Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-12-27
n SOUTHERN PILGRIM
n IN EASTERN LANDS
Z D. d.
NAZARETH OF THE PRESENT DAY
,Y EDoAR y. POLK, ID. ID.

the Mediterranean sea and the Sea of
Galilee. being about q miles from the
former and IL miles from the latter. Ii
is Is miles north of Jerusalem. 1t is sit
uated in an amphitheater formed by Is
hills which rise around IT like the
edge of shell to guard it from In
trusion." These hills are of almost uni
form height. being from 1900 to 1000
feet above sea level. Nazareth lies on
the western side of the amphitheater,
nesting on the eastern side of the west
ern hill. II is about LOO feet above sea
level. so that the hin on which 1t lies
rises some 500 feet above 1t. The streets
rise in terraces and the fiat-roofed
houses. built of the yellowish- white lime
stone of the region, shine in the sun
with a dazzling brightness, from among
the gardens of fig trees, olives. expresses,
and the white and scarlet blossoms Of
the orange and pomegranate. 1t is today,
as 1t has been in the past quiet rural
town, the abode of shepherds. craftsmen,
Vine-dressers and tillers of the soil. The
land. which seems to be very fertile, is
divided off into little fields or gardens
by hedges of pricIly pear or cactus.
With such a setting. Nazareth present
ed quite an attractive appearance as 1t
burst upon our vision that bright April
morning. when the grass the hillsides
was green and the foliage on the trees
was fresh and luxuriant. The road ap-
preaching it from the northwest winds
gracefully along the hillside into the
hill-surrounded basin. While the car
riages followed the road / jumped out Of
our carriage to take a picture of the
city and the hill back of it, and Joined
the carriage at the bottom. Our camp
was pitched in a beautiful olive grove in
the basin.
POPULATION. &c
Nazareth has a population of some
10000 or 1900. Nearly all of them are
Christians, which means that they are
Roman Catholics, or Greek Catholics.
There are perhaps 1000 Mohammedans in
the city. but few, If any, Jews. In fact.
it is said that no Jews are allowed to
live there at all. They may come into
the city in the day to attend. to any
business they may have, but must not
spend the night there AS 1. stated in
speaking of Bethlehem. that city and
Nazareth are the only two cities in
Palestine. where Christianity predomi-
mates. While it is a corrupt Christianity,
still even in that form. it is much
better than Accommodation. After
breathing the foul Mohammedan atmos-
pnere for so long, 1t was relief to
get into a Christian atmosphere, which
while not pure was at least much purer
than the Mohammedan atmosphere.
GIVE NOTHING IN NAZARETH"
1 had a rather striking illustration of
the different atmosphere into which
had come. l started to give a little Naza-
rene beggar few coppers-or 'metali-
ques," as they call them-when a larger
Nazsrene spoke pp and said in good
German, "Geben sic nlcht in Naza-
reth''-"Give nothing in Nazareth" l was
ctar cad of Language and at
the advice. The German could easily
be accounted for by the existence of
mission sclrol there, and the advice by
the Christian atmosphere. Both were
quite refreshing to hear.
VALUE RECEIVED.
Not that the people of Nazareth do not
try to get anything out of the tourists
who come there as the people In the
Mohammedan cities do. They do get all
they can out of them. That is largely
their source of income, as with the peo-
pie in Egypt and Palestine and Syria
generally But they do not try to get
something for nothing. They are not
beggars. They propose to give value re-
ceived, and usually do.
MARIE.
Even before we reached our camp a
bright Nazarene girl about IA years of
age jumped up on the step of our car
riage and said in good English, Il am
Marie Buy from me-" When we got
to the camp she and others, girls and
women. were there with laces of yari-
Gus patterns-collars, armlets, doilies,
all hand-made-miniatur water jars,
knives and other trinkets for sale.
Their prices were pretty reasonable,
too, and you could not Jew them down
much, if any, as we had been accus-
toned to Jewing the peddlers in Mo-
hammedan cities, and, in fact, were
compelled to do for self-protection.
Marie was the favorite with the mem
bers of the party. and nearly all of us
bought something from her, both for
her own sake and because of her name
Marie, Mary of Nazareth. 1t was so
suggestive of another Mary who lived
in Nazareth in the long ago.
CITY DESTROYED.
The Nazareth of Marie is not, how
ever. the Nazareth of Mary. Though
situated a little off of the regular line
of travel giving it a seclusiveness in
time of peace, yet 1t was near enough
to the route from east to west to be-
come the object of attack in time of
war by invading armies, so that II was
again and again destroyed. 1t is said
that nothing that now stands is older
than the 18th century.
SACRED PLACES.
That fact. however, does not deter the
Roman and Greek Catholics from claim
ing many places to be the original sites
made sacred by association with the
life once lived there, which places they
show to the tourists, such, for instance,
as the
CHURCH OF ANNUNCIATION,
said to mark the spot where the angel
Gabriel announced to the Virgin Mary
that she was to be the mother of the
Promised Messiah. This church itself
Is erected upon the ruins of a very
ancient building. In the rear of the
church is high altar, deliberately dec
Grated. From this altar there proceeds
a continuous chant, echoing through the
vaulted, chamber. The choristers are
hidden from view and the mournful
sounds coming from 1.-The choir inyisi-
BILE" produces a weird effect. A flight
of Is marble steps leads to cave uu-
der this altar. This is called the
Chapel of the Angel. Passing through
a natural arch in the rock you come to
4 second cave, encased in marble and