The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-05-24
Christians At
WAR OVER STAIRS
Scrapping in Holy Land Be-
tween Different SeCtS
RUSSIA GUARDS GREEK
Prof. John Peters Writes More
of the East


The New York Evening Post. says:
In spite Of the present antagonism be-
tween Greeks and Russians, owing to the
Russian educational propaganda, Russia
is still the protector of Greek Christians
in the East. as France claims to be Of
the Latins. The animosity between Greek
and Latin Christians is as active as ever.
and Turkish guards must be constantly
on duty in the Church of the Holy Sc
pulchre at Jerusalem and at the Groto Of
the NATIVITY of Bethlehem: but the ami
mostly between warning Christians does
not have. owing TO the present political
relations of France and Russia. the same
effect as of old. 1t will be remembered
that il was quarrel between Greek and
Latin Christians about their respective
rights in the Church of Nativity which
precipitated the Crimean war with Rus
STA on one side and France on the other.
During my first visit to Palestine a
conflict occurred between the Latin aQd
the Greek Christians with regard 10 the
construction OF a wall in the neighbor-
hood Of the Virgins Tomb in the valley of
and France, according to tradition. should
have supported the Latins; but, unwill-
ing to antagonize Russia, her support
was merely formal The Franciscans
planted themselves in the breach physic
ally and literally. and the Greek monks.
with the assistance of Turkish soldiers
for the authorities sided with the Greeks
pushed them out of the way and rolled
them down the bank
About a year ago the Greeks, who. Sc
cure of the support of Russia, have be-
come of late years very aggressive, I'M
dertook to take possession of some steps
on the outside of the Church of the
Holy Sepulchre which have belonged to
the Franciscans. The symbol Of that
ownership is that the Franciscans sweep
the steps. The Greeks laid claim to this
privilege, and undertook to sweep the
steps and drive the Franciscans away.
The result was a violent encounter be-
tween the Franciscans and the Greek
monks. in which the latter were the as
sailants. The Greeks had gathered stones
and other missiles in preparation for the
conflict, and these they hurled from the
windows and lodges of the Church of the
Sepulchre on the Franciscans on the steps
below Several of the Franciscans were
very seriously. almost fatally. injured.
Before the Franco-German war of 1870
France would of course. have permitted
no such outrage. but now the case is
different. While the same rivalry and ami
mostly is still nominally the protector OF
the Latin Christians, her desire to main
tain friendly relations with Russia is
carried to such a pitch Of subserviency
that whatever the Greeks may do to the
Latins in the East France tolerates. In
this case the matter would have been
CLOSED over so as to prevent friction with
Russia. but. rather Unexpectedly to most
people. other European Powers took tn.
mattAr up.
The Italians have shown themselves
FESTIVE under the French claim to the
exclusive protectorate Of Latin Christians
in the East. and French propaganda
through the religious schools. italian
commercial interests in the Turkish En-
pire are large and doing business there
Is considerab BILE. For business reasons it
is desirable from the point Of view Of
the Italian government. that schools
should he established in which Italian is
taught and consequently Latin monks
of Italian origin have at eBirut and else
where such schools for the joint props-
cation of religion and the Italian Ian
guage Germany also has large interests
in the Turkish Empire. These interests
It is true. lie more especially in Asia
Minor, but there has been an inclination
on the part Of Germany TO speak the
controlling word in all matters Turkish.
political, commercial and archaeological,
and since the visit of the German En-
peror to Jerusalem there has been an
active development of German religious
interests in the Holy City. Close to the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre is a large
and weIl-built German Protestant Church.
there are various German Protestant
schols in Bethlehem and elsewhere and
in the very heart of Jerusalem is a hos
nee for German Protestants Recently
a German Roman Catholic order has
been established which is building a large
hospice outside of the Damascus gate 10
care for German Catholic pilgrims. and
has established a school 10 propssa
the German language. The Germans have
also acquired land close TO the Zion gate.
near the so-caned tomb OF David. and
commenced building operations at tina;
point.
Among the Franciscans injured in IN
riot on the steps before the Church Of
the Holy Sepulchre were German, Italian,
Spanish and American monks. While
not nouinally disputing the French claim
20 represent in a general way the Latin
Christians IN the East Germany has in
sisted on treating all German monks as
subjects Of Germany. and in this case.
whether the Franciscan order would or
not. she insisted on taking up the case
of her own subjects and demanding from
the Turkish tribunals the trial and pun
sshment OF the Greek monks who had
committed the assault The Italian and
Spanish governments in rejecting the
French prorectorate SO far as citizens OF
their respective nationalities were con
cerned. and made the same demand upon
Turkey The case began To come on Tor
trial while l was in Jerusalem. but had
not reached final settlement at last
accounts.
II Russia has displayed great building
activity OF Jerusalem and Palestine in
the last years. il must be said that the
French religious orders have not been
backward. The Assumptfonists had since
nv last visit erected a magnificent new
Aospice just outside Of the new sats. u