The Carlisle independent., 1907-12-19
AT J0SHUA'S TOMB
CITY OF BAGDAD CLAIMS REST
 ING PLACE OF LEADER.
MosIem Women Gather There and !, ;ssPray for All Kinds of 'Faxors--Has >s Been Taken from Custody
 of the Jews.

Bagdad, once city of 3.00O,000 peo~ pie, and 1000 years ago the worlds center of all which civilization means, boasts only two graves of it's great characters. The tomb of the Caliph Mansur and of Zobeide, the wife Of Harun-el-Rashid, alone stand among it's ruins, says the Sunday School Times. Where the long list of caliphs, the grand vizers and the poets who made Bagdad famous were buried none can say The tombs have prob ably deen demolished by the ruthless hunters of bricks.
 However, among the ruins of the old city of Bagdad, to the left of the Tigris, stands a large square brick structure in which the Moslem keep CTS solemnly assert the body of Josh ua is buried It is useless to test their statements by the apparent age of the building, for the small square bricks of it's walls, gathered from the ruins of the Arabic period, may indicate only a reconstruction. The present build ing is not ancient. The entrance, pro- tected bysa portico, leads into large open court, which is surrounded by chambers. In some of the chambers are tombs of the recent dead; in others the attendants live and in one is housed a rough board coffin, which renders service at every funeral in the community. It is used to trans port the body to the cemetery and is then returned to the mosque to await the next burial. A single date palm now grows in the court, raising it's head above the fiat roof to which a brick stairway leads.
 The tomb beneath the center of the dome is protected by large rectangu- lar paneled case of dark wood, and excepting in one place, where panel is missing, it is invisible. At the head of the case are two tin projections, about which are tied number of strings or rags torn from the gar ments of the visiting pilgrims. One day, while I was standing at the head of the sacred tomb, young Mos1em woman entered, and with eyes wet with weeping she tore a small rag from her garment and tied it about one of the projections, while she mumbled prayer to God that be- fore year hence, when she should come to unite the rag, she might pre- sent her husband with child. It was but repetition of the picture of Hannah, the mother of Samuel, while she was at the temple, weeping and praying before Eli the priest. In the shrines of the east, the picture is still common. Before the government buildings at Bagdad stands big cannon which the ignorant Arab wom- en, aware of its tremendous power. believe can answer prayer.
 The old gun is half hidden with the strings and rags tied about it, each to represent prayer, and could it speak it might tell strange stories of the confessions which the confiding wom- en have poured out to it. So with the tomb of Joshua. There the women gather and pray for all kinds of favors, firm in the belief that the prophet will in some way cause them to be granted.
 Less than half century ago the tomb of Joshua was in Jewish hands, but the Turkish officials caused number of them to be arrested as they were bearing the body of noted rabbi there for burial. They were i'm prisoned for attempting to bury Jew at the shrine of the great prophet. They were finally released upon the payment of large sums of money, but tho care of the tomb was taken from them. Since then the tomb has been forbidden to the Jews, and, like most Moslem things, it now shows sad neg lect.