Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1909-04-11

natural with the sky above. It is quite near Mount Gerizim, where the Samaritans still worship, and 1t made quite real the Lords conversation with the woman of Samaria.
 On our first morning at Jerusalem we went to Bethlehem. There was not near so much tawdry decoration in the Church of the Nativity as I expected. It is the oldest church in the world now-built 327, believe, by Queen Helena, mother of Constan- tine, the Great. Latins, Greeks and Armenians have chapels. It is a sad state of affairs that they fight so much among themselves for posses sion that the Sultan has guard there all the time to keep peace.
 We went in the cave where St. Je- rome lived for thirty years, translat- ed the Bible and wrote his own life.
 l have pictures of the manager, etc. The golden star on the supposed site of the birth of Christ was given by the French government. So many conflicting stories are told-they say Queen Helena took the original man. ger and left duplicate in it's place. It was touching to me to see the pil- grinls kissing the star, and the stone manager. Over the latter is beautl- full picture of Murillo's, showing the shepherds worshipping Jesus. l could hardly leave it. The roof and part of the stone floor, is left bare.
 We went to the we'll that is thought to be the one from which Daniel thirsted so for a drink while hiding from Saul in care of Adullam.
 We then went out on hill, saw the field of Boaz, the fields where David as a boy kept the sheep, the site of the cave of Adullam. That afternoon we went through the Jaffa Gate, past David's Tower, all over Mount Zion. Much of Jaffa Gate is 500 years old. Jerusalem is on four hills. We visited several sites that were not absolutely authentic, Dav- ids tomb, room of Last Supper, house of Annas and Caiaphas. then through David's gate to the Jews Wailing Place. Outside the gate were lepers that made your heart ache. There is a home for them, but they prefer to beg. We went through the market, saw all kinds of sights and smelled all kinds of smells. I got some len tils, the kind of which Esau's mess of pottage was made. The Jews Wail- ing place was interesting and touch ing-many Jews were here leaning against the original foundation of the wall of Solomon's Temple, some reading the Talmud, the Lamenta- tions of Jeremiah and many lifting up their voices in real walls; some shook with sobs. They were praying for the restoration of the Temple. The city is surely suffering for the rejection of Christ. never saw such poverty and suffering. They know not the Sabbath-stores all open, carpenters mailing. etc.
 Saturday we went to Jericho over a very hilly. very dusty road. We had an armed escort, the son of the sheik in charge on beautiful Arab ian horse in gay trappings. He car ried sword, gun and short knife. He was hired to keep of the Bedouins on the principal take a thief to catch thief" We went steadily downward, past Good Samaritan Inn past the brook Cherith, where Elijah was fed by ravens; this was an i'm pressive spot. the high rocks on each side. Many hermits live in caves in the rocks. There Is a Greek monas- tery here also. St. Georges. We had
 been going through such beautiful country. and this Wilderness of Ju- dea was surely a contrast-barren
 and desolate. We came down in the
 Jordan Valley, only narrow strip
 of which is now cultivated. It was
 hard to believe that the children of
 Israel found Hand flowing with milk md honey" !. But I have since