Omaha daily bee., 1909-12-27
Some Things You Want to Know
The Holy Land-The Ancient Port of Jaffa.

Apostle Peter. There is no reasonable
excuse for anyone's believing in the
authenticity OF these houses. although the
antiquarians agree that the site OF the
house by the sea IN which lived Simon the
Tanner, probably is the same as that Of the
modern house which the tourist now sees
as the first sacred relic in Palestine.
More interesting than these spurious
relies Of the past are the three modern
converts, Greek, Latin and Armenian, and
the modern schools. The Armenian convent
is the one where the plague sufferers and
other invalids were poisoned by order Of
Napoleon. These three converts show evil
dences Of prosperity and modern advance
ment not seen elswhere in the country.
There Is an English Protestant school for
girls, and an English hospital, which have
accomplished wonders in the emancipation
Of Oriental girls from the bondage Of
ignorance and the chains Of Oriental
customs.
The Jaffa women are famous for their
laces and embroidery work, and the tour
lists are usually levied upon for the main
tenance Of this industry. The hotel at
Jaffa Is. conducted on. a semi-religious
plan, which serves at once to introduce
the visitor to the sacred atmosphere Of
the Holy Land and to recall his half
forgotten biblical history. The rooms in
the hotel, instead of being numbered, are
designated by the names of the Twelve
Tribes of Israel and other Biblical names.
The product Of the soil Of which the
Jaffa people, especially the Germans, are
most proud is a certain red wine, known
as "Jaffa Rot When one hears the
Maitre d. Hotel ordering a bottle OF Jaffa
Rot sent 10 ManaSgah and a ffa ~
water to Issachar, one is tempted to be-
lieve that time has turned to
the days of the patriarchs.
But after all Jaffa is interesting mainly
in its capacity as the seaport Of Jeru-
salem. one takes the train at the Jaffa
station early in the morning for the climb
up the mountain to Jerusalem. The Jour
ney lasts nearly four hours, although the
distance is only fifty-four miles, At first
the train passes between orange groves and
vineyards and a little later one Is whirled
through the extensive olive groves at the
beginning of the rise to the hills. One sees
the site OF the battle between st. George,
the patron saint of England. and the
Drason-a battle perpetuated in bas relief
upon every English golden sovereign. One
sees through the car windows the sites
Of many Crusaders battles, and several
modern Jewish colonies, but it is not long
until the road reaches the mountains. Then
there is nothing to be seen except an oc-
casional terraced farm on the hillside,
a cave in which Samson is said to have
been born and the hill where Samson
slew the 1000 men with the jawbone Of an
ass.
But, nearing Jerusalem, the train stops
for a few minutes at the station of Bittir,
which Is the site of the last stronghold
of the defenders of the Jewish nation. The
modern Moslem village of Blttir crowns
the crest of a steep hill, to which approach
is made over a paved Roman road still in
good condition. 1t was here that the rem
nant Of the Jewish army under the false
Messiah, Barchochebas, made its last stand
against the legions of the Emperor Had
rian In the ysar 1S4. a generation after the
majority Of the Jews had been scattered
to the four quarters of the earth In the
great dispersion.
The contrast between the rich orange
groves and fruitful vineyards of the coastal
plain at Jaffa, and the barren, denuded
hills about Jerusalem is most striking. Al
Jaffa the people seem to live In happiness,
children laugh and play in the streets, the
market place is crowded with busy men,
and there Is not such a great difference
from the ordinary aspects Of life as seen
in modern cities.
But when one comes to Jerusalem there
is so much poverty, SO much misery. so
little industry and so much religion that
one feels himself to be in another world.
1t will not be strange If the tourist, after
a day or two, should feel the surfeit OF re-
ligious tradition and wish himself back
among the orange groves and the life Of
modern Jaffa.
1X FREDHRIO J. HAsK1E.
Tomorrow-rHD HOLY LAND-THB
PLAIN OF SHARON.