The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1902-05-22

I W
narty's experiences in the Holy Land.
The letter is as follows:
Jerusalem. within the walls, is city
of narrow and dirty lanes-the widest IL
feet across. All are full OF rubbish heaps
every few yards apart, and the smell Is NOT
the odor Of sanctity. The houses are DARK
dcns. and it would be difficult to imagine
life spent under more gloomy and less
salutary surroundings. Amid all TINS
s0ualor we come upGn :he finest OF all
Mohamme,lnn mosques, the dome OF the
rock or the Mosque of Omar. In the cen
ter of the mosque is the rock OF Mount
Moriah, on which David sacrificed oxen to
stay the plague. 1t is wonder that MOD
ern Jerusalem is ever free from plague
THE MOSQUE OF OMAR.
The Mosque of Omar has n magnih-
cent central dome, and all around are
embellishments of mosaic, of gold, silver.
cry stalls and precious stones. The rough
natural rock in the center is a strong con-
trnsf TO the costly artistic designs sur
rounding it. From this rock MOhammed
is said to have assembled to Heaven, ana
the holes are shown which the anger
Gabriers fingers made when he held down
the rock to prevent its going up with the
prophet The hairs of MOhammed's beard
are also exhibited to the credulous visitor
But apart from the mythical legends, the
vi
1t stands on the site of SOlOmon's Temple
and is a worthy successor.
When the Sultan of that day saw 1t
upon its completion, he was 50 struck by
it's beauty that he ordered the architect
to be killed so that he might not build an
other like it anywhere else. 1t seems, IN
bvEonc times III the East it was no I'M
common thing to put out the eyes, cut
off the hands or take the life of man
who had designed specially beautiful
building so as to insure its not beng du-
plicated. One would have thought that
the architects profession would be de-
serted one, or else that those who follow
ed it would make their structures as ugly
as possible.
In the rock of Mount Moriah are
caves said to be the praying places of
Abraham and of Solomon. A stone slab
in the floor is from the ruins of the Tenn
pie and has had 10 nails driven into 1t.
Only three are left, and the guide inform
ed me very SOlemnly that when these three
are gone the end OF the world Will come.
If you put bakshish upon this sacred
stone it will insure your gong to Heaven.
Two of our party took the insurance poll
cies. but the other three declined, and their
future welfare is consequently very I'M
certain.
Near the mosque is building said
to be q part of the ancient temple. 1t
has huge pillars which it would take three
men to span. Here it was that Christ
entered the temple when He overthrow
the money changers.
THE JEWS MAILING PLACE.
Passing from this through more mar
row, dirty and perfumed streets we come
to the Jews wailing place. The stones
of this wall are all that is left Of the
Temple of Solomon, and every day, but
especially on Fridays, the Jews come here
to wall. groan and lament in beart-rending
tones that their beautiful house has been
taken from them, and pray that they may
be restored to their kingdom.
I'VE make our way from here, ascend
ing Mount Zion, and near the top obtain
a splendid view Of historical places. OPP
posite to us is the Mount Of Olives, with
The Garden of Gethsemane at its base.
To the right is the Hill of Offense, where
Solomon built an idoatrous house oppo>
site the Temple of the Lord. Beneath 1t
runs the Brook of Kedron and close by
are the village and Pool of Sloan. In the
distance are the Mountains of Moab, and
beyond these the great desert of Arabia.
The direction in which Babylon lay is
pointed out to us, and when we asked
how far it was the reply came that II was
a month off, just as i'll England and Scot
land they say that place is 10 minutes
walk Here you are told it is Il fortnight
or month away.
Next we took carriages to Mount Cal
vary 1t is Il strange irony on the great
est tragedy of the world that now the
spot on which 1t was enacted is moSlem
burying place. where sleep the bodies of
those who believed not Jesus. The tomb
where Christ was buried for three days
is pointed out, but, like much else that
is pointed out in Jerusalem, it is cOnjec-
ture rather than certainty. Calvary 1t
self is located in other parts of the city,
notably iii the Holy Sepulchre, by those
who do not believe in the green hill far
away but many authorities place their
faith in the latter. 1t is said that once
large syndicate desired to buy the green
hill at any price, but the reply was given
that there was not money enough in the
world to buy Mount Calvary-and it is
Il MOhammcdan cemetery.
UNiioLY STRIFE IN HOLY PLACES.
Returning from the sacred spot We
met Turkish regiment marching into
town. Asking what their mission was,
we were told that these Mohammedan
soldiers had come to Jerusalem and Beth
lchem to prevent Christians from fighting
and killing each other during their religi-
GUS celebrations i'll the Holy Sepuichrc,
and in the church wherein is said TO be
located the manager i'll which Christ was
Christians have fierce rivalry on Christ
mas and Easter as to which shall get into
the sacred places first Greeks, Armen-
ians, Copts, AbysSnians, Russians and
Roman Catholics all engage III this UNI
holy strife in holy places. Some time ago
priest who was trying to separate them
was shot dead on the steps leading down
to the manger at Bethlehem. On another
occasion Il clash resulted at the Holy Sc
pulchre between the sects as to which
should be the first to lead into the build
ings at the celebration. Stones and brick
bats were used i'll the argument with fear
full result. Some of the participants,
was informed, were seriously wounded.
The rivalry between the Greek and
Latin Christians is such that the lamps
and the pictures in the clOiSter adjoining
the sacred manger are subjects of con
tnuOuS strife. each trying to put up more
than the other The Manager itself is sur
rounded with candles and crucitiXes, and
nothing is left to Indicate that the place
was ever Il stable A Moslem soldier
keeps guard over the grave of our Lord!
Bethlehem is six miles from Jerusalem,
and today the principal industry is the
manufacture OF olive wood and mother
of-pearl articles most of them being from
designs representing the lite of Christ and
the Virgin Mary.
THE GARDEN OF GE1HSEMANE.
"Having thus seen the birthplace of the
Savior, we make Il pilgrimage 90 the scene
of His agony, the Garden of Gethsemane.
This is outside the walls of Jerusalem, OPP
posite the Golden Gate. This gate is