The Savannah morning news., 1904-08-18
REPLICA OF THE
HOLY SEPULCHER.
MOnastic Home of the FranciscaR
Friars Near Washington.
From Pittsh,,ro Taadar

rIOHl FlllSDufS Leader.
A bit of strange old world trans
planted into this, with all it's original
atmosphere intact is the beautiful
monastery a few miles out from Wash
ington under the sanity auspices of
the Franciscan friars. The institu-
ton almost seems an anachronism,
planted with all it's medival sugges-
tions, within birds flight of the
bursting new world city. A monastery
within sound of the gong of the troll
ley cars-a monastery a stones throw
from soda fountain-a monastery in
q mise en- scene of strictly up-to-date
minute Americenness-the combina-
ton on the face of it is bizarre. Yet
once within it's sacred walls one feels
transported back 1000 years, one be-
comes himself a part of hoary history.
a running mate" of Godfrey De Boul-
lion, a close chum of Peter the Her.
NIT and all the vast crusa ding COM
pany.
The Monastery of the Holy Sepul-
cher is in all respects an exact fac
smile of the original building at Je-
rusalem, the Holy City, which in
closes the sacred tomb, the object of
the holy wars. The Holy Sepulcher
with the crack across the stone ex-
actly reproduced in the monastery at
Washington, the crypt, the grottoes
and even the winding, musty cata-
combs the latter, however, only for
dramatic effect, since no interments
will ever be made within them. The
Monastery of the Holy Sepulcher,
erected within the last three years
like it's model at Jerusalem, is in the
shape of a fivefold cross, the emblem
of the Order of Jerusalem. The vast
cruciform church is supplied with plain
chairs and prize dieux, as in the old
country, instead of stationary pews
There are shrines and affairs in every
niche.
Here tonsured monks and lay broth
ers in the most picturesque garb hold
solemn service, marching in reverent
procession from shrine to shrine, de-
vout and chanting. Their brown, mo-
nastic robes are knotted at their
waists by cords. Their unstockinged
feet slide over the stone floor in noise
less sandals. There's an ascetic look
of peace and imperturbability on their
pale faces, a softened cadence to their
rich voices. The Franciscan monks
are missionaries in emulation of their
patron saint, "Sweet Saint Francis
of Assist, the mendicant friar. X
large number of lay brothers are he
ing educated here within the clustered
monastery to take their places. like
the crusaders of old, in the battle
against the infdelity of the oriental
land sanctified by the presence of the
sacred sepulcher.
The curious from Washington pour
out many times a week to visit the
yellow monastery on the hill near
Brookland. An ancient friar with a
long white patriarchal beard more like
a prophet of Allah than a monk greets
you cordially with his hand to his ear.
lie deaf and falkq five
The visitor is conducted courteously all
over the building and every detail
carefully explained to him. Outside
a great bed of blue forget-me-nots
riots sentimentally. Monks and the
little fiowerettes of love and plighted
troth are incongruous. A thoroughly
unmonastic touch is the Stars and
Stripes that float gayly over the edi-
flee. Firecrackers and Fourth of Julys
are out of focus with monks and mon
asteries and evensong.
Somewhere in Washington, too, there
is a facsimile of the famous grotto of
Our Lady of Lourdes with almost the
same miraculous phenomena ascribed
to it as the original by the believing
and the faithful. The town, in fact,
is prodigaI in religious opportunities.
There's the "Babist" sect, for in
stance, the latest and most unique
cult, which holds semi-weekly services
at the Corcoran building. There are
only a handful of these occult and
esoteric devotes in Washington, but
these are gathered from the most en-
lightened classes. Eel Bab,'' the mas
ter (the two Oriental words means 'the
gate,") fiourished in Syria a quarter
of a century ago and established the
religion which is obtaining a fast hold
in America, where it was first intro
duced during the Chicago Fair. A
fiery, unframed Syrian, Mira Abul
FAIL by name, in the most beautiful
of Oriental Vestments with snowy
white turban wound about his dusky
brow, expounds the doctrine of Eel
Bah" to the elect, his unintelligible
utterances being translated as he
speaks by an Oriental interpreter be-
side him. They have no specific creed
or articles of faith. Each absorbs the
lessons according to his own temper
ment The mainstay of the organiza-
ton in Washington is very smart
and wealthy young woman, Miss Bar
ney, an uncompromising zealot, who
spends most of her time in Syria i'm
bibing the truth from the present
master" the son of Eel Bah" in
captivity for many years because of his
teachings. Miss Barney's mother is
Washington's most gifted artist. A
lovely portrait Of her hangs in the Cor
coran art gallery, painted by Prince
Troubetskoy, the husband of Amelie
Rives, while not far away is another
clever likeness of the lovely artist,
painted on burlap by herself, showing
her in big hat and flowing white chif-
fon VEIL
Communications to the follower of
eel Bah" come from the fountain head
in Syria by means of tablets" which
are translated and typewriter and
distributed among the various con-
gregations. Chance visitors who drop
into the meetings at the Corcoran
building are very courteously and care
fully enlightened as to the tenets of
the strange, elusive belief. The mem
bers-if there can be members to a
thing without definite organization-are
invariably almost an educated,
thoughtful class of people. The cult
of the followers of Eel Bab' is even
without a specific corporate title. 1t is
only outsiders who have dubbed them
"Babists." Washington is never at a
Lose for novelties