The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-07-02

David. Turkish soldiers are patroll-
ing near. for just beyond is the citadel
But let us turn up a narrow way to the
left. Lying at the corner of great
house is the naked body of poor
wretch, brown piece of sacking
thrown over his loins; he awaits aims.
but makes no sign.
Roman priest passes by. then a
Greek priest, and a man in brown
robe on a little ass; then woman, all
yelled, clothed in white from head to
foot save her black face veil. Such Is
the ever varying. quick, eager, shifting.
crowd. so full of color, so ever chang
ing. as we penetrate. doubling on our
steps down through the busy David )
street. on into the Mohammedan street.
where dark shadows are thrown by the
arches. and the brilliant colors ara
softened by the shade. The stranger
can soon learn to thread his way amid
the narrow, tortuous streets that inter
sect Jerusalem The city is so small.
that, lose ones self as one easily may
repeatedly, the outer walls must soon
be reached. If we enter by the JANA
Gate on the west, the broad temple
area lies to the east, and socn blocks
the route around to the eastern walls.
and we bear to the north, a con-
tinuous narrow thoroughfare is struck,
below which. far down beneath the ac-
emulation of ages, runs the pavement
of the way of pain" trodden by the
feet of Christ.
There is a spot where today that ac-
tuaI pavement may be seen, but to get
to II one must enter into a house and
descend many steps; and then, some
twenty feet below the present street.
are seen the broad level slabs of the
Roman pavement. One of the Sisters
of 70 ,xrhn hn hn,t ha1n
points out the squares of game
scratched on one fiat stone, and this.
being near a low arch, suggests that
a good deal of waiting had to be en-
| dured here, and so the wearied walters
| had scratched out this plan Of game
to while away the time. There is a
niche as for a figure or seat at the
| arch. and a portcullislike grove slit in
the natural rock. This is supposed TO
| be- and with fair grounds for the sup
position, the site of PLATE. the Gov
ernor's house. and SO the later arch in
the street above is called the "Ecco
Homo" arch.
The terrible obstacle in Jerusalem
| to the study of holy and historic sites
| is the passion for building over these
| sites and today that evil is increasing.
Every section of the Christian church
Russian. Greek. Armenian with all
! of it's various sections), Coptic, and the
various Protestant nltions-is trying
| TO secure some historic or legendary
| site: and. this secured. ur goes a buId-
| ing destroying the natural confgura-
| ton of the site. absolutely obliterating
the associations that tho scene would
| call up II left untouched. Well may a
| modern writer exclaim, of St Helena
| What right had the ancients to build
| church here?" Today the Russians
! are the most aggressive. In 500 A. d.
| Theodocious county 26 churches on
| the Mount of olives. but they were not
such mighty buildings az the Russians
are erecting there today with all the
| glare of colored and gilded domes; and
on the summit of the Mount rises their
great hight tower that dominates the
whole country round. While bathing
| in the Dead Sea. I looked up, and
| there. in the sky las IT were. was this
| peaked Russian tower. These new
! buildings on the Mount of olives are
| all additional to the great walled
square of Russian building outside the
wall on the Jalfa road.
The best place TO have been walled
round is the little hill just outside
the Damascus gate, still called Col
gotha by the Jews. 1t is no longer
| possible now to climb this little hill
and look back 20 the east on the
! Mount of Olives. and away to AIount
| Sion on the southward, This site.
| where Gordon claimed that Christ suf-
fered was almost, until today, free
from all building. as in His age.
an dfree from superstitious rite and
| false legend. The Garden tomb be-
| meath it is still unspoiled, although
/ the custodian has his little house in
! the Garden. One pays a small fee to
/ look into this rOck-Out tomb. and, be
It the tomb of Christ or not, 1t is. In
| decd Il tomb of that period, beneath
! the hill that answers so minutely to
I the description of the hill of Calvary.
Here is no incessant chatter of pro-
fessional prayer no 'ricky decorations
/ of the lamps of fghting scots, nor
those awful receptions of holy fire
coming forth from the rock, or such
! statements hurled at the would-be
reverent as through this crack the
blood of Christ trickled down onto the
head of Adam. who was buried just
under. and awoke him" Is there no
means of securing hat this little hill
and this tomb may be saved from such
| desecration?