Los Angeles herald., 1910-01-01
THE HOLY LAND
XI-NAZARETFI THE DESPISED
Bv Frederic j. Raskin

doubt that he came here with Mary,
his mother, hundreds of times, just as
the little boys today so to the fountain
with their mothers. The fountain is
the center of the busiest part of the
ancient town, and the most interesting
place in Nazareth. The spring wells
up under the Greek Church of the
Annunciation, and as the church itself
is underground the water is led past
the altar of Gabriel to a well which is
kept full for the use of pilgrims, and
theme by conduit to an arched fountain
below the church on the hillside.
Here the stream flows into a square
stone trough, from which the water is
dipped. the overflow forms pool in
winch the women wash their linen and
in which the children bathe. The
church over the spring is believed by
the Greeks to be the exact site Of the
house in which Mary lived and in
which she received the salutation of
the angel. The Catholics have another
Church of the Annunciation in another
part of the city, for which the same
things are claimed. But according to
tradition the Holy House of Nazareth
is not here. 1t is the legend that on
May 10, 1891, when the house which
had been the home of the Blessed Vir-
gin was in danger of being desecrated
by the Mohammedans it was lifted
bodily from its foundations and was
borne by the hands of angels through
the air to town in Dalmatia. After
three years, by the same miraculous
means, the holy house was removed to
Loretto, in Italy, where it still is an
object of veneration by many pilgrims
Every visitor to Nazareth is of
course especially interested in the car
penter shops to be seen in the bazaar.
So great has been the demand of
tourists for bits of woodwork wrought
by a carpenter of Nazareth that the
industry has responded by a partial
adoption of modern methods. Every
other trade is carried on just as it
was in the day of Jesus apprentice
ship, but the carpenters have arisen
from their seats ON the floor to work
at carpenters bench such as is used
in America. They have gone so far
as to buy a few modern tools, and
they have almost succeeded in destroy
ing the romantic interest of their pc
culiar trade in their particular town.
Climbing to the summit of the hill
III MHOSG SlOp6 lllG bONll 10 pdllI tAAN
visitor to Nazareth commands a Won
lcrCul view, which undoubtedly is the
same as that which delighted the eyes
uf the Son of Mary. On the west one
sees the blue Mediterranean and the
green slopes of Carmel To the east
there is Mount Tabor Between lies
that country in which were enacted
the Great events of the history of the
KinPdom of Israel. In sight are the
al ,f !, tho
scene of Sisera's defeat the scene of
the strategem of the pitchers and can
dies and of the triumph of the sword
of the Lord and of Gideon. One may
$50 the country where Saul and JON
athan Waged their disastrous warfare
againsi tie Philistines. One may see
the COUNTRY over which Jehu raced III
his chariot to JeZreel, one may see the
rnired tower of the city which was the
home and the death place of the cruel
Jazebel One may see the high nat
ural altar where Elijah oVercame the
!,r. phets of Baal. One may see the
denuded mountains which bespeak the
barren estate of modern Palestine and
at ones very feet in the valley Of
Nazareth there is a remnant of the
Give gIoves and vineyards of the land
which once flowed with milk and
honey.
until Jesus gave it prominence. But
ever since his day it has been sacred,
both to the Christian, worshipers Of
jesus Christ and the Mohammedan
MoI Slippers of the Lord lisa, Son Of
Maryam of the village of En- Nazirah,
who was crucified in Jerusalem. The
followers of Jesus were first known
as Nazarenes, name which was ap-
piled to them by the Jews, and which
VcI cisted in Palestine even after the
Romans had given the peculiar peo-
pie" the nickname of Christians. The
MChemmedans to this day speak of
Christians as Nazarenes, the Arabic
form being "An Nasraniyyah."
THUS has Nazareth the despised been
preserved from destruction and from
oblivion by the power of the prophet
whom it had refused to honor because
he was not a stranger.
TOmorrow-The Holy Landi
XII-Carmel' by the Sea.