! How Omar. mounted on 4 red camel. with
a bottle of water. a bag Of dates and d
sack OF corn hanging from his saddle. set
forth on this enterprise has often been
told.
Mosque on Temple Site.
! The old caliph. conaueror of Persia and
Syria as he had been. was simplicity it
! self. He. too. would spare so holy a place.
He signed a generous capitulation. aud
side by side with the Patriarch entered
the town.. First. Ike a cultivated gentle
man OF the very Oldest school. he inquired
into the religious archaeology OF the place.
For ten days he fingered in Jerusalem.
When he ascended the Temple site ne
gave orders for a mosque TO be erected
there. The remains OF the nexagonal
church of Justinian furnished the founda-
tons. and a mosque Of wood. capable Of
hoicing 500 people. was soon ready for the
worshipers Of Islam.
Rebuilt Fifty Years Later.
But another caiiph. ADD el Malik, half 4
century later. rebuilt IL with q maSniti-
cence that with many changes and acct
dents. even TO being overthrown bY an
earthquake, still preserves the beauty and
sumptuousness Of its origin in that far-ots
END OF the Seventh Century.
And this is the latest phase OF the templa
architecture: built not only. as pious Mos
lens believe. on the site OF Solomon's
Temple, but where Abraham sacrificed ard
MohamIded was carried in his famous vi
sion. the Dome of the Rock, as they call
IT. has been in Mohammedan eyes almost
as sacred as the Holy Sepuichre III the
eyes Of the Christians.
Through the four centuries following it,
capture by the forces of Omar the Temple
site was a place Of pilgrimage to the Mos
and of veneraliou to the Christians
WHO sought the trace OF the footsteps OF
Christ there. To the Jews also it was, as
1t is to-day, a place OF wailinS and lamen-
tation.
In the Tenth Century Jerusalem owned
the lordship Of the Fatimides of Egypt
ever ruled from without. But ruder masters
were coming out OF the farther East The
Seljuk Turks from the Caucasus broke over
Syria III a ruthless tide. Newly converted
to the Mosiem faith. they knew nothing of
Its gentler phases. and the plight OF the
and Christians. even Of the Arabic
Moslems. throughout ali Syria became de-
plorabie. News Of their ~inhumanities and
was carried to the Christian West
The Byzantine Emperor appealed to the
Pope.
Godfrey de Bouillon.
So began the formidable European move
ment for the rescue OF the Holy and and
the Holy SepuIcher from the SaracenJ.
which We call the Crusades. For nearly two
hundred years they made Palestine and its
approaches a SHAMELESS. costing the
lives Of perhaps 400 go fighting men all
told. Up TO Jerusalem the CORY tide flowed
and entered there Oh July u. 1893. AT the
head Of those who bore the cross rode
de Bouillon. q knight Of Brabant,
for two short years thereafter bore
the title Of King Of Jerusalem and Protector
of the Holy Sepulcher. Splendid figures in
mail, some bearing the cross and some the
crescent, flash across the mediasval epic Of
For fifty years the first Latin kingdom Ok
Jerusalem held together. The Mosque OF
Omar on the Temple height became the
palace OF the Crusader Kings. and the
knights Templays took up their abode there
took their rams from it. The history
Of this great order OF soldier monks has
been written many times. 1t has lent itself
to modern fiction and earlier romance.
may have later darkened their
record they proved their bravery. their de-
gotiou. on a hundred fields The dead Of this
great battles of Palestine reads like a mus
sr roll OF the Templars. In 1871. when Sal
ldin crushed the remnant Of the Latin
iorces near Tiberias. . grand master OF the
order was among the prisoners 1t was
hey who led the vanguard Of retreatins
from Jerusalem through . land
beset by victory-fiushed foemen.
When again Jerusalem was retaken thirs
ty-six years after the death Of Saladin. by
Frederick. they were among the first to
in. And again the mosque became the
Temple Of Christ. For fifteen years only
lid this endure. The fermenting East was
till raising fresh semetic leasen every
our. And ever the newcomer marched
rest In the name Of the Prophet Of Mecca.
10, once more and forever to this day. the
foslems entered IN, and now 1br seven CEN
uries and q half the Dome Of the Rock
as been undisturbed In IT. relation to
slam, although the seljuk. the Arab. the
and lastly the Turk ruled with
ut
Ancient Mythical Religion.
When the last knights Templars rode
lown from Mount Noriah n out OF
erusalem they brought with them some
hing Of the East that was not on their
or in their books. In Europe tt
called q heresy-it was at least a Sc
ret grating upon their Christianity Of the
ncient mystical religion Of the Orient.
Something there wal Of the fatality OF
lie Moslem. something Of the twofold
'orld powers for Good md Evn of the
end Avesta. which IL at the real base Of
his discovered n exaggerated Led. after
lauy hot disputes In which racks ana