The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1910-12-14
THE PILGRIMS INJERUSAL EN-
CRAWL ON KNEES THROUGH
CHURCH OF HOLY SEPULCHER
Have Almost Worn Away With Kiss
es Stone on Which Body OF Jesus
Was Amounted for Burial

I eS SIone on w men bOuy OIL Jesus
Was Amounted for Burial.
The pilgrims who go to Jerusalem
by the 10000 a year are as super
stitious as the natives, writes Frank
g. Carpenter. Most Of them believe
that every spot pointed out is the
actual locality OF the event alleged
to have occurred there. Coming
from. the borders of Siberia, from
all parts of western Asia and Africa,
from Greece and the islands of the
Mediterranean sea they walk over
the Holy Land with stats in their
hands and kiss the places where they
| believe Jesus trod. They even kiss
the stones of the streets in Jerusa-
lem, not knowing or forgetting that
there have been three or four Jeru-
salems buried below the site of the
present one.
Many of them crawl on their
knees through the Church of the
Holy Sepulcher. They creep into the
yestibule and kiss the stone of unc-
ton upon which it is claimed the
| body of Christ was Amounted for
burial. This is a slab of rose-color-
! ed marble, about two feet wide and
! seven feet long, set in the floor,
and much OF it's surface has been
worn away by the kissing Not a
! few of the pilgrims from Russia
| bring linen cloths with them just
i large enough to make shrOud
These are blessed by contact with
the stone, and the pilgrim carries
the cloth back home to be buried
in it, believing that such a shroud
will be a sure passport to heaven.
! Near the stone of JUNCTION is the
spot on which it is said the Virgin
Mary stood while Christ was on the
cross. 1t is also worn away by kiss
ing Within the great rotunda, to
the right, is a church belonging to
the Greeks, at the front of which
stands a marble column as high as
chair and about as big around as
fOur-gallOn crock. This is the cen
ter Of the world, and is honored as
such. In a chapel of ivory white
marble in the center of the rOtunda
is the alleged tomb of the Savior.
The chamber is six feet square, and
| is lighted with candles The tomb
is covered with a marble slab over
which glass has been laid to keep
the lips of the pilgrims from wear
ing the stone. Kisses are pressed
upon these holy spots by thousands
of mouths every day, and if every
lip leaves its microbes all the dis
eases of the world must be in the
bacteria there
1t is hard to estimate the value of
the offerings which the pilgrims
lay on these shrines. Some leave
the savings of years The poor lay
their pennies in the hands of the
priests and drop them in the boxes
to be seen at almost every corner.
There is much gold and precious
stones. A life-size image of the
Virgin Mary in the Greek church
is covered with diamonds The i'm
age is of wax with painted face, and
is dressed in satins and silks. An
oval pearl as big as the end of ones
thumb hangs on the forehead, while
the waXen fingers have a score or
more of rings, most of them costly
and presented to the Virgin as Q
love Offering. On the silken lap of
tho image lies great golden heart
as thick as ones fist and about six
inches in width, studded with emer-
aids and diamonds. This heart is
a present from Franz Josef, the en-
perOr of Russia, who has made many
costly gifts to the Church OF the
Holy Sepulcher. In the grotto of
the Church of the Nativity at Beth
lehem is a similar statue, which is
even more gorgeously decorated, al
though some of its jewels are said
| to be paste.