Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-26

| r5==z7zz=~71NI,Y on Christmas day does Bethle-
! IkVANNI hem take rank above Jerusalem as
! lM VII the most holy Christian city
! Ia Every other day in the year
/ IEA N al Jerusalem is the scene OF the
lAd9E19AG celebration Of some sacred holy
day, and so frequent are these
rtualistlc observanoes that Jerusalem may
we'll be called the City of Professions. The
Church Of the Holy Sepulchre is of course
! the center Of most OF the celebrations but
! the city abounds in sacred shrines and is
blessed with many churches and converts,
each In its own time the scene of some spec
tacular ceremony of worship. Then. too. there
ara the Jewish and the Mohammedan festivals
hut the Christians far outstrip the followers
| of the two other religions which also claim
Jerusalem the Holy city.
| The Church Of the Holy Sepulchre, built on
the site of the DEATH the burial and the
| resurrection OF Christ, is the holiest shrine in
! Christendom. The Mount of olives, from
whence He ascended into heaven: the Garden
o. Gethsemane, where lie suffered the agony;
Tie Via Dolorosa, along which he carried the
cross; the judgment seat Of plate, where He
vas condemned by the political state; the
house Of Caiaphas, the high priest where lie
was condemned by tho ecclesiastical state
these and many other authenticated and un-
authenticated scenes In the life Of the Savior
are the objects OF religious veneraton. Ono Is
]
lie mounted the ass which was to carry Him
Into Jerusalem. one Is shown the stone upon
which roasted the cock whose third crow
brought repentance to the heart Of the erring
Peter and no one seems to think It strange
that this stone is In an entirely different quar-
ter of the city from that in which Peter was
supposed to be on that fateful night
But not all of the vast accumulation Of
Crusaders traditions and absurd superstitons
can blot out the fact that Jerusalem, I'm fact,
Is the city in which our Lord brought His
ministry TO Il close. and where He suffered
martyrdom For this reason the visitor to
Jerusalem, whatever his own religious belief
must be interested In the strange and peculiar
celebrations which are going on about him
all the time. Early IN the morning sees a
procession Of rowu-cowled. bare footed Fran
ciscans making its way through the narrow
streets to the church. II IS very simple. very
solemn and not at all spectacular. A little
later IN the day. perhaps, one sees the Latin
patriarch Of Jerusalem. accompanied by the
French consul general in his gorgeous uniform
at tho head OF a procession making Its way
/ from one OF the modern churches 10 some
especial shrine.
In sharp contrast is the procession Of Ar
menlan priests wearing habits OF black and
| high. brimless, chimney-pot hats, proceeding
from the Church OF st. James the seat Of
the Armenian patriarch, toward the Holy
/ Scpulchre Then a small and ragged process
sion Of Syrian Jacobtes going to their tiny
chapel close by the Tomb Of the Lord. The
gate OF the Abysslnian convent opens and
gives forth a procession OF priests Of this
peculiar rite. ever mystery and wonder
to Occidental Christians. And then. some
times there is n procession in purple and
white and black lead by the Anglican Bishop
OF jerusalem for even tho Protestants have
their representation in these spectacular re-
liPlous celebrations.
Interesting as are these formal professions
to the eye, even more interesting are the In
formal and motley parades OF the pilgrims
on the Mount OF Olives may look toward
Jerusalem and see the city as ohrist saw II
when lie said. Heaven and earth shall pass
away. but my words shall not pass away"
Winding up the long road from the city to
the holy mount comes a company Of Russian
pilgrims. They have saved from their poverty
the small sum necessary to pay their passage
frcm Odessa to Jana, and they will walk
| from here to the Jordan to be rebaptized In
| the waters OF that holy river.
Yet not the burden OF their extreme poverty
and their great physical misery can weigh
down their religious exaltation. They have
not priests 10 head their procession, they
have no captain. they are simple pilgrims. But
the car and the Russian church have pro-
vided hospices for their entertainment ana,
While they are in the Holy Land. they are
well cared for. From the church at the sum
nit Of the Mount Of Olives issues forth a
procession Of Russian Greek priests to receive
the pilgrims and TO lead them IN their wor-
shin here where they can look out across the
desert 10 the Dead Sea, fifteen miles away
and beyond It to the mountains OF Moab, where
Moses Hes in his lonely sepulchre.
/ Christians are likely 10 forget that Jesus