Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-24
THE HOLY LAND
EV-BETHLEHEM OF JUDEA
Bv Frederic j. Haskin

bus was seeking means for his epoch
making voyage. Yet with all its in
terest, its antiquity and the nobility OF
its architecture, the nave is barren
and desolate place in which no re-
ligious services are held and which rs
used only as n corridor through which
to reach the chapels beyond.
The Chapel of the Nativity is a nat
ural cave In the rock, which Is reached
by two staircases descending from the
choir. The cave is encased with mar
BILE and is decorated. or desecrated, ac-
cording to ones individual opinion, by
scores of paintings. figures OF saints,
gaudy tinsel hangings, dirty embroid-
cry and the like. On the east side OF
the grotto is a recess the roof of which
is the uncovered natural rock. In the
pavement of this recess is set a silver
star, which indicates the spot where
our Savior was born and around it Is
the inscription quoted above.
over the star hang sixteen silver
lamps, constantly burning. Six of these
belong to the Greeks, five to the Latins
and five to the Armenians. Nearby
there is q plain altar, which is used
by each of these three sects in turn.
1t is a narrow little room, thirty-three
feet long and only eleven feet wide,
into which is constantly crowding a
steady stream of devout worshlpers.
They fall on their faces before the re-
cess in the rock and kiss the silver star
in a very frenzy of religious emotion.
There is no light except from the
tiny lamps there is no ventilation at
all, and surely there must be miraC-
ulous interference in behalf of the de-
Vuut or the grutto would become the
greatest clearing house and dlstribut-
ing station for germs and microbes in
all the world. In a nearby grotto, u
place most sacred to Roman Cath
olcs, lived for the greater part of his
life st. Jerome, who translated the
Bible into the Vulgate. This greatest
of the Latin fathers devoutly believed
in the authenticity OF the site of the
grotto of the nativity. and here in the
fourth century he lived and wrought
his immortal work for the church of
Christ.
over the grotto are two chapels, i'm
which services are in progress almost
continually. The Greeks have one side
and the Latins the other and there are
Mohammedan soldiers constantly on
guard to prevent trouble. II was a
quarrel between the Greeks and the
Latins in this church which caused the
Crimean war. 1t is a fortunate thing
of Christmas do not come on the sameI
day. The church of St. Catherine overl
the grotto, and the neighboring Fran
ciscan monastery, are welcome havensl
of refuge from the dirt and filth of
the common part of the church. In.
all Palestine the Roman Catholic,
church stands for cleanliness.
Comprised within the fortress-like'
edifice are three converts of the Latin,
4. Il 4
From the roof Of the Armenian mon-
astery one has view of the hillside
upon which the young David tended
his flocks and upon which were gath
cred the shepherds who heard the ana
gelic chorus in that first great Christ
mas carol. The hillside now is cut into
terraces and is carefully titled and
tended by the keepers of the vineyards.
There are several small towers on the
slope of the hill built for the accommo-.
dation of the watchmen who keep
guard in the night over the fields and
vines.
one comes out of the church to ID
beset by a pack of ravenous wolves
in the guise of souvenir sellers. 1t is'
shameful to tell, hut the very worst
of these importunate raseals hail frorn
the United States. The spirit of reV-
erence and devotion inspired by thu
church and its associations Is destroyed
in the necessary quarrels with these
venders of supposedly holy relics. One
hates to believe but he is so com
PEELED, that the larger portion Of the
people of Bethlehem make their living
by trading upon the sanctity and hold
mess Of their city.
Despite the annoyances and the sa q
rileges, Bethlehem yet must claim the'
interest of the visitor as a most re-
markable city. For here was born thai
man whose influence has been greater
than that of any other son of woman,
and from this least among the cities
of Judah came forth Christ, Christian4
ity and Christmas.
TomOrrow-THE HOLY LAND
V-Chrlstmas In Bethlehem.