The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-12-21


religious. the Land of Palestine is as
that splendid star that shone over 1t
nineteen hundred years ago. when there
began the most beautiful life OF which
song or story or creed has ever told.
As mankind turns TO the Star with
every recurring Christmas Evening,
so does its longing turn ever toward
the Land Of Galilee, the Land where
there lie Jerusalem the Queen and
Bethlehem and the Place OF the Cross
and the Resurrection.
Jerusalem Jerusaleml" sang the
Hebrews to their harps by the weep
ing willows of the Brook Kedron. IF
I ever forget thee. Jerusalem, may my
tongue cleave to the roof Of my mouth
and my right hand wither."
Star OF Bethlehem" sings the
Christian in all the world under many
far stars. From the Northern Lights
to the Southern Cross he dreams Of
that one cold, pure star. shining over
the beloved city. as instinct to-day with
the Nazarene as when he trod its mar
row streets
Yet that Holy OF HOLES is the one
spot in the world that is apparently
forever out OF his reach.
Almost year after year Is a renewed
attempt to form n coalition Of religious
interests to get possessions of the sa-
cred sites. In its latest form the at
tempt comes as a proposition that all
the Christian creeds coEbine In a great
crusade TO collect enough millions Of
dollars to buy the Holy Land from the
Turkish Sultan.
But to those who know the motley
politics and enmities of Paiestine's
present owners, the possibility of pur-
chase can only appear a faint one.
For, in the first place, the land Is holy
to the Mohammedan no less than II is
to the Christian and the Jew. He
would be both an impious and daring
Moslem ruler who would essay to sell
the country that contains the tomb of
Rachel and the site OF the Temple of
solomon, held to be so sacred by the
Turks that they will not even permit
excavation near them.
Even should the MosIem dare II, he
could not deliver the purchased prop
erty; for In that tract of 5000 square
miles there dwell fierce Arab fighting
men, some of whom barely acknowi-
edge the rule OF the Turk while others
do not acknowledge 1t at ALL, To seize
the land from them might well be a
bloody performance-as bloody as the
attempt of the attempt OF the Tweift
Century crusaders and. perhaps, with
as little success.
The dream that was dreamed by
hundreds Of thousands. when the En-
peror of Germany went TO Palestine,
that he would he the modern Godfrey
to win the Holy Land for Christianity
(albeit by purchase or treaty and not
by arms) has faded away. And what
may be expected in the form of
united Christian movement can be
estimated by viewing the strife and
feud that exist all the time between
the Christian sects that have a foot
hold in the Holy City now. The Turk
maintains an armed guard at the
Church Of the Holy Sepulchre itself to
keep the peace between the adherents
of the Greek and Latin Churches
there.
The idea of purchasing the Holy
Land for the Christmas is opposed,
also, by the plan OF the zionists to
purchase Palestine for the Jews.
The plans of both are opposed to
the interests OF Russia That gov
eminent to-day has its strongholds
in most Of the principal towns of
Palestine, They are called monas-
teries, but are actually forts. and the
Car would resent the control OF the
sacred places by any power other than
his own.
Bethlehem is q Christhian city and
Nazareth contains a large number of
Christians, but with these two excep-
tons, Christian power Is very small.
Jewish control is altogether wanting.
so that 1t is the Turk who stands
guard over the boliest places toward
which the hearts OF the true believers
turn.
Even when 1t comes to studying the
Holy Land the efforts Of Europeans
are hampered on every side by the
Turkish regulations. 1t is true that
the English Palestine Exploration
Fund has made an excellent survey OF
Palestine. the only complete work
done there in the interest of science.
When II comes to excavation the
Sultan is slow to grant irmins, and
even when these permits are signed,
sealed and delivered, IL Ii happens that
any spot appealing to Mohammedan
faith is to be disturbed, the work OF
the Investigators must stop at the
stone barrier Of Turkish prejudice.
1t is due partly to this cause that
SO little really effective work in the
line OF discovery has been done. Col.
Gender has, it is true, followed part
Of the wall of Jerusalem, and what Is
supposed to have been a part of the
wall OF Soiomon's temple has been
found; but the greatest work OF the
kind was done by Or. Bliss at Lachish,
or, as II is now called, Tell-el Hesy.
In this mound of many cities" as
Or. Bliss calls IL, were the strata OF
the civilization through which the
Holy Land had passed, age by age.
The spade cut down through the
Turkish period, through the Crusad-
ers, through the Roman, Persian.
Greek, Hebrew--down deep into the
Amorite, or earliest historic age.
From seven to nine distinct layers
were found by DIR. Bliss, and 1t was
proved that Ii was indeed the ancient
city of Lachish, besieged In former
times by Egyptian and Assyrian.
Unfortunately the limit Of the time
and means were such that DIR. Bliss
could merely cut out a slice from The
great mound, the rest OF which still
awaits the hand OF the ecavator.
The Palestine Exploration Fund
has been doing some additional work
lately In Phoenicia, bat as yet the re-
suits are not great Much is expected
from a German and French expedition
that is preparing to work there, and
especially from the American School
for Bible Study. which has been found
ed in Jerusalem.
This college is supported by contri-
buttons from twenty or more Of the
leading American universities. from
among whose students a Fellow is se-
lected each year by competitive exami-
nation. one of the professors in Semitic
being chosen as the professor OF the
college each year. While this institu-
ton has not begun the work OF exca-