The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1907-01-30
A CITY OF SORROWS
GAUNT, RUINED AND DEsoLATE
Upon HER HOARY HILLS.
Jerusalem Stands To-day in an At
mosphere of Overwhelming Woe.
No Trace Remains OF Her
Ancient SplendOr.
Ancient Splendor.

ali
SYRIA and Turkey present the same
distressing appearance OF rum sur
fering. poverty and filth, equallng II
every respect the conditions prevail
ing in Jerusalem, and all are equally
cursed by the rotten government OF
the Turk; but no other city on earth
&c so utterly possessed by the at
mosphere of an overwhelming ana
all-abiding sorrow, as in this ancient
City of David, once so powerful ana
so glittering in it's splendor as to
earn the proud title of Jerusalem
the Golden" says a writer.
The city still crowns Mt. Moriah
and Mount Zion, as in the golden
age of David and Solomon, and the
mountains round about Jerusalem
are the same that 1900 years ago
cast their shadows over the most
awful drama of the ages; but the
CITY itself is not the Jerusalem OF
our dreams, not the Jerusalem OF
David and solomon and Herod, not
even that glittering Saracen CITY OF
the Caliph Omar. 1t is rather the
Jerusalem of the Crusaders and OF
the Turks, spoiled by the later dlngy
standardization of modern Syria.
The approach to the City of Da-
vid is striking and impressive, and,
were it not for the innovation of
steel rails and telegraph poles, we
might almost fancy ourselves back
in the times of the patriarchs.
A Cosmopolitan Crowd.
We enter the city by the Joppa
gate and find ourselves within the
walls of a typical Syrian town, much
resembling Jaffa and Beyrout in its
curious architecture, and in the cos
mopolitan character of it's inhabi-
tants. but lacking the true oriental
atmosphere of Tripoli and Damas-
Gus. The streets are dirty and mar
row and most of them are arched
overhead with solid masonry and are
but little more than tunnels under
meath the buildings of the city,
scantily lighted by occasional open
ings in the roof.
These dark passages are filed with
people of every race and every ma
ton under the sun; traders from
eastern lands seeking for gain;
thousands of pilgrims from faraWay
corners of the world desiring to rem
der homage at Christian shrines;
priests of many faiths and friars OF
every order known to the church,
Franciscans, Dominicans, Capuchins,
Benedictines, monks of St. Bernard
and white-robed brothers of the Car
melite Order; Greek and Ro@at
priests and prelates of the Armenian
Maronite, Abyssinian and Copuc
churches, together with patriarcaa
Hebrews whose venerable boards
flowing robes and turbaned head
take us back to the time of Abra
ham and Jacob
Ghostly women in white fit by,
displaying only two lustrous blacl
eyes, and dainty finger tips painted
red with henna; and bronze-faced
Ishmaelites from beyond the Jordan,
bristling with antiquated firearms,
and with their belts stuck full OF
trangelv-fashioned knives and dag
gers.
Throughout this teeming cosmo-
politan throng are interpreted the
Misunderstanding Turkish soldiers.
They are everywhere, on the city
walks. in every narrow street, at ev-
cry Christian shrine, on Zion and Mt.
Moriah and at the Holy Sepulcher,
and guarding with most jealous care
the Mosque of Omar and its COM
Danion structures now browning the
ancient foundations of solomon S
Temple.
A Battle Field for Ages.
This wonderful city has been for
ages battle-ground and bone OF
contention among the nations OF the
earth; Egyptians, Philistines, Baby
lonians, Assyrians, Persians, Ro-
mans, Saracens, Turks and Crusaders
have all in turn fought over this an
Gent capital of the Jews.
Sixteen times has this troubled
city known the horrors of desolation
at the hands of besieging armies. and
sixteen times in her sad history have
her stricken children been put TO
the knife or driven away in chains
at the chariot wheels of her con
querors. Titus destroyed the city
absolutely at the end of three-year
siege in II A. d. and even the glory
of the temple was laid low. jose
phus states that 100000 Jews were
slaughtered during that terrible
siege, or died of famine, and that
the streets ran ankle-deep in the
blood of the victims.
For more than fifty years after its
conquest by Titus, Jerusalem dlsap-
peared utterly from the worlds his
tory, and under the Emperor Had