Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1904-05-30

enter by the jana Gate on the west,
the broad Temple area hes to the east
ami soon blocks the route around 70
the eastern walls, and so, as we bear
TO the north, a continuous narrow
thoroughfare is struck, below which,
far down beneath the accumulation OF
ages. runs the pavement OF the way
of pain" trodden by the feet OF Christ
There is a spot where today that
actual pavement may be seen, but to
get 10 il one must enter into 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 Son, TO whom the house
belongs, points out the squares of
game scratched on che fat stone, ana
this, being nearer a low arch. sue.
gests that a good deal of waiting had
TO be endured here, and so the wearied
walters had scratched cut this plan
of a game TO while away their time.
There is a niche as for a figure or seat
at the arch. and a pOrtcullis-like
groove slit in the natural rock. This
is supposed 10 be, and with fair
grounds for the suppositiOn, the site OF
PLATE the governors house, and so
the later arch IN the street ABOVE is
called the "Ecce Homo" arCn.
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, Roman.
with all its various sectiOns,) COptic,
and the various Protestant nations
is trying to secure some historic OF
legendary site; and, this secured, up
goes a building destroying the natural
confguration OF the site, absolutely
obliterating the associations that the
scene would call up if LETT untouched
Wei may a modern writer exclaim
even OF st. Helena, What rigat had
even the ancients to build a church
here?" Today the Russians are the
most aggressive. In $50 A. d., Theo
docius counted twenty-six churches on
the Mount Of olives, but they were nol
such mighty buildings as 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 high tower that dominates
the whole country around. While
bathing in the Dead sea | locked W.
and there, in the sky, as it were, was
this peaked Russian tower. These
now buildings On the Mount Of olives
are all addit Cnal to the great walled
square of Russian building outside the
wall on the Jana road.
GoIgotha.
! The last place to have been walle0
around is that little hill just outside
the Damascus Gate, still called
Gclgctha by the Jews. It is no
longer possible now to climb THIS
little hill and look back TO the east on
the Mount CT Olives and away to
Mount Sion on the southwest. This
site. where Gordon claimed that Christ
suffered, was almost. until today, free
from all building as in His age, and
free from supeTstitious rite and false
legend The Garden tomb beneath il
is still unspoiled, although the Gus
todian has his little house in the Gar
den. One pays a small fee to look
into this rock;cut tomb. and. be it the
tomb Of Christ or not, it is, indeed. .
a tomb of that period, beneath the hin
that answers so infinitely to the de-
scription of the hill of Calvary. Here
is no incessant chatter of professional
prayer, nc tricky decorations of the
lamps of fighting sects. nor those
awful receptions of holy fire coming
forth from the rock, or such state
ments hurled at the wOuld-be reveren,
! as through this crack the blood of
Christ trickled down on TO the head of
Adam who was buried just under, and
awoks him" Is there no means Cf Sc
curing that this little hill and ibis
tomb may be saved from such desecra-
ton?
The Moslem government of today is
! less strict in forbidding the entrance
of Christians to their own sacred