Arizona republican., 1909-11-07
The Jerusalem of Today.

10 ali CHRISTIANS throughout the
world. and to all Jews, the city OF
Jerusalem is the most sacred place
on earth To Mohammedans, as we'll
1t is, after Mecca, the most holy city
1t is safe to say therefore. that a
vast majority of the people of all
civilized lands. whatever their relig-
ious beliefs may be, regard Jerusa-
lem with generation. Most people no
doubt, picture Jerusalem as a quaint,
Quiet place, city of lasting peace,
where the evil passions of mankind
are subdued by the very atmosphere
where men of warning creeds meet
in a spirit of mutual respect and toll
Grafton, out Of regard for the sacred
soil itself.
In fact, however. it seems that no.
where else on earth is there exhibited
so much of the unpleasant side of
humanity-so much of narrowness
and bigotry, so much of pharisaical
hypocrisy. so much of intolerance. so
much Of silly, childish Impotence
with contrary beliefs. so much of
idiotic dogmatism. as among the sun
dry sects that are represented in
force around the holy places where
Jesus taught charity and liberation
and where he suffered and died. So
much is made clear by Mr.. James
Creelman, editor of Parsons Maya
zine, in an article in the November
number of that publication on The
Turks. the Christians and the Holy
Sepulchre.'
Following the frightful massacres of
Armenian Christians by Turks last
spring. Mr.. Creelman visited the
scene of the atrocities, and thence
went TO Jerusalem After seeing the
thousands of helpless Armenian or
phans and the disgraced and sorrow-
ing wives and daughters of the slain
Christians, and after comforting with
high Turkish officials, Mr.. Creelman
was at a loss to account for the at
titude of Indifference manifested by
the Turkish authorities-until he went
to Jerusalem. 1t is not in CONSTANT
nople. but in Jerusalem" he tells US.
that the power of Christianity gets
its real valuation in the eyes Of the
Turkish government"
In other words. it is the lack of all
signs of real Christianity at Jerusa-
lem. the daily show of hostility among
the contending Christian factions, and
their obvious contempt for the teach
ings of Christ, which give the Turks
their contempt for Christians. And
these constant object lessons in the
inability OF the Christian nations and
taught the Turkish government that
it can safely Cypress the Christians
of Armenia-it knows that the jeal-
ousies which prevail among the va
rious Christian organizations, and the
distrust and dislike mutually enter
tanned by them in the old world will
effectually prevent the so-called
Christian nations of Europe from pre-
senting a solid front to Turkey.
In Palestine" says Mr. Creelman,
where for more than sixteen hun
dred years Christian lamps have
burned before the scenes of Christ's
birth, ministry and death; whose
parched rocks and soil are memorial
ly sacred: whose air is sacramento TO
pilgrims drawn from the ends of the
earth-in the Holy Land the Moslem
looks in vain for signs of Christian
concord or unity.
NO wonder the fierce and ignorant
hOrdes of Asia Minor dare to murder
thirty thousand Christians and to vio-
late women and desecrate churches
within a few miles of the Mediterra-
mean sea in the twentieth century
without fear of retribution.
Around the Holy Sepulchre in Je-
rusalem; around the grotto OF the
Nativity in Bethlehem: by the Garden
of Gethsemane, under whose still liv-
ing olive trees Christ prayed and
sweated blood; in the crooked streets
through which He staggered under
the cross; on the Mount of Olives.
from which He assembled to Heaven,
and from whose ancient summit the
Dead sea, and the jordan, where He
was baptized. can be seen-in these
hottest places of Christian history
Christian monks and priests quarrel
and fight over hair-splitting questions
of sectarian dignity and privilege,
tear each others hair. slap each 9TH
er's faces and shed each others
blood"
Were it not for the constant pres
ence of Turkish soldiers. indeed. there
would be daily Christian riots around
these sacred places in Jerusalem. ac-
cording to Mr.. Creelman-and that he
is correct cannot be doubted. for his