The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-06-29

sandal wood and mother-of-pearl. The mother-of-pearl work is famous. The material is obtained from shells brought from the Red Sea and some of the carV- dreds of people making all kinds or or uaments and trinkets in wlndowless rooms as you pass through the narrow streets.
 There are no Jews in Bethlehem. and only seven Mohammedans, at least so they say. The rest of the population are Christians and Bethlehem has the repu~ tation of being the most orderly, in Jus trious and contented community in Pal estine. The city is the cleanest we have seen, although there might be some inn provement on several of the back streets. the Glums, 1 suppose. The main part of the town is neatly kept; the paVements are swept and sprinkled daily, the houses are neatly whitewashed. the courtyardS gre as clean as a New England dairy and the atmosphere is free from the hideods stenches that assail you in other towns.
 The only drawback to the pleasure or visit to Bethlehem are the appalling uglness of the church that stands over the scene of the nativity and the per sistence of the peddlers who follow Dl- grims and tourists from place to place as they go about sightseeing They do not leave you alone Tor q moment. You cannot look at anything without having half dozen impertinent vendors ol rus- aries, beads and other articles come be- fore you. You cannot think for mo-
 
 rasping voices importuning you to bliy. It is strange that justifabe homicides do not occur here every day.
 Millions of rosaries are shipped from Bethlehem annually to all parts of the world, as Mohammedans and Greeks. as well as Roman Catholics, use them 10 count their prayers. They are even more necessary to the former than to the members of any other creed. because they are required to repeat the same prayer ninety-nine times. and very few people have the mental Vigor to keep tally nn such a task. Millions of crucitiXes of ivory, mother of pearl olive. sandal wood and cedd:. lava, marble, alabaster and other materials, are made and sold and carloads of articles of olive wood of all descriptions are carried away each week on the backs of camels to the railway freight station at Jerusalem or across the mountain trails to Jaffa, for it Is still possible for the caravans to compete With the railroads in rates. Much of this ma terial goes to America. I met d gentle man in Bethlehe m who had a booth at the Worlds Fair at Chicago for the sale of religious merchandise, who told me that he had built up a trade of lars proportions and was shipping each year thousan Is of dollars worth to Chicago and New York, where he had his own agents established, well as a profitable business with the department stores
 While we were scouting around town with our kodaks we caught sight of q Bethlehem bride. Many of the towns in Palestine, like those of France and the Tyrol. have their own peculiar costumes, and that worn by the women of Bethleh am Is the most fetching we have seen. It glitters with embroidery and Is musical with iinginE coins. This bride justified the reputation which the women of Beth Iehem have for beauty, for she was a lovely creature and looked all the pret- tier when she hlushed. The groom had recently returned from Central America. He had lived in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. for several years, and, having pEospered in business. had come home to marry his true love He invited us into his house offered us cakes and wine. in obedience fo the laws of Oriental hospitality. and with d proud air of possession. gave us ncrmisison 10 photograph the beautiful girl he had married as often as we liked