The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1906-12-23
TPER5 sO0FJDE THE Walls or slERusN7IrM =

(Of suE.RUSABEFl or
This Mosque Of Omar covers the
summit OF Mount Moriah. whers Abra-
ham offered UP Isaac In sacrifice. This
Is one Of the few undisputed points OF
biblical interest In Jerusalem; as to
the authenticity. OF this holy spot Jew.
Mos1em and Christian alike bear witt
ness. Onesof the ridiculous beliefs OF
the 7Mohammedans Is that tho summit
OF Mount Moriah IS eighteen miles
nearer heaven than any other place on
EARTH
Among the greatest sorrows Of this
sad city is the AFFECT and forlorn con-
dition OF the Jewish people In this.
: their own ancient capital Reduced to
the condition OF pauper rabble, hated.
reviled and despised by the Turks,
they still cling desperately to the
skeleton of their ancestral power.
The Jews Wailing Place on,a Friday
evening presents one of the most re-
markable spectacleS to be witnessed In
all Jerusalem Crowds OF long bearded
fathers IN Israel robed In crimson
and purple. gather In front OF the
giant stones which once formed part
Of the foundation of King Solomon's
stupendous edifce, weeping and kiss
,ng the ancient stones, wailing in
lamentation over the destruction OF
their temple and praying for the res
toration of the ancient glory, of Jeru-
salem V
For the palace that lies desolate, y
o Lord we sit in solitude and mournI
For the temple that has fallen,
O Lord. we sit and mournl
A short half-hours journey from the
Damascus Gate brings us to that an
ciert Judean village toward which the
thoughts of millions are turned every
year at Christmastide. Bethlehem OF
Judea," where Jesus was born; the boy
hood home of David, and the scene of
Ruths story Here also Baldwin the
Leper. the great Knight Temp1ar. was
crowned King of Jerusalem by the
Crusaders In the year hoo A ID.
The Church of the Nativity is vast,
unlovely.. fortress-lilSe structure erect
ed by Helena, the mother of Constan-,
tine, 327 A d. In the crypt beneath
the great deserted nave is the simple
grotto or cavern of the Nativity, where
1900 years ago Child was born
whose light was destined to illu-
mine all the world The sacred spot
is now enveloped in the mists of In
cense, and great star OF silver marks
the place where the Child was laid,
above which sixteen beautifully
* wrought lamps Of silver and gold shed
their perpetual radiance.
Worn by the Kiss of the Faithful
The stone slab containing the silver
star of the Nativity has already been
kissed away eight times by the rev.
erent lips of pilgrims from the four
corners Of the world Priests of tfk>
Greek. Latin, Armenian, Coptfc n
Abyssinfan churches divide the care X
this haliowed place among themselves.
and few solemn monks gather here
to recfte their evening prayers. But It
&C. -
wander amid the gloom OF this solemn
church, but rather Of that wondrous
day nineteen centuries ago when three
camefs came over the desert from afar
and drew near to the city, OF David.
and three wise men Of the East bowed
down before the Child and laid their
gifts OF gold. franlxincense and myrrh
ut his feet.
Even here IN this peaceful place a
strong guard of Turkish soldiers is
& constantly on duty to prevent the Diff
ferent Christian scots from fighting
among themselves, and sad experiences
has proven that such precaution is
absolutely necessary, for in terrible
hight between the various Christian
+ sects which took place In the holy sep
pulcher during the Easter celebration
about seventy years ago over 400 peo-
pie were killed
The feature which impresses us most
Il around
Jerusalem and Bethlehem is that moth
Ing seems to have changed during the
past 1000 years The hills. the fields
and the pastoral scenes are the same.
the shepherds. dressed in the costume
OF the patriarchs. tending their focks
on the lonely hillsides just as they did
IN the time of Abraham
There is one view Of Jerusalem that
retains much of it's ancient glory and
realizes something of our anticipations
! of the "city of the great King the Je-
: rusalem of David, OF Solomon, of Herod.
From the rugged brow of Mount Seopus
we see the city much as it must have
! appeared when Christ stood and went
over IT. 20 Jerusalem. Jerusalem. thou
that ki1Iest the prophets and stonest
them which. are sent unto thee, how
often would I have gathered thy chill
dren together, even as a hen gathereth
her chickens under her wings, and ye
would notr'
The dirt. the dogs and the ugly struc-
lures of the Turkish town are all lost
TO view and the picture presented to
our sight is one of peaceful loneliness.
with nothing to mar it's beauty The
wild valley of the brook kedron. filled
with tombs, lies at our feet with the
stunted olive trees struggling up to the
very walls of the ancient city; those
hoary and picturesque old wallis erected
by the great Caliph Omar 1900 years
ago.
Above the walls Mount Zion and
Mount Moriah raise their historic
heads, covered with wilderness OF
white. hat-topped and domed buildings
interspersed with the succeed NINA
rets of the mosques and dominated by
that ,loveliest of Moslem structures.
the Mosque of Omar, peerlessly beau
tiful with its golden mosaics cleaning
in the sunlight Shepherds watch their
hoeks on the sacred slopes OF the
Mount of Olives. and caravans of cam
els climb the distant lights Groups
OF dark-eyed Syrian. women-twenti-
eth century Rebehahs--pass US on their
way up from. the pool Of Sloan with
huge jars of water balanced upon their
heads
Far away In, the distance the glitter
ing waters of the Dead Sea and the
SILVER thread of the river Jordan are