The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-09-29

One OF the notable things IN the
life of Jerusalem Of to-day is the in
crease of newspapers since the adop-
tion of the constitution. These four
page papers, partly printed and part
ly mimeographed, are Al Kouds and
AL Insaf, in Arabic. appearing twice
a week; Al Ahlan and Mounabihll
Amouat. in Arabic. issued once a
week; and two Jewish dailies called
Paroles and Aherout. Al Kouds, or
Jerusalem, is the best; Al Insaf is
issued by Greek Church laymen
against the clergy: AL Ahlan, or
Dreamers. comes out on Sunday as a
sort of SQUIRTING" paper against the
Greek clergy; the paper with the
longest name is a weekly insult to the
Latin clergy. and translated its name
reads Walker of the Dead Ones" A
daily telegraph bulletin in Arabic
and French is also published.
For years there has been a Jewish
daily called Hazevir. The govern
ment has printed a weekly bulletin
half in Arabic and half in Turkish.
For some time the Greek clergy pub
lished a paper against the laymen of
their church with the title Bachir
Philistine. 1t was recently discon-
tinued when the editors life was
sought.
Like many another novelty the
new papers tend to be overdone. Their
criticisms have been so severe and
their ability to report matters of pub
lie concern with exactness, so incon-
siderable, now and then, that it is
rumored that a censor is to be ap-
pointed, whose business it shall be,
not as of yore to suppress news, but
to see that facts are not unsupported
and matters or personages not mis-
represented.
One matter of grave Importance
Is the constant strife between the
clergy and the laity Of the Orthodox
Church, as distinguished from the
Russian Church. There IS increas-
ing dissatisfaction with the AFRO
gance, the ignorance. and the financial
mismanagement of the Greek clergy.
This dissatisfaction publicly expressed
not two months ago cost the lives Of
several men. For several days a de-
termined mob of Greeks laid siege to
the ecclesiastical authorities and
filled all Jerusalem with fear. The
quarrel was temporarily terminated
by orders from Constantinople, but
the main issues yet remain as points
of rabid and personal discussion. The
charge is openly made by the laymen
of the. Greek connection that their
priests are too fond of wine and
ONE They insist that it is high
time that the clergy secured better
education for themselves, demanded
larger intellectual qualifications from
the candidates for the priesthood and
provided proper mental development
for the children of the fold. They
demand that the money sent in enor-
nous amounts from Greece and Rus
STA and other lands to Jerusalem by
the generous faithful be spent to
renovate dilapidated Greek churches,
erect hospitals and schools and be de-
NOISo " q WluCl SudllIy Iuoh Slo
which, in the case of the Greek
clergy, naively begins at home. By
this last is meant that it is generally
reported hat the clergy use the do
nations aforementioned for the pri-
vate advantage Of their wi imme-
date families. 1t is simply neces-
sary to talk five minutes with an Or
dinarily intelligent communicate of
the Orthodox Greek Church in order
to understand that these questions
will not be settled until they are
settled right.
BY way Of passing comment, 1t
may be said that the Russians have
the finest and cleanest churches and
equipment in Jerusalem; that the
Germans excel all the other nations
in the magnifcence of their coloniz-
ing and Protestant ecclesiastical in
situations, possessing the one out
standing Protestant church building
in jerusalem; that the work by Jews
among Jews Is as marvellous as the
Jewish quarter in Jerusalem is dirty;
that the hospices of Palestine, wheth-
er Russian or Latin, are models Of
comfort and order: that the childish
differences existing between the var
ious divisions of the body of Christ
are as we'll qualified to make a Mos
lem disguised as they are to make a
Christian with the Spirit Of Jesus in
his heart to be ashamed. The clergy
of all faiths present the finest collec-
ton of elongated hair and Whiskers
to be seen anywhere in the world.
The Russian priests particularly are
S handsome and well groomed as
the Franciscans are courteous and
cordial.
1t is difficult to understand that the
sort of men one meets privately will
be so very vulgarly insistent over
inconsequential matters Of place and
preferment and procedure in their
official capacities as representatives
of their respective churches. One
wonders what would happen were the
doorman at the entrance to the
TNDFCT DIN q