Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1902-06-04
IN MODERN NAZARETH.
The Residents Retain Characterize
tics of Ancestors.

The Residents Retain Characteris-
tics of Ancestors.
Nazareth claims 10000 population and
may have that number when its hos
pices are filled with pilgrims and its
hospitals with patients, but there has
never been a census, and the best ad-
vised authorities do not allow more
than 5,400, of whom about half are
Moslems and the remainder orthodox
Greeks, Roman Catholics and Maron-
ties, with about $500 Protestants.
| There are no Jews in Nazareth. They
are not allowed to live there. They are
permitted to come in and trade, but no
Jew can rent house or store or take
up a permanent residence for fear Of a
public demonstration. They come and
go, however, like other merchants,
buying and selling, minding their own
business and making money out of the
Christians.
Narazeth could not be larger place
than it Is. It's position Is not favorable
for trade and the scarcity of water is a
permanent drawback. AS I told you In
recent letter, there is only one spring,
upon which the entire population, men
and beasts, are dependent. There is
no other water for miles and there is
no tradition of any other springs In
the neighborhood. The inhabitants are
still noted for their turbulent disposi-
ton. They bear the same evil reputa-
ton that they have already borne. It
sticks to them still, and If reformer
the same question would be asked:
"Can any good thing come out Of
Nazareth" The word Nazarene has
always carried with it a degree Of re-
proach and contempt, and ever since
the time of Jesus has been applied by
the Jews to Him and to His followers.
The Jews Of Samaria and other parts
of Galilee always refer to Christians as
Nazarenes, and the term is often used
by the Jews of Jerusalem.
Nazareth is a place that has no his
tory. It is not mentioned in the Old
Testament, and during the subsequent
centuries it has remained hidden away
| in a narrow valley, an obscure vii
lage, of no political Importance, the
scene of no events and a place to be
avoided, because Of the evil reputation
of it's inhabitants. After the capture
of Jerusalem by the Crusaders, Godfrey
de .Boullion administered the govern
ment with justice and ability, and his
name is still cherished. Prompted by
reverence for the associations to the
place, he endeavored to do something
to improve Nazareth and advance the
condition of the province. He erected
churches and monasteries, both in Ma
zareth and upon Mount Tabor, but his
favors ended with his death and Naza-
reth sank into obscurity again. Dur
| ing the wars that have been so fierce
| ly waged in Galilee it was again and
again sacked and destroyed. but it's de-
struction was not Of sufficient import
ance to be mentioned in history.
Godfrey de Bullion was the most ad-
mirable Of all crusaders, not except
| ing Richard Of the Lion Heart. He
was no mere swashbuckler but a man
of ability, courage and conscience, and
although cruel deeds are charged to his
account he never engaged in plunder,
he never disgraced his profession, and
treated his captives with mercy.
| Nrfl oh
at Nazareth and large educational
and ecclesiastical establishment, in
Guiding a church dedicated to the An
gel Gabriel, a monastery, a normal
school for the education Of native
teachers, schools for both boys and
girls and hospice and hospital for the
entertainment of pilgrims, which I told
you about yesterday. The Roman
Catholics have Franciscan monastery
with church and school. large hos
pice, a school for Moslem boys exclu-
sively, an orphanage, a hospital, a
school kept by a religious order of rich
devotees known as the Danes de Naza-
reth, nunnery of the clarisses, num-
merry and orphanage of the sisters of
st. Joseph, and a home for women
members of different religious orders
who come to Nazareth on pilgrimages.
The Franciscans have 40 monks in
their monastery and 60 sisters in their
convent. Seven young men. novices
from the new Franciscan monastery at
Washington, arrived a few weeks ago
to spend a year in this sacred atmos-
phere. The monks would not let me see
them because they were in retreat.
The ProteStants Of Scotland have a
medical mission. q church and a school.
The English Female Educational So
ciety has a handsome institution for
the education of orphans and the Brit
ish Bible society has a large depot for
the distribution Of the Holy Scriptures.
| If anybody wants an interesting
souvenir Of Nazareth, let him inclose a
contribution to the directress Of the
English Orphanage and ask her to send
him it's value in the lace made by the
girls. Some of the work is exquisite,
and it is sold for nominal prices. The
orphans also press wild flowers and at
tach them to cards for sale. They are
very pretty and cheap, and will be
sent to any part of the world by mail
upon receipt Of an order
| There is a rather anomalous situa-
ton here, but the same may be found
in other parts of this country. Foreign
Protestants are maintaining schools,
hospitals and other charitable institu-
tions for the education and relief of the
children and the poor of the Orthodox
Greek church, which has most extern
lci, irsfif1lfinnC n tic IN Ia