Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-06-13
SITE OF THE NATIVITY
STRUCTURE THAT MARKS SA-
CRED SPOT Is NEGLECTED.
Temple Should Be Erected by Churches
of Observation-Disclosures Build
ing Crumbling.

Corresp lndence Of the Chicago Record Herald.
1t would be great thing If the churches
Of Christendom would celebrate the TWEEN
tieth century by holding a conference for
the purpose of providing ways and means
for the erection of a suitable temple upon
the site of the Nativity. The present struct-
ure is inadequate and unworthy. being in
complete. insecure neglected and partially
in ruins. while the interior Is disgracefully
tawdry and cheap. 1t is one of the oldest
examples of Christian architecture in the
world. but has been partially destroyed on
several occasions. and the reservations that
have been made from time to time were in
tended to be only temporary. Almost every
old church throughout Palestine is attrib-
uted to the Empress Helena most of them
falsely: some have been erected within the
last two or three centuries and more dating
from the time Of the crusades. The energy.
the enterprise and the piety of that good
woman were notable and she did so
much to honor and uplight Christianity
that she is credited with many works that
she never thought Of; but there is no doubt
that the basiIica at Bethlehem, at least
part of ii. was erected by her direction and
under her supervision. This fact is not
disputed. and | believe it is the only church
in Palestine of which this may be said. The
remaining buildings attributed to her are
more or less in doubt.
SA4O1C1l VI Tie NdJIN1ly.
The Church of the Nativity. as it is called,
is an enormous. irregular and ugly pile of
buildings extending along a ridge of the
hill on which Bethlehem is built from east
to west. and includes three converts owned
BY the Roman Catholic. Orthodox Greek
and Armenian churches. all of them con-
neCted with it, There is absolutely nothing
to excite interest in the entire structure ex-
Cept Its size and a few Corinthian pillars
half Obl1terated mOSaicS, and roof beams of
cedar from Lebanon. In this church Bald
win l was crowned king of Jerusalem and
here hundreds of kings, princes and po-
tentates and other great men from the east
and the west have knelt in prayer to the
Christ child
The Church of the HOLY SepuIcher at Je-
rusalem. the Church of the Annunciation at
Nazareth. the tomb of the virgin the gar
Den OF CitthSe name, and all the other great
er SanCtuarieS have been the subject of dis
pute TOR centuries. Nothing definite can be
said Tor or against their authenticity, and
therefore they probably always will be in
vowed III doubt and controversy, which is
used as reason, or rather as an excuse
Tor not erecting appropriate monuments
over them. but no such objection can be
offered TO the Church of the Nativity The
traditions which surround it can be traced
back to the very night of the Savior's birth,
and secular history confirms them. We
Know that Jesus born in a stable be-
cause there Vas no room for his parents at
the inn; We know that that stable was con-
nected with a cave, and that it was situat-
cd IN the village; We know that the location
OF the village has not been changed and
there being but one cave, the chain of evil
dence is clear.