Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-12-17

year, but the carefully built terraces
show that they are still cultivated
and productive. We also took look
at the rock-hewr we'll of David from
which the. hunted exile longed for
a drink | confess l have always
had a good deal of sympathy for the,
;oldier who risked his life to get
David a drink from that we'll, and
then saw him pour it out as liba-
ton to God 1t would take a very
spiritually minded man to realize
that this was the highest use to
which David could put the precious
water.
Gathered about the we'll were
number of women who had come to
procure water for the MONDAY meal
Hanging TO the skirts of one of them
was a miserable weaZen-faced little
girl who put forth her little hand
and began to whine "baksheesh." l
started to give her a small coin,
when instantly the whole group of
women fell upon me and began to
fight for that coin. 1t was as bad
as upsetting a beehive. Bursting
through their ranks l ran down the
street to the carriage and took an
inventory to see if | still had my
purse, watch, and whole epidermis.
| have been very careful since about
dispensing my charity.
The principal thing to be seen in
Jerusalem is of course the temple
area, browning Mt Moorish. 1t is
without doubt the very mount upon
which stood all the temples built by
the Jews. from that of Solomon to
that of HerOd 1t is now very close
~ guarded by the Moslems who glory
in showing both Jews and Christi3ns
that they control the sacred site. In
order to visit il we must first obtain
letter from the American consul,
then. armed with this. obtain per
nit from the Turkish authorities,
both civil and ecclesiastical. These
granted, Turkish soldier represent
ing the civil power, and 'khavass
representing the ecclesiastical author
tiles, are appointed to accompany US.
and led by our guide, we pass
through the old cotton bazar
which in the palmy days of caravans
TO Arabia and India was very i'm
portant business street, and passing
through the gate now called Mo
manned" We enter the sacred en-
closure.
An UNDERSTANDABLE AWE.
He must be very dull in magma
ton and lacking in appreciation of
history who does not feel an indie
scribable awe and thrill as he steps
within these ancient walls and looks
around upon the place where so
many great men and great events
have played their parts in the worlds
history. You behold a great court
embracing a good many acres. 1t is
bounded on the east by the city wall
which looks down into the valley of
the kedron; on the south by the city
wall looking down toward Sloan and
the valley Of HinnOm; on the west
by a wall which rises from the
'CheesmOnger valley beyond which (
lies Mt Zion; while on the north are
the barracks of the Turkish soldiers
who guard the place, just in the days
of Jesus and Paul. the same soldiers
who kept order in the place. This
large outer space was the Court of
the Gentiles beyond which only Jews .
could go. Ascending a short flight of .
steps you come to the sacred space
reserved for the Jews, within which /
stood the temple. There today rises
the dome of the Mosque of Omar /
covering what is generally accepted |
as the very rock upon which stood .
the great brazen altar in the tenn
pie 1t is simply huge rounded .
rock rising in the midst of the
mosque through which a channel has
been cut leading, it is believed, to
a subterranean conduit which car
ried away the blood of the ancient
sacrifices.
The Moslems have clustered a
of silly legends about this
rock. They believe that Mohammed
assembled to heaven from it. The
rock followed him until Gabriel laid
his hand upon it and stopped 1t, and
for conformation they show you the
print of the angels fingers in the
rock At one side there is a care
fully covered piece of stone in the
floor. When it is uncovered you see
10 small holes in the stone, two of
which are filled with silver nails, and
a third with a piece of nail. They
tell you that when all those nails
disappear the world will come to an
end.
TIP TICKET TO PARADISE.
And 16 " of them are gone! When
this announcement has made its sol
emn impression upon you, then you
are informed that a generous tip TO
the man who has shown you the
stone is as good as a ticket to para
disc. On another side just within
The heavy iron railing which sur
rounds the rock stands an elaborate
" wrought cabinet, through the or
door of which you can see
I silver cabinet. Within that an
]ther and yet third. But what is
[. thus carefully hiden, which is too
precious for the eye of any but the
ailLful? Three hairs from the head
If Mphammed, Once a year they are
brought out and exhibited to the