The Irish standard., 1903-05-30
The Dominican Fathers are Doing Great
Work in the Exploration of the
Holy Land Antiquities.
The Franciscans Have Established Converts
and Hospices at Which all the
Visitors are Welcome.

| LUZ luc JOllll piOpiiSdtlOll VI iellSlOll
and the Italian language. 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 con-
trolling word i'll all matters Turkish,
political, commercial, and archnlogi-
| cal, and since the visit of the German
| emperor to Jerusalem there has been
an active development of German re-
ligious interests in the Holy City.
Close to the Church of the Holy Sep
ulchre is large and well-built Ger
man Protestant church, there are var
ious German Protestant schools at
Bethlehem and elsewhere, and in the
very heart of Jerusalem is hospice
for German Protestants. Recently
German Roman Catholic order has
been established, which is building
large hospice outside of the Damas-
Gus gate to care for German Roman
Catholic pilgrims, and has established
school to propagate the German
language. The Germans have also
acquired land close to the Zion gate,
near the so-called tomb of David, and
commenced building operations at
that point.
Among the Franciscans injured in
the riot on the steps before the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre were
German, italian, Spanish, and Amer
lean monks. While not nominally
disputing the French claim to repre-
sent in general way the Latin Chris
tians 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 punishment of the
Greek monks who had committed the
assault. The Italian and Spanish
governments followed the lead of the
German government in rejecting the
French protectorate so far as citizens
of their respective nationalities were
concerned, and made the same de-
mand upon Turkey. The case began
to come on for trial while I was in
ynr 1S01n 1,,1f ho1
final settlement at last accounts.
If Russia has displayed great build
ing activity in Jerusalem and Pales-
tine in the last years, it must be said
that the French religious orders have
not been backward. The Assump-
tionists had since my last visit, erect
ed magnificent new hospice just
outside of the new gate, to the north
of Jerusalem, and the Dominican
monks had built, on the site of the
old Church of st. Stephen, erected by
the Empress Eudocia in the fifth CEN
tury. fine new church, largely a re-
production Of the ancient structure,
and conventual school for Biblical
study. In connection with this school.
ut the head of which stands Pere La
grange, the Dominicans issue one of
the best, if not the best, Biblical re-
view in the world-Revue Biblique.
These Dominican fathers, highly cul-
tivated and educated men, are doing
a most admirable work in the explor-
alton of the antiquities of the Holy
Land. 1t might be added that in the
| Assumptionist hospice there is also
an admirable little Biblical museum
| scientifically arranged, open freely to
! visitors and students, which has been
collected by Pere Germer- Durand
himself. a noted cpigraphist. Dotted
all over the country, at Nazareth,
Bethlehem. Mount Tabor, Mount Car
mel, the Sea of Tiberias, ETC., one
finds converts and hospices, generally
Of the Franciscans, but sometimes Of
other orders. in which the visitor is
always made welcome and courteous
ly entertained, being expected to
make return for his entertainment by
such gift de he Is able to make (ordin-