Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1902-06-04

church in Nazareth who does not In
some manner or another derive the
greater part Of his revenue from pill
grims and tourists, and yet they do not
hesitate to let the English and Amer
can missionaries take care or their
poor and pay for the education of their
children. This is explained by several
reasons, the most important OF which
Is that the Protestant schools and char
liable institutions are the best, while
those of the Greeks are the poorest and
most unattractive. Therefore a Greek
will allow the Protestants to pay for
the education Of his children while he
pays for the education Of Moslem chill
dren in schools maintained by his own
church. The natural result Is that
most of the pupils in the Protestant
schools and most of the converts TO
Professionalism are from the Orthodox
Greek families.
From the crest of the hill back OF
Nazareth is one Of the most striking
and beautiful views in Palestine.
Mount Tabor uplifts a rounded dome
toward the southeast; the snow-clad
summit Of Mount Hermon Is distinctly
visible in the distant north, while Car
mel lies to the westward like a Sleep
ing monster, with it's nose in the Med
iterranean. These are three or the
most famous mountains in the world.
On the west, inclosed by a group or
lower hills, lies the town of Sepphorieh,
which is supposed to have been the res
idence Of Joachim and Anna, the pa
rents of the Virgin, and of Zachorias
and his wife, Elizabeth, the parents OF
John the Baptist, to whom Mary mace
visit after the annunciation. This
however, like most Of the stories you
hear, is mere tradition.
The Mount of the Beatitudes, sup
posed to have been the scene OF the
Sermon on the Mount, is in the same
direction, being one Of the foothills or
the Karn Hattin, a rocky peak nearly
200 feet high. It's situation and sur
roundings so strikingly coincide with
the Gospel narrative Of the Sermon on
the Mount and the place where the o,OUO
were fed with loaves and fishes as TO
absolutely disarm criticism, although
of course, the evidence In It's faVor
would not stand for a moment under
the rules of a court. 1t is the only
place in the neighborhood that could
have been used for such purpose.
The plain on which it stands Is easily
accessible. It's situation is central both
to the peasants Of the hills and to the
fishermen of the lake, between which
it stands, and it would be a natural
resort for Jesus and His disciples from
any one OF the many towns and villages
around it for consultation or reflection,
while there is natural platform and
amphitheatre which corresponds pre-
cisely to the "level place" referred to by
the evangelists. 1t Is singular COIN
cidence that both the Greeks and Ro-
man Catholics agree upon it without
question.
BY some freak of fate the Mount of the
Beatitudes, the spot upon which CHRIST
preached the words OF peace and love
and charity, that win live longer than
any others ever uttered by man, was
the scene of one of the bloodiest bat
ties of the Crusaders on the Sd and 4th
of July, 11S7. Saladin, the brilliant
leader Of the Saracens, dealt a death
blow to the power Of the Franks IN
Palestine. Guy de Lusignan, King or
Jerusalem, was taken prisoner, with
many knights Templar and Hospital
lers. who were sold to the Bedouins for
slaves. The grand master OF the
knights Templar was executed by
Saladin's own hands. Because ne had
so frequently broken faith the Saracen
chieftain pronounced him unfit to live.
From that day and from this place
the decay Of the Crusades began, and
1t is no wonder, for anybody who reads
the history Of this extraordinary move
ment must boil with indignation at the
crimes and cruelties that were perpe-
trated in the name Of Christ. The mo-
tives of the Crusaders may have been
pure and pious, but their method were
those of satan. At the storming or
Jerusalem they slaughtered 10000 Mos
lens regardless of age or sex. They
burned thousands of Jews alive IN syn
agogues and threw Jewish infants over
the wall Of the city upon the rocks or
the valley Of Jehoshaphat. After they
had washed the blood from their hands
they knelt at the grave Of Christ in the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre and re-
turned thanks to the Prince OF Peace
for the victory they had won In His
name.
At Acre the feast of the assumption
of the Blessed Virgin was celebrated
by hanging 2,7O0 hostages, innocent
people who had been detained tempor-
arily until their ransom could be paid
and when an explanation was demand
ed by the heathen, the leaders OF the
Crusade declared that the act was Ito
vindicate the Christian religion and to
retaliate with the assent Of divine
grace, upon those who had destroyed
so many Christians in battle with mis-
siles from bows and arbalests."
Jesus as boy, no doubt, often play
ed upon the slopes of the hill from
which He afterward delivered His ia
nous sermon, and among it's beautiful
surroundings studied the problems of
life. From the summit Of the hill back
of Nazareth, which He, no doubt, Of
ten ascended. can be seen the great
highway between Damascus and Egypt,
over which have passed professions of
pilgrims, caravans of trade and char
lots of war for 40 centuries. 1t stood